Is your computer running slower than usual? If yes, it may be time to delete the Windows log files. The log files on your system contain information about your recent activities.
While it may useful sometimes by allowing you to retrieve data when something goes wrong, it can be irritating the other times. In this article, we’re going to explain how you can delete your system’s log files without damaging your operating system or computer. However, you need to be alert when deleting these log files, as one wrong step can ruin your computer.
What Is Windows Event Viewer?
The Windows Event Viewer is a Windows utility that shows a log of processes and system information – this includes errors, messages, and warnings. If you have an issue with your operating system, this utility helps diagnose all sorts of issues in Windows.
It’s worth mentioning that not all errors in the Windows Event Viewer are concerning. Assuming that your computer is functioning normally, you can ignore any error messages appearing in the Windows Event Viewer. However, this does not mean that the utility is futile. Having a basic understanding of the utility can assist you with many issues with your computer.
What Are Log Files?
Log files in Windows are processes that are operating on your computer. There are many forms of log files and may range from Windows Logs, Applications, and Services Logs, to Subscriptions.
Similarly, as more applications are opened, these log files accumulate in size, particularly when numerous events that require logging occur. In these cases, you would want to clear these log files to ensure a frictionless operation of your computer.
How To Open Windows Event Viewer?
To open Windows Event Viewer;
- Go to the Start menu, and search for Event Viewer.
- Open Event Viewer.
How To Safely Delete Windows Log Files?
It can become troublesome when you attempt to delete the log files and end up ruining your computer. Windows log files must be deleted cautiously to avoid any other issues. To do this;
- Open the Event Viewer.
- Go to the Windows Logs from the sidebar.
- From there, click on Action and open Properties.
- Once the Properties tab is open, click on Clear Log.
How To Delete Saved Console.Log?
Your recent activities, particularly error messages, are saved in your profile. Don’t ignore them due to their small file sizes, as they can create issues later on. It is also important to remember that reviewing log files every so often might provide the resolutions. To delete the saved Console.log file;
- Open Event Viewer and click on File in the menu.
- From File, go to Options, where you’ll notice how much space the saved files have consumed on your disk. Now, you can click on Delete Files – that’s it.
Using The Command Prompt:
Another method to delete the log files is to use the Command Prompt. However, you need to be alert when doing this and write the command exactly as mentioned below. To do this;
- Go to the Start menu and search for the Command Prompt, and open it.
- Once opened, type this command exactly;
for /F “tokens=*” {3d55152316032bb7f971c4c5890b82c96627621b45b37c3edb7ed82a5903b44f}1 in (‘wevtutil.exe el’) DO wevtutil.exe cl
“{3d55152316032bb7f971c4c5890b82c96627621b45b37c3edb7ed82a5903b44f}1”
- Press ENTER, and exit.
Using Windows PowerShell:
With Windows PowerShell, you can run a command and perform your desired task. To do this;
- Go to Start, and search for Windows PowerShell.
- Once opened, type this command;
Get-EventLog -LogName * | ForEach { Clear-EventLog $_.Log }
- Press ENTER – that’s it.
How To Delete System Log Files Using Disk Cleanup?
Windows Disk Cleanup is a versatile utility that assists you in deleting Windows log files, as well as other system files that you can’t normally remove from your computer. To do this;
- Go to Start and search for Disk Cleanup, and open it.
- Once opened, you can select which drive you want to delete system files from, and click OK.
- Disk Cleanup will start estimating the volume of the drive and display all the temporary files in that drive. From there, you can check all the temporary files and press OK.
- If you want to remove system files, such as Windows upgrade log files, you can click on Clean up system files and Disk Cleanup will display all the system files that you can remove. From there, you can check the system files that you want to delete, and press OK.
- Once everything is done, you can exit Disk Cleanup.
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