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Asked: 2024-09-24T16:05:00+05:30 In:

Where can I find the VLC error log file on Ubuntu?

Alright, so I’ve been tinkering with VLC on my Ubuntu setup for a bit, and I keep running into this annoying problem. Every time I try to play a certain video file, the player just crashes without any warning, and I have no idea why. I’ve heard that checking the error log can be super helpful for figuring out what’s going on, but here’s the thing: I don’t even know where to find that log file!

I’ve googled around a bit, and the instructions I found seem pretty vague. Some forums say that VLC stores log files in different locations depending on the version or the distribution. Others mention checking the terminal for error messages, but I’d really like to dig into the actual log file to see if there’s something specific causing the issue.

So, I’m reaching out to see if anyone else has dealt with this kind of situation. Where do I actually find the VLC error log file in Ubuntu? Is it hidden away in some obscure directory, or is there a straightforward way to access it? If anyone could walk me through the process, that would be amazing!

Also, if you could hint at what kind of information I should look for once I find the log file, that’d be great too! I’m not super techy, so simple explanations would help a lot. Like, do the error messages have specific codes or messages that can point me in the right direction?

I’m feeling pretty stuck here, and I just want to get back to enjoying my videos without VLC throwing a fit. If you’ve solved this problem before or have any tips, I’m all ears! Thanks in advance for any help!

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    2 Answers


    1. To locate the VLC error log file on your Ubuntu system, you can follow these steps. VLC logs its messages, including errors, to the terminal, but if you prefer a log file, you can enable file logging directly from the VLC interface. Open VLC, then go to the menu and select Tools > Messages. In the Messages window, set the Verbosity to 2 (Debug) and start playing your video file. This will produce verbose logs that you can review. Alternatively, you can launch VLC from the terminal with the command vlc -vvv to see real-time logs directly in the terminal.

      If you want to save the logs to a file, you can redirect the output to a file using the terminal. Open a terminal window and execute the command vlc --logfile=/path/to/logfile.txt, replacing /path/to/logfile.txt with the desired file path. After you reproduce the crash, check the contents of the log file. Look for error messages that include keywords like fatal, error, or warning as these can indicate the source of the problem. Specific error codes or messages can significantly assist in troubleshooting by pointing you towards either codec issues, file corruption, or missing dependencies.




    2. Finding VLC Error Logs on Ubuntu

      Finding the VLC Error Log File in Ubuntu

      So, if VLC is crashing on you and you want to check the error log, here’s how to find it on Ubuntu:

      Accessing the Log File

      1. Open up a terminal. You can do this by pressing Ctrl + Alt + T.
      2. Now, enter the following command to run VLC with logging enabled:

        vlc --verbose 2

        This will launch VLC and print log messages to the terminal.

      3. If you want to save the log to a file, use this command instead:

        vlc --verbose 2 > ~/vlc-log.txt

        This creates a vlc-log.txt file in your home directory.

      4. You can also check for VLC logs in ~/.cache/vlc/log. Use this command to view it:

        cd ~/.cache/vlc/log && cat * | less

      What to Look For

      Once you access the log file, look for any lines that are marked as errors or warnings. They usually have “error” or “warning” in them. There might be specific codes or messages that can help identify what’s going wrong. Common issues might relate to:

      • Missing codecs
      • File corruption
      • Unsupported video formats
      • Plugin issues

      If you see something like “No suitable decoder” or anything with “failed”, it’s likely something that needs to be addressed.

      Getting Help

      If the log doesn’t make sense or you’re still stuck, consider posting it to forums like Ask Ubuntu or the VLC forums. Community members can help interpret the errors!

      Good luck getting VLC working without the crashes! You got this!


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