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Console log messages

Since upgrading my Late 2013 MacPro to macOS Sierra, no log messages show up when I click on the MacPro under Devices (All Messages) in the side bar. Not sure if this is related, but when I click on the system.log file in the side bar, the display reads "Unable to read the file". My iPhone and Watch display messages, but the MacPro does not. Any idea how to fix this?

Mac Pro, macOS Sierra (10.12), Console app

Posted on Oct 9, 2016 7:08 AM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Nov 11, 2016 4:53 PM

I also noticed this problem. The first thing I did was right click on system.log and selected "reveal in finder". I then looked at the properties via "get info" and noticed that admin had read-only access. I changed this to read/write and that eliminated the problem of viewing the system.log. It also made me suspect that this is related to not being logged into a user account with admin rights. Changing the system.log file isn't a solution because the macOS switches this file out every day. I am sure the new one tomorrow will have the old access privileges.


I then logged into my admin account. Opened the console app and clicked on Macbook Pro and there was the old running list of console messages just as pre-Sierra.


Not sure whose hair-brained idea it was to make the console app only work on an admin account. It makes it much more difficult to diagnose problems. I only use my admin user account for very special reasons. Switching to the admin user to use the console app when I suspect there is a problem does not make sense.


I know it has been some time since you created this question, but I would be interested to hear what you have found or if you tried the console app in an admin user account.

1 reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Nov 11, 2016 4:53 PM in response to delfzx11

I also noticed this problem. The first thing I did was right click on system.log and selected "reveal in finder". I then looked at the properties via "get info" and noticed that admin had read-only access. I changed this to read/write and that eliminated the problem of viewing the system.log. It also made me suspect that this is related to not being logged into a user account with admin rights. Changing the system.log file isn't a solution because the macOS switches this file out every day. I am sure the new one tomorrow will have the old access privileges.


I then logged into my admin account. Opened the console app and clicked on Macbook Pro and there was the old running list of console messages just as pre-Sierra.


Not sure whose hair-brained idea it was to make the console app only work on an admin account. It makes it much more difficult to diagnose problems. I only use my admin user account for very special reasons. Switching to the admin user to use the console app when I suspect there is a problem does not make sense.


I know it has been some time since you created this question, but I would be interested to hear what you have found or if you tried the console app in an admin user account.

Console log messages

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