Tips to open ETL file

Can't open the ETL file? You are not the only one. Thousands of users face similar problems every day. Below you will find tips on how to open ETL files as well as a list of programs that support ETL files.

ETL file extension

File Name Microsoft Event Trace Log Format
File Developer Microsoft
File Category System Files

The ETL file is supported on 1 operating systems. Depending on your operating system, you may need different software to handle the ETL files. Below is a summary of the number of programs that support and open the ETL file on each system platform.

Operating systems
  • 8
  • 0
  • 0
  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

What is ETL file?

The .ETL file is a log. This is the log of the events recorded during the follow-up session. During such a session, the system saves the recorded events to the buffer, and then dumps them to an .ETL file. Other formats can be defined in the program settings, e.g. report in .HTML or dump in XML. The tracerpt program connects to the session of another program and monitors its operation, recording all relevant values. It is an advanced tool and the average user should not use it unless he is sure what he is doing.

How to open ETL file?

The main problem with Microsoft Event Trace Log Format is that the ETL file is incorrectly associated with programs. This causes the file ETL to open by system applications not designed for this purpose, or to display a message that there is no associated program. How to solve such a problem?

The first thing you should do is just "doubleclick" on the ETL file icon you want to open. If the operating system has an appropriate application to support it and there is also an association between the file and the program, the file should be opened.

Step 1. Install Microsoft Event Viewer

An often overlooked issue is to make sure that Microsoft Event Viewer is installed on the computer. To do this, enter the name Microsoft Event Viewer into the system search engine. If we do not have this program, it is worth installing it, as it will help you automatically associate the file ETL with Microsoft Event Viewer. Below is a list of programs that support the file ETL.

Step 2. Create association of Microsoft Event Viewer with ETL files

If, despite the installed application, the ETL file does not start in the Microsoft Event Viewer application, you must create a file association. The association can be created using the drop-down list available by right-clicking on the file and selecting Properties. The displayed window will contain information about the program that supports this type of file. Using the "Change" button we can select the desired program. It may happen that in the next window there will be no appropriate program - however, this can be corrected with the "Browse" option where you should manually indicate the program location. The "always use the selected program ..." field will set the Microsoft Event Viewer application as the default for handling the ETL file.

Step 3. Update Microsoft Event Viewer to the latest version

If, despite the association of the Microsoft Event Viewer program with the Microsoft Event Trace Log Format file, the file still does not open, check the program version and possibly update it to the newest version. This can be done using the application (if it provides such options) or from the Microsoft Corporation website and install the latest version.

Step 4. Check for the following problems with the ETL file

If the above steps do not help, you can assume that the file itself is not correct. File problems can be divided into the following:

The ETL file may be unusually small compared to the original file. This suggests truncating the ETL file contents when downloading or copying. The file should be downloaded again, making sure that the process has finished correctly.
The most common cause here is computer viruses. A quick virus scan using an up-to-date antivirus program should clear up any doubts. Alternatively, you can use the scanners available online. However, it is important to scan the entire system, not only the file ETL or the program directory. Sometimes virus-infected ETL files cannot be recovered, so make a backup in advance.
Older version of ETL file may not always be supported by the latest software version. On their websites, developers usually offer free solutions to such problems, e.g. in the form of a conversion program or an older version of the program.
There can be many reasons for this. Depending on the type of file, it is necessary to repair it accordingly. Sometimes the program itself has options to repair the most popular ETL file corruption. The easiest way to restore the file is from a backup or by contacting Microsoft, but this one can be expensive. Not all damage can be reversed.
When reading, a message appears that the file was encrypted or corrupted. The encrypted ETL files cannot be played on other computers than the one on which they were encrypted, they must be decrypted before using on another device.
The operating system protects files in some locations (e.g. the root of the system partition) against unauthorized access. The problem is only writing to the file, not reading it. It is best to move ETL to a different directory.
This can happen on a file that does not support multiple access. In this case, the ETL file is blocked by the first application to open it. Just close unnecessary programs. If the error persists after closing other programs, wait for a while. Some anti-virus or backup software may occupy the ETL file for a certain period of time. If nothing helps, please reset the device.