Locating the Message Log

Reference Number: KB-02908
Last Modified: July 9, 2025

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 for Chief Architect software contains information that can help Chief Architect Technical Support determine the cause of problems experienced within the software. In this article we will show you where to find the Message Log for your particular system. 

In X17, Home Designer 2026, and newer versions, instead use the Export Logs tool within the software to quickly collect various troubleshooting logs. Please see the Related Articles section below to learn more. 


To locate the Message Log in Windows

  1. On your keyboard, press the Windows key and the letter R at the same time.


  2. In the Run dialog that appears, type %localappdata% and click OK.

    Accessing the LocalAppData using the Run dialog in Windows


  3. This will open a new File Explorer window to the \AppData\Local folder on your system.


  4. Open the file folder corresponding to your product, and inside you will see a text file named Message Log.txt.


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


  6. Send this file to Technical Support using the Technical Support Center.

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To locate the Message Log in macOS

  1. From the Desktop, select Go> Go to folder from the menu.


  2. In the window that appears, type ~/Library/Application Support/ , then click Return on the keyboard.

    Using Go to Folder to browse to a file location on macOS


  3. This will open a new Finder window to the Application Support folder of the current user.


  4. Open the file folder corresponding to your product and inside you will see a text file named Message Log.txt.


  5. Select this file, Copy it, then Paste it to an easy to access location, such as the Desktop.

    To copy files, select Edit> Copy from the menu bar, right-click (Control-click) and select Copy from the contextual menu, or press Command + C.

    To paste files, select Edit> Paste Item from the menu bar, right-click (Control-click) and select Paste Item from the contextual menu, or press Command + V.


  6. Send this file to Technical Support using the Technical Support Center.

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