# Swap File

## Overview

**Evidence:** Swap File\
**Description:** Dump system swap file\
**Category:** Memory\
**Platform:** windows\
**Short Name:** swp\
**Is Parsed:** No\
**Sent to Investigation Hub:** Yes\
**Collect File(s):** Yes

## Background

The swap file (swapfile.sys) was introduced in Windows 8 to support Modern/Metro apps and improve performance. It works similarly to the pagefile but is specifically optimized for Windows Store apps and suspended app state.

Like the pagefile, the swap file can contain memory remnants including sensitive data that was swapped out.

## Data Collected

This collector gathers structured data about swap file.

### Swap File Data

| Field        | Description               | Example            |
| ------------ | ------------------------- | ------------------ |
| `Type`       | File type                 | SwapFile           |
| `Name`       | File name                 | swapfile.sys       |
| `SourcePath` | Original file path        | C:\swapfile.sys    |
| `FilePath`   | Relative path in evidence | Files/swapfile.sys |
| `FileSize`   | File size in bytes        | 268435456          |

## Collection Method

This collector collects the swap file from:

* `C:\swapfile.sys` (default location)

The file is collected using driver or NTFS raw access if locked.

## Forensic Value

Swap files can contain sensitive data from Windows Store apps and suspended processes. Investigators use this data for memory forensics on Windows 8+ systems, recovering app state information, extracting credentials from Modern apps, and analyzing suspended process memory.