How to see Time Machine logs in Sierra

Question

Level 4

1,520 points

How to see Time Machine logs in Sierra

This one has been bothering me. I know I cant affect how TM works, but sometimes I like reassurance that it is playing nicely! Several threads have excellent answers that are too technical for folk like me. Yesterday I was shown a solution.

Open the Console app, and go to the Action menu. In the screenshot below the option is greyed out, maybe because I already chose it. "Include Info Messages"

Then, in the filter box, type: TMLoginfo.

As you can see, I am getting the Time Machine logs. If I knew how to post as a user tip I would. Maybe someone else will verify this and do so

macOS Sierra (10.12.2), null

Posted on Dec 23, 2016 5:19 AM

Reply

Answer 1

Barney-15E

Level 10

122,120 points

Dec 23, 2016 6:00 AM in response to Lurkums

Thanks for finding that. I wasn't looking specifically for the Time Machine logs, but there are other things missing from the logs and I didn't know why. This may help me with those missing log entires.

However, I too found the menu disabled as you show in the screen shot, so I couldn't enable them. I tried various combinations of the options and logs to see if I could re-enable the menu, but couldn't, so I filed a bug report.

I think you have to be a level 2 (or maybe later) to post a User Tip. I would post this to the User Tips for you, but until they fix the menu it seems superfluous to post it.

Reply

Answer 2

Lurkums Author

Level 4

1,520 points

Dec 23, 2016 6:14 AM in response to Barney-15E

Odd regarding the Action menu. I was able to use it yesterday, otherwise I could not have posted this item. I quit and restarted Console, but it remains grey. Nothing has changed on my machine except my adding that option and the filter. Life has always been weird. I agree with you regarding keeping it here rather than as a user tip until that happens. I'm not unduly 'level oriented', so do feel free to post it at leisure when appropriate.

Reply

Answer 3

Barney-15E

Level 10

122,120 points

Dec 23, 2016 6:25 AM in response to Lurkums

I dug into the Console preferences and found an entry for enabling the debug and info options, but it didn't work. I can't see any info messages with it set to on in the prefs.

I'm wondering if the menu is disabled because they couldn't get those functions working right.

If you lose the ability to see those messages, there was another post recently that had some commands for terminal to dump those logs. You would just need to copy and paste in the commands. I think the post was within the last month. I think the title may have included Time Machine Buddy Widget and/or possibly Pondini (he was the guru of Time Machine stuff around here)

Reply

Answer 4

Lurkums Author

Level 4

1,520 points

Dec 23, 2016 6:32 AM in response to Barney-15E

That post was the one I decided was too technical for me.

Where did you find the Console preferences? I can't see them. Hiding in plain sight as usual?

I've had no system updates, so how they are greyed out today but not yesterday is perplexing

Reply

Answer 5

Barney-15E

Level 10

122,120 points

Dec 23, 2016 6:53 AM in response to Lurkums

Lurkums wrote:

That post was the one I decided was too technical for me.

Where did you find the Console preferences? I can't see them. Hiding in plain sight as usual?

I accessed them via the Terminal. There are no GUI preferences.

Reply

Answer 6

Lurkums Author

Level 4

1,520 points

Dec 23, 2016 6:55 AM in response to Barney-15E

Thanks. That one is above my tech grade 🙂

Reply

Answer 7

Lurkums Author

Level 4

1,520 points

Dec 23, 2016 2:55 PM in response to Lurkums

OK, not obvious. To activate the "Action" menu, click within the log window! Then the Action menu comes out to play. You may wish to update your bug report. IT seems to be a context sensitive menu in an unreasonable manner. Its unreasonable because it bewilders people who are familiar with the eccentricities of the OS

Reply

Answer 8

Barney-15E

Level 10

122,120 points

Dec 23, 2016 3:55 PM in response to Lurkums

Thanks for digging further.

I think you are correct that it is supposed to be "contextual," but poorly implemented.

Reply

Answer 9

Lurkums Author

Level 4

1,520 points

Dec 23, 2016 3:58 PM in response to Barney-15E

Now we have the nuts and bolts of it, please feel free to add this as a user tip, once you validate it, that is.

Reply