Chromium browser updates are creating random debug.log files

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Fortunately, there’s a simple fix for the issue

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The latest version of Chrome and all Chromium-based browsers contain a bug that causes the creation of random debug.log files on users’ desktops and folders.

On October 6, Google released Chrome 86 to the “Stable” branch, which auto-updated for all users. All Chromium-based browsers, including Microsoft Edge and Brave, upgraded to this version on that date.

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Since its release, Chrome version 86.0.4240.75 has been creating debug.log error log files on desktops and in other folders. The debug.log file is Chromium’s default log file it uses to log newly found errors. The bug creates debug.log files with the following message:

[1016/1644047.132:ERROR:directory_reader_win.cc(43)] FindFirstFile: The system cannot find the path specified. (0x3)

Google has not released an official explanation of the bug. It is not known if this is a new bug or Google forgot to turn off logging after enabling it.

Debug logs are system generated and appear in the Dashboard when configured by the developer in the SDK. Chrome is having difficulty iterating over the files and subdirectories in a folder, and is logging it as an error.

Users can resolve the issue by deleting the contents of the Chromium Crashpad folder.You can find the folder in the following locations:

  • Chrome: C:\Users\[username]\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Crashpad
  • Edge: C:\Users\[username]\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Edge\User Data\Crashpad
  • Brave: C:\Users\User\AppData\Local\BraveSoftware\Brave-Browser\User Data\Crashpad

Follow these steps to delete the contents of the Crashpad folder and prevent the creation of debug.log files:

  1. Close the browser with the debug.log issue
  2. Go to the browser's Crashpad folder
  3. Delete the contents of the Crashpad folder
  4. Restart the browser to create a new Crashpad folder
David Gargaro

David Gargaro has been providing content writing and copy editing services for more than 20 years. He has worked with companies across numerous industries, including (but not limited to) advertising, publishing, marketing, real estate, finance, insurance, law, automotive, construction, human resources, restoration services, and manufacturing. He has also managed a team of freelancers as the managing editor of a small publishing company.