How to View Kodi Error Logs With Ares Wizard or Official Kodi Tools

To view a Kodi error log, enable debug logging, reproduce the problem, then open the log with Kodi's official tools or a text editor. If you still have Ares Wizard installed, its older More > Upload Kodi Log feature may offer another route, but Ares Wizard is a legacy add-on and its upload service cannot be relied on today.

Is Ares Wizard still worth using?

Ares Wizard once provided maintenance, backups, settings tweaks, and log uploads. Its last widely documented maintenance-only release dates back to 2017. We could not verify a currently maintained official Ares Wizard repository or an uploader compatible with current Kodi releases. Avoid old installation ZIPs and replacement download links from unknown websites. You do not need Ares Wizard to troubleshoot Kodi.

What does the Kodi log tell you?

kodi.log records startup activity, add-on operations, playback messages, warnings, and errors. Ordinary logging runs automatically; debug logging adds details that developers need to diagnose a failure. The log may reveal a missing dependency, a denied file operation, an unreachable server, or an unsupported media file. An error entry is a clue, not always the root cause.

Step 1: Capture a useful debug log

1. Open Settings > System > Logging and switch on Enable debug logging. The menu names come from Kodi's official logging settings documentation.
2. Restart Kodi normally. This creates a fresh session log and captures startup messages; do not cut power to restart.
3. Repeat the action that fails—install the add-on, play the file, or update the library. Note approximately when the failure occurs.
4. Keep Kodi open until you have accessed the log. Disable debug logging afterward to avoid unnecessarily large logs.

Step 2: View the log without Ares Wizard

Read errors on the Kodi device

Install Log Viewer for Kodi from Settings > Add-ons > Install from repository > Program Add-ons, selecting the official Kodi repository when prompted. Open it from your program add-ons to inspect log messages on your television or computer. Its availability depends on your Kodi version and repository. See the official Log Viewer listing.

Upload a log for technical support

1. From the same Program Add-ons category, install Kodi Logfile Uploader by Team Kodi if available.
2. Run the uploader after reproducing the problem and save the link it returns.
3. Share that link with the developer or support forum, not a large pasted log in the body of a post. Team Kodi documents the procedure in its log-sharing guide.

By default, this uploader handles the current log. If you restarted Kodi after the error, you may need its setting for the previous log instead.

Step 3: Use Ares Wizard only if it is already installed

On a legacy installation, open Add-ons > Program Add-ons > Ares Wizard. The old interface may show tabs including Maintenance, Backup, Tweaks, and More. Menu placement and behavior can differ, and the upload feature may no longer connect to its original service.

1. Open More, then select Upload Kodi Log if the item exists.
2. Select Current log for a problem in the running session or Previous log for a failure before the last restart.
3. Choose Upload and check whether the wizard actually returns a working link. If it fails, switch to the official uploader or manual file access rather than installing a replacement Ares ZIP.

Step 4: Find the Kodi log file manually

You can open the log in a text editor or send a redacted copy to support. Common locations from Kodi’s log-file reference include:

If the failure occurred before restarting, inspect kodi.old.log instead: Kodi rotates the prior session's file when it starts again. Android file managers may restrict access to application folders.

Step 5: Turn log messages into fixes

• Missing dependency or incompatible add-on: update the add-on from its trusted repository and check compatibility with your Kodi version.
• Permission denied: verify that Kodi can read or write the indicated folder; avoid granting broad permissions unnecessarily.
• Network or HTTP error: check the connection and the service URL before assuming Kodi itself is broken.
• Playback or codec error: test a known-good local media file and compare the surrounding log entries.

Search around the timestamp of the failed action, not just the first line containing ERROR. Avoid random cache cleaners or factory resets unless the evidence supports them. Before changing your setup extensively, use Kodi's documented backup approach.

Before sharing your log

Review it for usernames, local paths, IP addresses, server URLs, tokens, and passwords. Remove sensitive values while preserving the diagnostic context. For public support, Kodi requests full logs with only personal data redacted, submitted through its paste service rather than a file locker. Once finished, switch debug logging off.