Type:System Files
Acronym:Mac OS X Crash Log File
Log file created by CrashReporter, a built-in Mac OS X program that records data from program crashes; stores information about the state of the computer at the time of a crash; includes timestamp, program, and memory dump information; used to report and debug problems with applications.
CRASH files can be submitted to Apple by selecting the "Report..." option after a crash. They also may be viewed using the built-in Mac OS X Console application. In the Mac OS X 10.6 Console application, CRASH files can be found by navigating to the following location: Log List → DIAGNOSTIC INFORMATION → User Diagnostic Reports.
CRASH files use the naming convention "[program]_[date]_[number]_[machine name].crash." For example, an Apple Safari crash may be named Safari_2009-01-01_11223_my-iMac.crash.
Crash files are saved in a plain text format and are stored in the following directory:
/Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports
They also have a shortcut file in this directory:
/Library/Logs/CrashReporter