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How Do I Open Black Box in Iracing

This article answers how do i open black box in iRacing for drivers. Locate the crash log, open it safely, and fix or send it to support — fix this issue fast.

If you’re asking “how do i open black box in iracing”, you’re in the right place. Short answer: find the Black Box folder on your PC, make a copy, and open the log file with a plain-text editor (Notepad, Notepad++ or WordPad). Below I explain where to look, how to read it, and what to do next.

Quick Answer — how do i open black box in iracing

The Black Box is iRacing’s crash/log dump folder. To open it: locate the folder (common locations shown below), copy the latest file to your Desktop, then open that file with Notepad or Notepad++. If you can’t interpret the text, zip the file and submit it to iRacing Support.

What’s really going on

When iRacing crashes or hits a severe error, it writes diagnostic files (“black box” logs) so engineers can see what failed. Those files are plain text or semi-structured logs — not a playable replay — and are meant for troubleshooting. Players often want to open them to see timestamps, error messages, or to include the file in a support ticket.

Step-by-step fix

  1. Close iRacing and any related apps (sim telemetry, overlays).
  2. Search for the folder: check Documents\iRacing\blackbox and %localappdata%\iRacing\blackbox (open File Explorer and paste %localappdata%\iRacing).
  3. Inside, sort by date modified and find the newest .txt or .log (or folder named with the crash date).
  4. Right-click the file and choose Copy; paste the copy to your Desktop so you don’t edit originals.
  5. Right-click the Desktop copy → Open with → Notepad or Notepad++. If it’s large, use Notepad++ or WordPad to avoid slow loading.
  6. Scan for keywords: “Exception”, “Crash”, “Fail”, “ERROR” and the timestamp of your session. If you don’t understand entries, compress the original file into a .zip.
  7. Attach the zip to an iRacing Support ticket and include the time you were in-session and a brief description of what happened.

Extra tips / checklist

  • If you don’t see the folder, enable hidden files in File Explorer Options or search your whole C: drive for folders named “blackbox”.
  • Don’t edit the original file — always work on a copy. iRacing may need the original for diagnostics.
  • If antivirus quarantined the file, check your AV logs or quarantine folder; restore it before sending.
  • For frequent crashes, also collect the latest “SimLog” and Windows Event Viewer Application logs to help support.
  • If you use third‑party overlays or telemetry apps, disable them to see if the crash stops — then re-enable one by one.

FAQs

Q: Can I read the Black Box with a normal text editor?
A: Yes. Notepad works for small files; use Notepad++ or WordPad for large logs.

Q: Do I need special software to interpret it?
A: No special tool is required to open it, but iRacing Support or developers are best at interpreting the content.

Q: Where exactly is the Black Box saved?
A: Common places are Documents\iRacing\blackbox or %localappdata%\iRacing\blackbox. If it’s not there, search your PC for “blackbox” or the date of the crash.

Q: Should I send the Black Box to iRacing Support?
A: Yes — attach the compressed file to a support ticket along with the session time and a short description.

Short wrap-up

You can open the iRacing Black Box yourself with a text editor once you locate the correct folder; if the log is confusing, zip it and send it to iRacing Support. Next session: try disabling overlays or third‑party apps first if crashes repeat.