Abstract <p>The present work investigates the micro-mechanisms of the ductile damage, <i>i.e.</i>, void nucleation and growth in commercially pure titanium using <i>in-situ</i> tensile test on samples pre-strained till necking and through crystal plasticity finite element method (CPFEM) simulations. Detailed electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) with slip trace and intragranular misorientation (IGMA) analysis highlight the role of incompatible deformation, slip and twin system activation, and intergranular misorientation on void nucleation. Growth of voids on the grain boundary occurs within the hard oriented grain and is facilitated by twins and limited prismatic dislocation slip. Void growth and their coalescence are shown to accelerate under local shear at the grain boundary. CPFEM simulations on the real microstructure complement and corroborate the experimental slip activity and highlight the potential regions of damage initiation resulting from the stress hot spots due to incompatibilities at the boundaries. Further, the orientation dependence of the growth of an elliptical void embedded in a single crystal is simulated with CPFEM. The grain orientation affects the development of void morphology through orientation dependent on stress and strain distribution and the resulting slip system activity in the proximity. The findings from this study will be useful in the study of material fracture and designing materials with improved damage resistance through microstructure and texture control.</p> Graphical Abstract <p></p>