# Analyze collected crash dumps using WinDbg
After collecting a crash dump (.dmp) file, developers can use [WinDbg](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/drivers/debugger/)  and [symbol files](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/drivers/debugger/symbols-and-symbol-files)  to analyze the crash and identify the root cause. The following tools are required:
- WinDbg (Preview or Classic) – available from the Microsoft Store or Windows SDK.
- Access to symbol files – either [public Microsoft symbols](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/drivers/debugger/microsoft-public-symbols)  or private PDBs.
## Set symbol path and run crash analysis
Do the following to set the symbol path and analyze a dump file in WinDbg:
1. Open WinDbg.
2. In the **File** menu, select **Open Dump File** and select the appropriate dump file.
3. In the command line near the bottom of the WinDbg window, enter the following command to set the symbol path:
.sympath srv*C:\\Symbols*https://msdl.microsoft.com/download/symbols
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4. Enter `.reload` to load symbol files.
5. Enter `!analyze -v` to run automated crash analysis.
6. Review the output. Be sure to analyze the exception code (for example, 0xC0000005 for access violation) and the faulting module DLL . The faulting DLL is often the key to identifying the crash source.
## How to interpret the faulting DLL
After running `!analyze -v`, look for the module name in the output to help identify the origin of the crash.
| **DLL Type** | **How to Identify** | **Example** |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Microsoft DLL | Located in C:\Windows\System32 folder | ntdll.dll, kernel32.dll, msvcrt.dll |
| Qualcomm DLL | Located in Qualcomm-specific install paths C:\Windows\System32\DriverStore\FileRepository directory or has file name starting with qc. | Have names starting with qc (e.g., qcdx11arm64xum.dll for Qualcomm GPU driver). |
| ISV DLL | Usually installed in the application’s directory or a subdirectory. To confirm, check if the DLL is located inside the application’s install folder (for example, C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop 2024\). They are provided by third-party software vendors. |
Adobe Photoshop: AdobeLinguistic.dll in C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop 2024\AdobeLinguistic.dll
Adobe Illustrator: Aires.dll in C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Illustrator 2024\Aires.dll
|
## Key inspection commands in WinDbg
After running `!analyze -v`, use the commands in the following table to manually inspect the crash context.
| **Purpose** | **Command** | **Description** |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Call Stack | `k` | Shows current thread’s call stack |
| All Threads | `~*k` | Shows call stacks for all threads |
| Exception Info | `.exr -1` | Displays last exception record |
| Thread Context | `~s` | Switch to thread, then use k |
| List Loaded Modules | `lm` | Lists all loaded modules |
| Module Details | `lmDvm ` | Shows detailed info for a specific module |
| Symbol Troubleshooting | `!sym noisy` | Enables verbose symbol loading logs |
See [Getting started with WinDbg (user mode)](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/drivers/debugger/getting-started-with-windbg/)  for more information on WinDbg.
Last Published: Apr 29, 2026
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