Where Are Mac Crash Reports Stored?
DiagnosticReports folders for user and system crashes on Mac, and reading them in Console.
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Mac crash reports land as .ips files in DiagnosticReports folders, one for your user crashes and one for system wide ones. Every app crash, hang and unexpected quit writes a timestamped file there with a stack trace inside.
Console.app is the readable front end: open it, pick Crash Reports in the sidebar, and the same files appear with search and filtering. Developers ask for these files because the crashing thread section usually names the culprit library. Copy the file, not a screenshot, when filing a bug.
Where macOS stores this, by platform
~/Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports
Your apps crash here as .ips files. System crashes go to /Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports instead. Console.app reads both trees with search, which beats digging through Finder.
Frequently asked questions
How do I read a Mac crash report?
Open Console.app and pick Crash Reports in the sidebar. The crashing thread section near the top usually names the failing library, which is what developers need from you.
Can I delete old Mac crash reports?
Yes, they are plain diagnostic files with no effect on the system. Keep the recent ones for any open bug reports, and clear the rest when disk space matters.
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