When a Windows device crashes, fails to update, or starts behaving unexpectedly, Windows event logs are often one of the first places IT teams look for clues.

On Windows computers, the Windows event log provides essential information for diagnosing crashes, update problems, service failures, and other unexpected device behavior. However, in remote environments, investigating these issues can be challenging.

IT teams need ways to remotely view Windows event logs, access remote devices, and investigate issues, even when working remotely. So, how can IT teams remotely manage Windows event logs? Let’s explore.

What are Windows event logs?

Windows event logs are activity records on Windows devices, including applications, services, security events, installation processes, and system components. These logs help IT teams understand what happened not only during an incident, but also before and after, providing a more complete context.

For example, if an application crashes, Windows event logs can display associated error events, timestamps, sources, and system activity, helping IT teams more precisely identify the likely cause. This provides teams with valuable information to support troubleshooting and device maintenance.

Which Windows event logs should you check?

However, Windows event logs can take many different forms. Depending on the problem, you will need to check different logs. These include:

1. Application logs

Application logs provide information about specific applications and programs. These logs are used to capture software crashes, launch failures, application warnings, installation errors, and other program-specific problems.

2. System logs

System logs relate to the device itself rather than specific programs. These logs are used for service failures, driver problems, hardware warnings, startup problems, shutdowns, restart events, and other similar issues.

3. Security logs

Security logs provide information about cybersecurity issues and alerts, such as suspicious login activity, failed access attempts, account activity, privilege usage, and authentication-related events. Access to these logs is typically more restricted than for other types of logs, making them more difficult for unauthorized users to access.

4. Configuration Logs

Configuration logs provide information about problems related to adding or modifying software, such as installation activity, Windows configuration events, system changes, and troubleshooting related to updates. If a new program has difficulty installing, these logs will contain information explaining why.

5. Application and service logs

When IT teams need more detailed information, application and service logs come into play. These are more detailed logs used for Windows components, Microsoft services, and third-party applications when the Application or System logs don’t provide enough detail.

Native methods for remotely viewing Windows event logs

Given the information contained in Windows event logs, it’s important for IT teams to be able to access and review them. However, accessing them remotely can be difficult without the right tools. Fortunately, there are some built-in ways to remotely view event logs, including:

1. Remote connection to the Event Viewer

With Event Viewer, IT teams can connect to other computers and view logs remotely. This makes it useful for spot checks on accessible devices, although it adds some complexity, as IT teams have to manage permissions, firewall rules, remote services, and so on.

2. PowerShell with Get-WinEvent

PowerShell users can query Windows event logs remotely with the Get-WinEvent command. This can be filtered by log name, event ID, event level, provider, source, or time range, making it useful for targeted searches and repeatable administrative workflows. However, this also requires IT teams to configure WinRM (or related tools), set up remote permissions and connectivity, and, of course, have the necessary command-line knowledge to use PowerShell effectively.

3. Windows Event Collector

Windows Event Collector can also collect event logs and forward selected events to a central collector. This works well for centralized event collection in work environments where most, if not all, employees use Windows computers, although it also requires subscriptions, configuration, and ongoing maintenance to be used effectively.

4. SIEM or monitoring platforms

With SIEM or monitoring tools, IT teams can collect and manage event data from multiple sources. This can aid in security monitoring, record keeping, and audit support, making it a common choice for larger-scale IT or security operations. However, these tools still require separate workflows to access and manage remote endpoints, which is generally insufficient for teams that need more than simple monitoring.

Why remote management of event logs is becoming complicated

In theory, remote event log management seems simple: logs record data when something goes wrong, and then IT teams analyze it. However, several variables can complicate log management, so IT teams need to be aware of them.

Common workflow problems include:

• Off-network devices may not be accessible via native tools.
• Firewall or service settings may block remote access to the Event Viewer.
• Accessing PowerShell may require complex configurations.
• Access to security logs may be restricted to certain roles, making them more difficult to access.
• Manually reviewing logs on multiple devices is repetitive and time-consuming.
• Native tools can display events without providing enough context on the endpoints, which complicates troubleshooting.
• Identifying the event does not automatically solve the underlying problem; IT teams still need tools to investigate and address the cause.
• Troubleshooting often requires switching between applications, such as logging tools, remote access software , command-line tools, and ticketing systems.

So, what’s the solution? It all starts with workflow. With a good workflow, IT teams can review events more efficiently, monitor issues, investigate endpoints, and troubleshoot devices remotely using data from the Windows event log.

How Splashtop helps manage Windows event logs remotely

While remotely managing Windows event logs can be challenging, solutions exist to streamline and simplify the process. With Splashtop’s remote support and endpoint management tools, IT teams can remotely access user devices, view event logs, troubleshoot issues from anywhere, and much more, making it easier to manage event logs and provide user support while working remotely.

1. View Windows event logs from the web console

Splashtop allows IT technicians to view Windows event logs of managed online computers from the Splashtop web console. This helps teams review events on remote Windows devices without physically accessing the terminal or initiating a full remote session.

Technicians can filter events by event level, event type, date range, and event ID, which helps them refine their investigation and focus on the events most relevant to the problem.

2. Monitor important Windows events

Splashtop also helps IT teams monitor Windows event log activity with configurable alerts. Technicians can create alerts based on Windows event log criteria, such as event level and event ID, so that important events can trigger notifications without requiring manual checks on each device.

This helps teams go beyond reactive log review and more systematically identify important or recurring Windows events across all managed devices.

3. Investigate without interrupting the user

After investigating an event, technicians often need to check what’s happening on the device. Splashtop’s background actions help IT teams analyze certain issues without starting a full remote session or interrupting the user.

Technicians can use tools such as Remote Task Manager, Remote Service Manager, Remote Device Manager and Remote Registry Editor from the web console to examine processes, services, devices and system settings.

4. Take action after reviewing the event

Once the technicians have reviewed the event logs and identified the problem, they still need a way to take action on the terminal. With Splashtop, they can continue the workflow with remote support, background actions, scripts and tasks, restarts, updates, and convenient troubleshooting when needed.

This helps IT teams move from reviewing events to investigating and then to resolving them, without relying on disconnected tools at each stage.

5. Add broader visibility to endpoints with Splashtop AEM

Splashtop AEM adds endpoint visibility and management features that support the troubleshooting process. IT teams can review patch status, inventory, alerts, and device context to better understand what might be contributing to a problem.