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Find App Crash Reports on Disk

Locate the newest .ips crash logs macOS wrote when an app quit unexpectedly.

macOSlogscrash-reportDiagnosticsLow risk
Run `ls -t ~/Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/*.ips | head -5` to list the five newest crash reports.

01Command

Command
$ ls -t ~/Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/*.ips | head -5

02What it does

Whenever an app 'quit unexpectedly', macOS saves a timestamped .ips report containing the faulting process, exception type, and backtrace — the first place to look before filing a bug. -t sorts newest first, so the top file matches the crash you just saw; open it with `less` and read the 'Exception Type' and terminated-process fields near the top.

03Risk

RiskLow risk
!Warning: These files can contain process paths and memory addresses — share crash reports only with developers you trust.

04Undo

✓No undo needed — this command does not change persistent state.

05Sources

  • Acquiring crash reports and diagnostic logs
    Apple Developer · vendor-doc · 2026-09-17
    Evidence: Apple documents that macOS writes crash and hang reports as .ips files in ~/Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports (DiagnosticReports on the local disk).

Last verified: 2026-09-18 · Category: Developer

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