Select one of the listed files to view its content. (The /var/log category contains some interesting logs, including the results of all the automatic maintenance scripts that are run in the background by your Mac.) If the category has a chevron next to its name, expand the chevron by clicking or tapping on it.Ī list of log files will be displayed, either within the sidebar or in the main viewing pane, depending on the Console version you’re using. To access a log file, select the category in the sidebar you’re interested in. /var/logs: Log files for maintenance scripts used by the system./Library/Logs: Application and process event logs for all users.~/Library/Logs: Application logs for the current logged in user.System log: A log of current system events and messages.System Reports (System Diagnostic Reports in earlier versions of Console) : Analytics, diagnostics, and crash reports for system processes.User Reports (User Diagnostic Reports in earlier versions of Console) : Crash reports for user processes and applications.Log files you may be interested in reviewing for information about what caused a crash are found in the Console sidebar under the heading: With the Console app open, you’ll see a multi-pane interface, with a sidebar used to select either real-time messages or log files for display, a toolbar across the top, and in new versions of Console, a search bar and tab bar just below the toolbar. Since we’re not developers trying to track down bugs, that shouldn’t have much effect on our use of Console to review log files. The primary change was the removal or relocation of some troubleshooting tools used when looking at real-time events. Most changes from system to system are cosmetic, such as a few name changes here and there, although there was a significant change going from OS X El Capitan to macOS Sierra. Launch Console, located at /Applications/Utilities.Ĭonsole may look a bit different, depending on the version of the Mac operating system you’re using. The Console app can also look at process messages, and a few other real-time events, but we’re going to concentrate on looking at log files to discover what happened in the past, such as when the system or an app crashed.Įven if you haven’t experienced a recent system or app crash, or an unexpected restart, go ahead and launch the Console app, so you can become familiar with the interface. Turns out the preference pane is from an old version of an app, and is no longer supported). (OS X Yosemite’s Console app displaying the crash log from when a system preference terminated unexpectedly. And for the most part, they can all be read by the Console app. While there are diagnostic files, crash files, log files, and a few other types, we’re going to refer to them collectively as log files. There are a number of different types of files that apps, processes, and the system generate as they work you can think of them as a journal or diary of what’s going on at any point in time. It can do this because of its ability to display logs, status, and error files your Mac’s operating system and individual apps generate as they’re running. The Console app included with the Mac is a modern-day version of the old computer console its primary job is to help you monitor how well your Mac is operating. The sidebar shows devices reporting to the Console, as well as reports organized by category.) If you go back even further, the console may have been a bank of meters, lights, and switches that indicated how well the computer was operating. With any luck, the Console app will be able to help you resolve the problem that’s causing the crash, or at least give you a good idea of what’s going on.īack in the early years of computing, the console was a terminal that was attached to a computer to monitor the status of the system. In this Rocket Yard Guide, we’re going to take a look at using the Console app to track down the cause of a system or app crash. Now, when a crash starts occurring on a more regular basis, or you notice it always happens when x event occurs, it may be time to start delving into the crash and discover what may be causing the problem. Stuff happens, and you can think of it as one of the many reasons you have a good backup system in place. These crashes are usually fleeting in nature, and resolved by simply relaunching the app or restarting your Mac.Īnd while an occasional crash can be frustrating, it’s generally not something to worry too much about. But occasionally you may experience a system, process, or app crash that stops you in your tracks, and prevents you from continuing to work. Your Mac is probably pretty much trouble free, at least most of the time.
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