Choose the app you want to investigate
Select the macOS app you want LaunchTrace to test. LaunchTrace is designed for the point after a build succeeds, when you need to see what actually happens as the application launches and runs.
Start the trace
LaunchTrace arms log capture before starting the target app. Pre-arming matters because useful diagnostics can occur very early in the launch process.
Start with the actionable view
A normal macOS launch can produce large amounts of routine framework chatter. LaunchTrace suppresses that noise while keeping structural events and actionable warnings, errors, and crashes visible.
Structural events help show what happened and when.
Events that deserve inspection remain visible.
Failures remain in the diagnostic signal rather than being buried in system chatter.
Switch to Raw Log when you need everything
The filtered view is for signal. Raw Log is for the complete captured stream. Switch to it whenever you need context that was intentionally removed from the actionable view.
Use Fresh Launch for repeatable testing
If the target app is already running, Fresh Launch can terminate that instance and start a clean launch session. This gives you a known starting point when reproducing a launch problem.
Search, filter, and inspect the events that matter
Work through the captured session and focus on the events connected to the behavior you are investigating. Open the useful details rather than trying to interpret every message macOS generated.
Keep recent sessions
LaunchTrace retains recent launch sessions so you can return to earlier diagnostics without giving up the trace you are currently examining. This is useful when comparing repeated launches or changes between tests.
Copy the evidence
Copy an individual event when one message matters, or copy a clean session summary when you need a broader record for troubleshooting, comparison, notes, or another developer.
Its job is to make the useful launch and runtime evidence easier to see. If LaunchTrace itself is not behaving as expected, go to LaunchTrace Support.