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Troubleshooting

Retrieve Compass Logs

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  • View Compass Logs
  • Compass Log Location
  • Log File Format
  • Log Retention

As part of normal operation, MongoDB Compass maintains a running log of events. Compass logs provide a history of operations and can help diagnose errors.

Note

MongoDB Compass redacts credentials from the logs.

View Compass Logs

1

In the Compass top menu bar, click Help.

2

In the Help menu, click Open Log File.

Compass opens a dialog containing the location of your log file.

3

Choose how to open the log file.

You can either:

  • Copy the path to the log file to your clipboard.

  • Open the folder containing your log file.

  • Extract the log file and view it as a text file.

Compass Log Location

Compass maintains one log file per session, compressed into a gzip archive file. The corresponding session ID is included in the log file name.

The directory where Compass writes logs depends on your operating system.

Operating System
Directory
macOS
~/.mongodb/compass/<LogID>_log.gz
Linux
~/.mongodb/compass/<LogID>_log.gz
Windows
%UserProfile%/AppData/Local/mongodb/compass/<LogID>_log.gz

Log File Format

Compass outputs log messages in structured JSON format. The messages are written in the same format used for MongoDB server logs.

Tip

See also:

To learn more about MongoDB logs and see examples, see Log Messages.

Log Retention

Compass retains log files for 30 days. Log files older than 30 days are automatically deleted.

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