What is CBS.log file in Windows 11/10
CBS or Component-Based Servicing is a file that has logs about the installed and uninstalled Windows Update component. So, information of your Windows Update is stored in these log files, even the System File Checker (SFC) writes to CBS.log.
CBS.log file location
CBS.log file will always be present on your Windows computer. If you are curious and want to check the file, launch File Explorer (Win + E), and navigate to the following location.
C:\Windows\Logs\CBS There you will see a file name, CBS.log. This is the very file that contains the information about your Windows Update component.
How to read CBS.log file
To read log files, you can just go to the following location and read the log file. However, if you just want to read the SFC file, it is not the best option. For that, launch Command Prompt as an administrator, type the following command and hit Enter. This will create a file, sfclogs.txt, on your desktop. Double-click on it to open the file with Notepad and read the file. You will see “SR” written in front of every transaction. This means all the programs shown here are of SFC.exe.
Can I delete CBS.log file?
CBS.log file is essential to your computer as every time you install a new Windows Update, it writes to the CBS.log file. However, if you think it is eating a huge chunk out of your Hard Drive, you can delete it as it won’t have an adverse effect on your computer. Before doing that, make sure to disable the Windows Update service from Services (that you can launch from the Start Menu). Now, you can delete the CBS.log file and you won’t receive any error message.
How to fix corrupt files logged in CBS.log file?
Some Windows may see an error saying as following To fix this issue, you may need to Run DISM and ChkDsk. Read Next: SFC not working, will not run or could not repair the corrupt file.
