Locating the Message Log

Reference Number: KB-02908
Last Modified: January 8, 2026
This article also applies to the following legacy products:
Pro | Architectural | Suite

QUESTION

The Chief Architect Technical Support team requested that I send in the program's Message Log file. How do I find this file?  


ANSWER

The Message Log file for Chief Architect software contains information that can help Chief Architect Technical Support determine the cause of problems experienced within the software. 

If you're using Chief Architect X17, Home Designer 2026, or a newer version, and you are able to open the Chief Architect software program, the Message Log file can easily be exported from within the program. 

If you are using a legacy version, or you are unable to open the Chief Architect software program, the Message Log file can be manually retrieved using your computer's file system. 


Exporting the Message Log from within the program*

*Applies to Chief Architect X17, Home Designer 2026, and newer versions. 

  1. With the program open, navigate to Help> Export Logs.

    With the program open go to Help and click Export Logs.


  2. In the dialog that appears, choose an easy to find location to save the log files to, such as your Desktop, then click Select Folder.


  3. An Information dialog will display with the location the logs have been saved to; click Open Location or OK.

    Note: When performing this action, all of the log files are exported to a single compressed (zipped) folder.


    Information box informing that the export was successful.


  4. Attach the compressed (zipped) folder to a support case in the Technical Support Center.


Manually retrieving the Message Log

  1. The instructions in this step will vary based on the operating system you're using: 

    • On Windows, press the Windows  key and the letter R at the same time, type %localappdata% in the dialog that appears, then press OK.

      Run dialog with %localappdata% in the Open field


    • On macOS, select Go> Go to folder using Finder, type ~/Library/Application Support, then press Return or Go.

      Go to Folder dialog with ~/Library/Application Support/ in the field


  2. This will open a new File Explorer or Finder window on your system. Open the file folder corresponding to your product, and inside you will see a text file named Message Log.txt.


  3. Open the Message Log and select File> Save As from the menu, then save a copy of the log to your Desktop.


  4. The file can now be attached to a support case in the Technical Support Center. 

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