Guides · Console logs

How to save console logs in Chrome

Updated Sep 23, 2026

Open DevTools, go to the Console tab, right-click anywhere in the log and choose Save as. Chrome writes a .log text file. Turn on Preserve log in the Console settings (gear icon) first if the page reloads or navigates, or the messages you need will be cleared.

Step by step

Open DevTools: F12, Ctrl+Shift+J (Windows and Linux) or ⌘⌥J (Mac) opens straight to the Console.
Click the gear icon (Console settings) and turn on Preserve log, so a reload or redirect doesn't wipe the messages. Turn on Show timestamps too, since order matters when someone reads it later.
Set the level filter to All levels (or at least include Verbose if you're chasing debug output). By default Chrome hides Verbose.
Reproduce the problem.
Right-click inside the console output and choose Save as…. Chrome saves a plain-text .log file.

Collapsed objects are saved as their one-line preview, not the full contents. If a logged object matters, expand it and copy it (right-click → Copy object) into the report separately.

Other ways to get the log out

Copy a single error: right-click the message → Copy (or Copy stack trace on newer Chrome versions).
Copy everything: click in the console, select all, copy, paste into a text file. Quick, but loses some formatting.
Keep a logged value: right-click an object → Store as global variable, then run copy(temp1) to put its JSON on your clipboard.

The log is only half the bug

A saved console file tells you what threw. It rarely tells you why. The why is usually a request that failed a moment earlier, or the click that triggered it. That means a developer ends up with a console log, a HAR file and a screen recording, and has to line them up by hand.

Roll captures them together. It records the tab and logs every console message (log, warn, error, uncaught exceptions and unhandled rejections, with stacks) next to each network request and each click, on one timeline. Stop the recording and send a link, or let Cursor or Claude Code read it directly. Free, no account to record. Try the demo recording.

Sending it on

Put the error, the steps and the failed request together; the bug report template works for people and agents. If you need the network side too, see how to export a HAR file.

Questions

Why is the Save as option missing?

Right-click on the log area itself, not on the filter bar or an expanded object. If you right-click a single message you still get the full context menu, with Save as near the bottom.

Does Save as include network errors?

It includes whatever the Console shows, so failed requests Chrome prints (like 'Failed to load resource: 500') are there, but not their bodies or headers. For those, export a HAR from the Network tab.

How do I get timestamps on console messages?

Open Console settings (gear icon) and turn on Show timestamps. Saved files then include a time for each line.

How do I get console logs from a customer?

Walking a non-developer through DevTools rarely goes well. Ask them to record the problem with a tool that captures the console automatically, like Roll, and send you the link.