Logs in WHMCS

WHMCS logs all activity, admin logins, gateway communications, sent and received email communications, and domain lookups. This allows you to monitor and track all the activity taking place inside your WHMCS system. If an error is critical, results in an error page, or you enable error reporting, the system will also record error details in the appropriate log.

The location of log entries may vary based on the time of the activity or error and any configured logging options.

Logs in WHMCS

You can find the following logs in the WHMCS Admin Area:

LogLocation                        Related To
Activity LogClick Activity Log at Configuration () > System Logs.
  • System events.
  • The actions of individual clients and users.
  • Actions and events that the system performs for individual clients and users.
Admin LogClick Admin Log at Configuration () > System Logs.Admin login session information, including:
  • Login and logout times.
  • IP addresses
  • Admin usernames.
Email Message LogClick Email Message Log at Configuration () > System Logs.All of the emails that WHMCS sends to clients and users except for messages that use the following email templates:
  • Automated Password Reset
  • Client Email Address Verification
  • Password Reset Validation
Gateway LogBilling > Gateway LogAttempted and completed transactions through payment gateway modules.
Module LogClick Module Log at Configuration () > System Logs.Module-related activity between your WHMCS installation and third-party APIs or other systems.
This log only records activity if you have enabled it.
**Ticket Mail Import LogClick Ticket Mail Import Log at Configuration () > System Logs.All of the support ticket emails that WHMCS added to the support ticket system via email piping or email importing.
WHOIS Lookup LogClick WHOIS Lookup Log at Configuration () > System Logs.The domains that your customers search for in the Client Area.

Activity Log

The Activity Log at Configuration () > System Logs contains general system activity.

You can also view Activity Log entries for a specific client in the client profile’s Log tab.

If you enable error logging, the Activity Log can also record information on system errors and warnings.

  • To record uncaught exceptions or observed PHP errors, warnings, and notices, enable Log Errors in the Other tab at Configuration () > System Settings > General Settings.
  • To record MySQL® query error and warning conditions, enable SQL Debug Mode in the Other tab at Configuration () > System Settings > General Settings.
Logging to the Activity Log requires a full initialization of the WHMCS core with an active connection to the database. If the error condition occurs prior to meeting these prerequisites, then the error will only propagate to the Environment Log.
For more information, see Error Logging, Errors in WHMCS, and Enabling Error Reporting.

Admin Log

The Admin Log at Configuration () > System Logs contains login sessions for admins, including login and logout times, IP addresses, and usernames.

Email Message Log

The Email Message Log at Configuration () > System Logs records all of the emails that WHMCS sends to clients except for Automated Password Reset, Client Email Address Verification, and Password Reset Validation emails.

You can configure logging of support ticket responses in the Support tab at Configuration () > System Settings > General Settings.

Gateway Log

The Gateway Log at Billing > Gateway Log displays information about transactions that WHMCS makes or attempts with integrated payment gateways. You can use this information to troubleshoot various payment gateway issues.

If a WHMCS-integrated payment gateway has made a payment return, details will appear here. Each return has three possible outcomes:

  • A Successful payment return occurs when WHMCS automatically identifies and restores the payment and performs any required actions.
  • An Invalid return occurs when the gateway returns unexpected or invalid data (for example, the invoice ID is wrong or the payment value doesn’t match).
    Invalid returns are usually only random single issues. If you see a large number of invalid or error returns, contact WHMCS technical support.
  • An Error return occurs if the data from the payment gateway contains errors or the system can’t verify it.

Module Log

The Module Log at Configuration () > System Logs records activity between WHMCS and third-party APIs or other module systems. This logging includes payment gateway modules, server and provisioning modules, and domain registrar modules.

  • Module Command Errors are from the relevant module, not from WHMCS. To troubleshoot these errors further, you may need to consult your module provider’s documentation or contact their technical support.
  • Unknown Errors in the Module Log are errors that WHMCS does not recognize.

To start using the Module Log:

  1. Go to Configuration () > System Logs and click Module Log.
  2. Set Module Logging to On.
  3. Reproduce the issue.
  4. Refresh the Module Log.
  5. When you are finished troubleshooting, set Module Logging to Off.

To use the Module Log:

  • Your administrator role must include the View Module Debug Log permission.
  • You must temporarily grant the DROP privilege to the WHMCS database user. For more information, see Database Privileges.

Ticket Mail Import Log

The Ticket Mail Import Log at Configuration () > System Logs records all of the support ticket emails that WHMCS added to the support ticket system via email piping or email importing.

Click View Log for a log entry to view the imported reply. This displays the same information that you see when you view the associated support ticket.

WHOIS Lookup Log

The WHOIS Lookup Log at Configuration () > System Logs logs the domains that clients search for from within the Client Area.

Error Logging

WHMCS suppresses non-critical warnings and errors and attempts to complete all requested actions by default. However, if an error is critical, results in an error page, or you enable error reporting, the system will also record error details in the appropriate log. Logged errors may include uncaught exceptions or PHP errors, warnings, and notices that you observe due to the effective error reporting level.

  • We strongly recommend that you only enable error reporting while you are actively troubleshooting an issue. Disable it as soon as you are finished.
  • Error reporting will display verbose error information to anyone on your system who experiences an error, including customers and non-privileged admins. This can become a security concern.

If you enable error logging, those errors will display in the appropriate logs at Configuration () > System Logs.

For more information, see Errors in WHMCS and Enabling Error Reporting.

System Environment Log

As part of the initialization process, the system registers an error log handler to the web server environment error log. The system provides this logging channel to ensure error traceability, regardless of your effective Log Errors setting. The system defines the environment error log destination target at the environment level and WHMCS doesn’t control it. Typically, this is the Apache® error log, but may be different in your environment.

WHMCS will always attempt to log the observed errors and uncaught exceptions to this log if possible. If the error condition happens before WHMCS can register its error log handler, then the system uses the web server environment settings.

Log Accumulation

Over time, log records in your WHMCS system will accumulate. As the number of records increases, your database will become larger and you may notice a reduction in performance. WHMCS allows you to empty logs from within the Admin Area.

  • To empty your logs, go to Utilities > System Cleanup.
  • To configure the maximum number of system-related entries in the system logs, go to the General tab at Configuration () > System Settings > General Settings.
errors troubleshooting

Last modified: 2025 May 1