Phostwood's Skyrim Crash Analyzer

Last updated: March 5, 2026

(refresh daily to ensure you are using the latest version)

Select your log type:
download (if you don't already have this crash logging mod)

Find your crash logs at:
(select your log type above for more information)

Or, alternately, use the Test Log to simulate almost every possible crash log issue at once.

⚠️ NOTE: Not all crash issues can be detected with this tool. This automated analysis follows a formulaic approach and may miss subtleties that human reviewers can catch. If this analyzer is less-helpful towards a particular series of related crash logs, please see bottom of page for a list of communities in which to request a human analysis.

"Try harder" by analyzing full log (show typically less-likely causes)
Display nested Log Summary (Beta feature)

Instructions:

⤵️ show details

Join r/Phostwood on Reddit, and our #phostcrashlogs Discord channel (more info below)

Diagnoses:

(click "Choose File" or copy-paste file contents for analyzing)

Not all crash types can be detected with this tool. This automated analysis follows a formulaic approach and may miss subtleties that human reviewers can catch.

If you're using Crash Logger SSE and want a second opinion from another automated analyzer, Skyrim Crash Decoder serves as a well-paired backup option. Currently, this older alternative tool still excels in a couple areas where our analyzer has limitations. We'll likely remove this recommendation once our analyzer addresses these weaknesses, but for now, it's a slightly begrudged yet honest suggestion. :-)

If this analyzer provides limited help for specific crash logs, we strongly recommend seeking assistance from these excellent communities. Each community has dedicated "crash log gurus" who can analyze beyond the capabilities of this or any foreseeable automated tool. We also extend our sincere thanks to those gurus who have shared their Skyrim modding expertise to help build and improve this analyzer!

Join r/Phostwood on Reddit, and our #phostcrashlogs channel on Discord!

Suggest improvements or new features
Report bugs
Share tricky crash logs where this analyzer missed the culprit but you later identified
Get news on analyzer updates
Share analyzer success stories!
Connect with other Skyrim modders

Recommended References:

Recommended Tools:

LOOT for load order recommendations (being mindful that it may mess up 5 to 10% of them when auto sorting), and as a general modlist diagnostic tool.
VRAMr for reducing FPS-stutters in outdoor combat and other visually busy scenes, and improved stability especially in low-vram situations. But even high-end PCs reportedly see reduced stuttering and faster loading times from SSD. Since VRAMr's BC7 texture format is "decoded much faster by your GPU in-game than any other format" and since it has options to do relatively minor or even zero texture downscaling, it's likely worth running for any Skyrim player.
Kodex - MO2 plugin that generates detailed installation reports comparing your setup against the modlist author's intended configuration. Identifies disabled plugins, version mismatches, priority changes, and custom mods. Note: Only works if included by the modlist author (currently available in a growing number of Wabbajack lists). Useful for troubleshooting installations and for modlist authors to provide better support.
SSEEdit for isolating conflicts, ESL-ing ESP mods, making patches, etc.
ESLifier to find ESL flaggable mods, compact form IDs, and patch ALL dependent plugins/files automatically.
Find dangerous ESLs - xEdit script for isolating ESL plugins that can corrupt game saves and cause crashes.
FallrimTools ReSaver can be used to diagnose and sometimes fix corrupted save files, and can also be (carefully) used by advanced users to remove specific problematic FormIDs from your save files. ⚠️ CAUTION: Fixing/editing save files has inherent risks and should be avoided when possible. If you can instead revert to an acceptable older save file, that is often preferable in the long run.
Everything - Locate files and folders by name instantly. What Windows file search should be. Handy for isolating assets mentioned in crash logs to specific mods/sources.
Free stress test tools for when you're getting frequent crashes for seemingly random, undiagnosable reasons (look for system instability, overheating, or hardware errors):
- Intel Processor Diagnostic Tool - "verify the functionality of an Intel® microprocessor" with brand identification, frequency verification, feature tests, and stress testing (Intel CPUs only)
- Prime95 - intensive CPU and memory stress testing tool that pushes processors to their limits using mathematical computations
- OCCT - "allows you to thoroughly monitor, test and certify your system, ensuring a comprehensive assessment of its stability."
- HeavyLoad - "freeware stress test tool HeavyLoad was developed to bring your PC to its limits"
ProcMon - Skyrim Disk Usage Profiles for viewing what mod/data was last loaded before your Skyrim crashed or froze ... reportedly often useful for isolating crashes/freezes that won't output a crash log.
Binary search isn't a really a "tool", but a technique for isolating the mod(s) causing a crash. It can be slow and tedious, but always works when a mod is the culprit.
Intel PresentMon for accurately monitoring usage and bottlenecks of VRAM, RAM, GPU and CPU while troubleshooting or optimizing.

Phostwood's Skyrim Crash Log Analyzer

Instructions:

Diagnoses:

Notes: