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Use NetLog as an alternative to Fiddler and HAR captures

This article provides guidance on using the Network Logs (NetLog) tool as an alternative to Fiddler and HTTP Archive (HAR) captures to diagnose network issues in Microsoft Entra. NetLog is built into Chromium-based browsers like Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, and Electron. When standard Fiddler captures are unavailable or HAR captures from developer tools truncate necessary information, you can use NetLog to capture network activity.

Known limitations

Before using NetLog, be aware of the following limitations:

  • POST request bodies aren't captured.
  • Sites running in Internet Explorer compatibility mode aren't captured.

Depending on the information you need, you might still need to use Fiddler or HAR captures.

Use NetLog in browsers

Follow these steps to capture network activity using NetLog:

  1. (Optional but helpful) Close all browser tabs except one.

  2. Navigate to NetLog:

    • For Google Chrome: Open a new tab and go to chrome://net-export.
    • For Microsoft Edge: Open a new tab and go to edge://net-export.

  3. In the Options section, select Include raw bytes (will include cookies and credentials).

  4. Leave the Maximum log size field blank.

  5. Select Start Logging to Disk.

  6. Select a location (such as Desktop) to save the log file (edge-net-export-log.json or chrome-net-export-log.json).

  7. In the same browser window, open a new tab.

  8. Reproduce the issue.

    Note

    If you close or navigate away from the NetLog tab, the logging will stop automatically.

  9. After reproducing the issue, return to the NetLog tab and select the Stop Logging button.

  10. Locate the NetLog file saved in step 6.

For more information, see How to capture a NetLog dump.

Use NetLog on mobile devices

NetLog is supported on mobile versions of Microsoft Edge and Google Chrome:

  • Android: NetLog works in Edge and Google Chrome for Android.
  • iOS: NetLog works in Google Chrome for iOS.

On mobile devices, you have an email option to send the log.

View and analyze NetLog data

You can view the NetLog file using the online NetLog Viewer. To do so, open the NetLog Viewer, select File, and then upload the exported NetLog file.

You can use the following tabs in the NetLog Viewer to inspect different aspects of network activity:

  • Events: View detailed network events.
  • Proxy: Check proxy settings.
  • Timeline: Analyze request timing.
  • DNS: Inspect Domain Name System (DNS) lookups.
  • Sockets: Review Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) connections.
  • Cache: Examine cached resources.

Third-party information disclaimer

The third-party products that this article discusses are manufactured by companies that are independent of Microsoft. Microsoft makes no warranty, implied or otherwise, about the performance or reliability of these products.

Contact us for help

If you have questions or need help, create a support request, or ask Azure community support. You can also submit product feedback to Azure feedback community.