Snapshots panel

The Snapshots panel displays a list of memory snapshots in your project. You can select an individual snapshot for analysis, or compare any two snapshots.

The Snapshots panel displays a screenshot of the profiling target during the capture, a default name, and the time and date of the capture next to each snapshot in the list. The Memory Profiler package can capture snapshots of the Unity Editor or of a running Player.

Note

Editor-only snapshots don't include a screenshot.

Unity stores the date on each snapshot in Universal Coordinated Time (UTC) format and converts it to your computer's local time. Hover your cursor over the date to see which Project the snapshot is from.

Capture snapshots

You can choose to capture a snapshot from the Editor, from an application running in Play Mode in the Editor, or from a player running on your local machine or connected device. Use the Attach to Player dropdown in the Profiler Window toolbar to choose between these options.

By default, the Memory Profiler captures Editor snapshots. When an application is running in Play Mode or in a Player, Unity adds those options to the dropdown menu. They don't appear in the dropdown if no application is running.

After you choose a capture target in the dropdown menu, you can use either of two buttons to capture a new snapshot:

  • The Capture New Snapshot button is visible in the Memory Profiler window when you have no snapshots selected
  • The Capture button is always visible in the menu bar in the Memory Profiler window

Both buttons perform the same operation. The Capture button on the toolbar also has a dropdown menu alongside it, which you can use to configure the snapshot.

You can also capture a memory snapshot through a script. For information about how to captures snapshots this way, see the Memory Profiler.TakeSnapshot Scripting API documentation. For more information about using custom metadata with snapshots in code, see MetaData and Add Player hook.

Path to captured snapshots

When you create a snapshot for the first time, Unity creates a sub-folder in your Project folder called MemoryCaptures. By default, the Memory Profiler stores all snapshots in this folder.

To change the default path, go to Preferences > Analysis > Profiling > MemoryProfiler and edit the Memory Snapshot Storage Path property.

Memory Profiler Preferences
Memory Profiler Preferences

The path in this property is relative. It must start with "./" if the MemoryCaptures is within the Project folder, or "../" if the MemoryCaptures folder is one folder above the Project folder in the hierarchy.

Import snapshots

If you already have access to existing memory snapshots, you can import them into the Memory Profiler. There are two ways to import a snapshot:

  • Copy the snapshot into your Project folder
  • Use the Import button in the Snapshots panel

Copy snapshots into the Project folder

  1. Inside your Project folder, find a folder named MemoryCaptures, or create one if it doesn't exist already.
  2. Copy the snapshot files to this folder.
  3. Open the Memory Profiler window, and you can see the added snapshot in the Snapshots panel.

Use the Import button in the Snapshots panel

  1. In the Memory Profiler window toolbar, select the Import button. This opens a file browser window.
  2. In the file browser window, locate and open the memory snapshot you want to import. If you import a .snap file, Unity copies the file to your MemoryCaptures folder. Unity creates this folder if it doesn't already exist.

Opening snapshots

To open a single snapshot and view its associated data, select the snapshot from the list in the Snapshot Panel with a single click. To open two snapshots and compare them, enable the Compare Snapshots mode in the Open Snapshots pane, then select the two snapshots you want to compare from the list.

The Main view then displays different visualizations of the snapshot data.

Warning

Click on a snapshot to open it. Opening a snapshot can be a long process because of how much data a snapshot can contain. Clicking the snapshot name doesn't open the snapshot; instead, this opens a renaming text box which you can use to rename the snapshot.

Open Snapshots pane

The Open Snapshots pane displays the currently selected snapshot or snapshots. By default, the Single Snapshot mode is active, which enables you to view one snapshot at a time. Select the Compare Snapshots mode to choose two snapshots to compare to each other. When in Compare Snapshots mode, Unity keeps both snapshots in active memory to minimize the time needed to switch between them.

Unity displays details about any selected snapshot in the Open Snapshots pane, including:

  • The screenshot associated with the snapshot
  • The snapshot's name
  • The time and date of capture
  • The session you captured it in
  • The project you used to capture it
  • Icons to indicate the platform and application you used to capture it (whether in the Editor or a Player)
  • The total memory used by your application during the snapshot, and the total resources available at the time