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Reliability Monitor in Windows 11: Find Crashes and Read Error History

By Freedom251 Team · · 3 min read

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To find crash history in Windows 11, open Start, search for reliability history, and select View reliability history. You can also press Windows + R, enter perfmon /rel, and press Enter. Reliability Monitor displays dated events that can help you spot when a problem began and what changed around that time—but a matching date alone does not prove the change caused the crash.

Open Reliability Monitor in Windows 11

Reliability Monitor is a built-in Windows tool for viewing dated system events. A Microsoft-hosted community answer confirms these ways to open it; menu labels may vary with Windows version, language, or configuration. Microsoft Q&A: ways to open Reliability Monitor

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  1. Use Start search: Open Start, type reliability history, then choose View reliability history.
  2. Use Run: Press Windows + R, type perfmon /rel, and press Enter.
  3. Use Command Prompt: Open Command Prompt, enter perfmon /rel, and press Enter.
  4. Use Control Panel: Go to Control Panel > Security and Maintenance > Maintenance, then select View reliability history. You can also reach it through Performance Monitor’s Monitoring Tools.

Read the timeline and inspect an event

The dated view can include software installations and removals, Windows updates, and crashes. Use it to establish when events occurred and to compare their timing with a reported problem. Microsoft-hosted troubleshooting answer on Reliability Monitor

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  1. Find the date that matches the app failure, crash, or unexpected shutdown you noticed.
  2. Select the date or marked event. Open its details or report, if available.
  3. Note the event name, affected application or component, date and time, and any problem details shown.
  4. Compare that date with recent Windows updates, app installs or removals, and driver or configuration changes.
  5. Check whether the same entry recurs and whether it matches a problem you actually observed.

An event label is a clue, not a diagnosis. A change that happened just before a crash may be worth investigating, but timing does not establish causation. Likewise, a long event list does not mean every listed item caused visible harm. Repeated entries that line up with recurring symptoms are generally more useful to investigate than an isolated report without an observable problem.

Choose a next check based on the event

  • Application event: Check the application’s update history and support information.
  • Event near a Windows update: Review Windows Update history and note which update was installed around that date.
  • Recurring crash or unresolved problem: Preserve the event details and use them for targeted troubleshooting or when seeking support. Reliability Monitor alone may not identify the cause, so avoid applying a repair solely because an event has a particular label.

What an empty or sparse history means

A new or quiet Windows installation may not yet have useful events to display. In a Microsoft Q&A discussion, a user reported seeing a message to check back in a few hours; community responses suggested that too little collected data could be one explanation, but they did not establish a guaranteed wait time or a formal collection schedule. Microsoft Q&A discussion about an initially sparse Reliability Monitor

If the view is empty, check again after using the PC and encountering events worth recording. Do not assume that history will appear after a specific number of hours or days.

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Reliability Monitor versus Device performance & health

Windows Security includes a separate Device performance & health page for Windows 11. It reports on storage capacity, battery life on battery-powered devices, apps and software, and the Windows Time service, and can offer recommendations when it detects issues. It is a broader health report, not a substitute for inspecting a dated crash event. Microsoft Support: Device performance & health in Windows Security

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View Time focus What it covers What it provides
Reliability Monitor Dated event history Crashes and other system events, including software changes and updates Event details to help investigate when a problem began
Device performance & health Current health report Storage, battery on battery-powered devices, apps and software, and Windows Time Recommendations for certain detected conditions

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crash historyPC troubleshootingReliability MonitorWindows 11

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