Ever wonder how many .LOG files are lurking on your Windows PC?

6/26/2023 | vanity

[entropy12]

Every day there are > 10,000 on all 4 of my PC’s.

[Tell It Right]

IMHO the easiest way to get this info in Windows 10 is to run Command Prompt as Administrator (in the search bar of the taskbar, type CMD but don't press Enter, when the Start Menu narrows to the Command Prompt app, choose Run as Administrator).

Then at the Command Prompt enter this:
dir/s c:\*.log > c:\log_file_info.txt

(Replacing c:\log_file_info.txt with whatever output file name you want to write the info of .log files to.)

That will list all of the .log files on your hard drive, with the file size of each, give a summary at the bottom with # of files and total file space used. But instead of displaying it on the screen, the greater than sign pipes that output into a text file that you can open and read with a simple text editor like Notepad.

[entropy12]

This program will delete all thousands and thousands of them with one double click.

[TomServo]

So will CC cleaner

[CodeToad]

3,731.

[Carriage Hill]

With Windows Explorer, I found 241 *.LOG files; largest is 3,790kb, but most were under 10kb.

[Carriage Hill]

Thanks; then I’ll just delete them.

[IndispensableDestiny]

One line unix/linux command to do the same:

find / -name “*.log” -exec rm -f {} \;

find . would start in your current directory.

find dir would start in the directory named “dir” in your current directory.

[The Truth Will Make You Free]

For over 10 years a program I wrote for a client has been dutifully updating a log file whenever the system or a file is open, closed, or changed. There must be a hundred thousand entries. This week — for the first time ever — I used it’s data. Pretty cool!

[Carriage Hill]

I couldn’t erase the entire folder of LOG files; the message was that some were in use in the System file, and that I had to close the file to erase the highlighted files.

[catnipman]

“Thanks. I’ll look into it.”

here’s a tool to disable CBS logging:

DisableCBSlogging.exe

can be downloaded from here:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1daCpqd9eD5qGXgDPTEsazqHJN-Y9nwWw/view?usp=sharing

must be run with Administrator privilege ...

[catnipman]

essentially, the data recorded by CBS logging is used only by Microsoft engineers ...

[minnesota_bound]

You can also use CCleaner to delete the .Log files
Open then go to Custom Clean and you will see ‘Windows Log Files’
The free version has annoying pop up ads from them.
https://www.ccleaner.com/ccleaner

[KrisKrinkle]

Later.

[philman_36]

Thanks for the broadened explanation. It does do a lot.

...you do not always have permissions to delete them.

OH, how I now strike at thee, dreaded foe!
{;^)>

[philman_36]

If dir/s c:\*.log > c:\log_file_info.txt calls up all of them wouldn't
del dir/s c:\*.log delete them, and only them, as well?

I like simple and that seems to be it to me. if possible.

[philman_36]

A simple /s. (slaps forehead)

[Pollard]

nope

[trebb]

Or - use the event viewer to look at the logs and use the “clear log” option...

[Moltke]

There’s a free utility called Everything by VoidTools that will show any file (name, not content) on your disk containing any string as you type it in.

“.log” returned 2800 files for me, but some have another file extension, so make it 2600 files.

Windows search sucks. Everything is fantastic.