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Creating a har file to assist with troubleshooting

Some technical requests are best supported by a

Samantha Szadovszky avatar
Written by Samantha Szadovszky
Updated this week

Sometimes, when we’re investigating a complex issue, our support team may need a little more information about what’s happening behind the scenes in your browser.

To help with this, we may ask you to record a HAR file. A HAR (HTTP Archive) file is a log of network activity in your browser while an issue occurs. It helps our team understand what requests are being sent and how the system is responding.

Once recorded, you can upload the HAR file to your support ticket so we can review it.

Important note about privacy

HAR files can contain sensitive information, including:

  • Page content loaded during the recording

  • Cookies and session data

If you have any concerns, please let us know before sharing the file. Only record the issue itself and stop recording as soon as you’ve reproduced the problem.

Below are some instructions about how you can easily generate a HAR file using different browsers.

  • Chrome

  • Firefox

  • Internet Explorer

  • Safari

  • Edge

To generate the HAR file for Google Chrome

  1. Open Google Chrome and navigate to the page where the issue occurs.

  2. Select the three dots (⋮) in the top-right corner, then go to More tools → Developer tools.

  3. In the panel that opens, select the Network tab.

  4. Make sure the Record button (●) in the top-left is red. If it’s grey, click it to start recording.

  5. Tick Preserve log.

  6. Select the Clear icon to remove any existing entries.

  7. Reproduce the issue while network activity is being recorded.

  8. Once done, select Download and choose Save as HAR with content.

  9. Upload the saved file to your support ticket.

The instructions are the same for a MAC computer or a Windows computer.

To generate the HAR file for Mozilla Firefox

  1. Open Firefox and go to the page where the issue occurs.

  2. Select the menu (☰) in the top-right corner, then choose Web Developer → Network.

  3. The Network panel will open and begin recording automatically.

  4. Reproduce the issue.

  5. Right-click anywhere in the File column and select Save all as HAR.

  6. Save the file to your computer.

  7. Upload the HAR file to your support ticket.

The instructions are the same for a MAC computer or a Windows computer.

To generate the HAR file for Internet Explorer

  1. Open Internet Explorer and go to the page where the issue occurs.

  2. Press F12 on your keyboard (or select the gear icon → F12 Developer Tools).

  3. Open the Network tab.

  4. Reproduce the issue.

  5. Select Save, give the file a name, and save it as a .har or .xml file.

  6. Upload the file to your support ticket.

The instructions are the same for a MAC computer or a Windows computer.

To generate the HAR file for Safari

Before generating the HAR file, make sure you can see the Develop menu in Safari. If it is not there, follow the instructions under Use the developer tools in the Develop menu in Safari on Mac.

  1. Open Safari and select Develop → Show Web Inspector.

  2. Go to the Network tab.

  3. Reproduce the issue.

  4. Select the Export icon on the right side of the Network tab.

  5. Save the HAR file and attach it to your support ticket.

To generate the HAR file for Edge

Edge natively produces HAR files. For more instructions, see the instructions from the Microsoft website.

  1. Open Microsoft Edge and go to the page where the issue occurs.

  2. Press F12 to open Developer Tools.

  3. Select the Network tab.

  4. Reproduce the issue.

  5. Press Ctrl + S to export the captured traffic as a HAR file.

  6. Upload the file to your support ticket.

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