---
title: "Using Windows Event Viewer"
canonical: https://www.graphicsmill.com/docs/gm/using-windows-event-viewer.htm
product: "Graphics Mill"
---

# Using Windows Event Viewer
 
The Windows Event Log Service records application, security, and system events. You can see the recorded events via Event Viewer. One of the logs available in Event Viewer is the Application log, which contains events logged by applications or programs. This log can help you to identify and diagnose the source of an application problem.
 
In this topic:
 
- How to View Event Logs
- How to Find Events
    - How to Search for a Specific Log Event
    - How to Filter Log Events
    - How to Sort Log Events
- How to View Event Details

## How to View Event Logs
  
To open Event Viewer in Windows XP/Vista/7/8, follow these steps:
 
1. Click the **Start** button.
2. Click **Control Panel** on the **Start** menu.
3. In **Control Panel**, click **System and Security**, click **Administrative Tools**, and then double-click **Event Viewer**.
4. Expand **Windows Logs** and click **Application**.
 
## How to Find Events
  
### How to Search for a Specific Log Event
 
1. On the **Actions** menu, click **Find** (or press Ctrl+F).
2. Specify the options for the event that you want to view in the **Find dialog** box, and then click **Find Next**.
3. The event that matches your search criteria is highlighted in the details pane. Click **Find Next** to locate the next occurrence of an event as defined by your search criteria.

### How to Filter Log Events
 
1. On the **Actions** menu, click **Filter Current Log**.
2. Specify the filter options, and then click **OK** to apply the filter.
3. Only events that match your filter criteria are displayed.
4. To remove a currently applied filter, on the **Actions** menu, click **Clear Filter**.

### How to Sort Log Events
 
An alternative to search is sorting events. You can sort events by **Level** (Information, Warning, and Error), **Date and Time**, **Source**, etc. To find a recent event and its details sort events by **Date and Time** in decreasing order (from the latest to the earliest dates).
 
## How to View Event Details
  
After you select event by clicking it, event details are shown in the **Preview** pane, which is usually located below the events list. You can also double-click on an event to display its details in the **Event Properties** window. To copy event details to clipboard, click the **Copy** button in the **Event Properties** window.