Generate an HAR file for troubleshooting

We may occasionally need additional information to help troubleshoot network-related issues. This guide will show you how to create a HAR file to send to our Happiness Engineers.

HAR (HTTP Archive) files log all network traffic between a web browser and a website. It helps our Happiness Engineers analyze requests, responses, timings, and status codes to troubleshoot problems that may be difficult to reproduce.

You will follow the steps in this guide to open a private or incognito browser window and create the HAR file that displays your network traffic only when navigating through your WordPress.com dashboard or site.

• Never share HAR files on public forums or with anyone other than our support team.
• Avoid logging into unrelated accounts or visiting other websites while recording.
• Use the instructions we included in the steps to clear your existing logs.
• We will use the file for troubleshooting purposes and delete it after resolving your issue.

Click the link for instructions for the browser that you usually use or the one where the error occurs the most:

• Chrome
• Firefox
• Safari
• Edge

To create the HAR file in Chrome, follow these steps:

1. Open a Chrome Incognito window, and log in to your WordPress.com dashboard.
2. Click the ⋮ icon (top-right) to open Chrome options and select More Tools → Developer Tools.
3. In the panel that appears, click the Network tab. Keep this open while you reproduce the issue.

4. At the top left of the Network tab, look for the round record button. Make sure it’s red (if it’s grey, click it once to start recording).

5. Check the “Preserve log” box.

6. Click the grey crossed circle button to clear existing logs.

7. Reproduce the issue you’re experiencing by moving between posts or editing content.
8. When finished, click the download button (Export HAR) to save the file. Then, send our team the file using the steps in the last section of this guide.

To create the HAR file in Firefox, follow these steps:

1. Open a private Firefox window and log in to your WordPress.com dashboard.
2. Click the ☰ icon (top-right) to open Firefox options and select More Tools → Web Developer Tools.
3. In the panel that appears, click the Network tab. Keep this open while you reproduce the issue.

4. At the top of the Network tab, verify that the network tab is recording by looking for the Pause button. If you see a play button instead, click that to start recording.

5. Click the Settings icon at the top right of the Network tab and check “Persist logs”.

6. Click the Trashcan icon at the top left to clear existing logs.

7. Reproduce the issue you’re experiencing by moving between posts or editing content.
8. When finished, right-click anywhere under the File column and select “Save All As HAR“.
9. Save the HAR file in a convenient location. Then, send our team the file using the steps in the last section of this guide.

To create the HAR file in Safari, follow these steps:

1. Open a new private window in Safari and log in to your WordPress.com dashboard.
2. In the Safari menu bar, click the Develop menu.
   • If you don’t see the Develop menu in the menu bar, choose Safari → Settings, click Advanced, then select “Show features for web developers.”
3. Select Show Web Inspector from the Develop menu.
4. In the panel that appears, click the Network tab. Keep this open while you reproduce the issue.

5. Click the other filter options icon and select “Preserve Log.“

6. Click the Trashcan icon to clear existing logs.

7. Reproduce the issue you’re experiencing by moving between posts or editing content.
8. Click the Export icon and save the HAR file. Then, send our team the file using the steps in the last section of this guide.
   • If you don’t see the Export icon, right-click on any file in the file list and select “Export HAR” from the drop-down menu.

To create the HAR file in Edge, follow these steps:

1. Open an Edge inPrivate window and log in to your WordPress.com dashboard.
2. Click the … icon (top-right) to open Edge options and select More Tools → Web Developer Tools.
3. In the panel that appears, click the Network tab. Keep this open while you reproduce the issue.

4. At the top left of the Network tab, look for the round record button. Make sure it’s red (if it’s grey, click it once to start recording).

5. Check the “Preserve log” box.

6. Click the grey crossed circle button to clear existing logs.

7. Reproduce the issue you’re experiencing by moving between posts or editing content.
8. When finished, click the download button (Export HAR) to save the file. Then, send our team the file using the steps in the last section of this guide.

Follow these steps after you have created the HAR file to send the file to our Happiness Engineers:

1. Locate the file on your computer, right-click on it, and select the zip or compress option from the drop-down menu. Zipping/compressing the file will make a new, smaller file.
2. By default, HAR files use the page URL as the name of the file. Files with .com extensions may appear suspicious to spam and phishing filters. Right-click on the zipped/compressed file to rename it, removing the full URL. For example, rename it to networkhar.zip.
3. If you have a preferred file-sharing tool, like Google Drive, OneDrive, or Dropbox, you can upload the HAR file there and send us a link to the file. Don’t forget to give us permission to view/download the file.
   • Otherwise, email us the zipped/compressed file in a response to our request for the file.