Use Reliability Monitor in Windows 10/11 to Track Crashes and Fix Problem Apps

Use Reliability Monitor in Windows 10/11 to Track Crashes and Fix Problem Apps​

Difficulty: Beginner | Time Required: 15 minutes
If your PC suddenly freezes, an app keeps crashing, or Windows shows strange errors with no clear explanation, Reliability Monitor can help. This built-in Windows tool gives you a simple timeline of system and application problems, making it much easier to spot when issues started and what may be causing them.
Unlike Event Viewer, which can feel overwhelming for beginners, Reliability Monitor presents crashes, failed updates, hardware errors, and warnings in a more readable format. In this guide, you’ll learn how to open it, read the results, and use the information to troubleshoot problem apps in Windows 10 and Windows 11.

Prerequisites​

Before you begin, make sure you have:

• A Windows 10 or Windows 11 PC
• An account with permission to view system information
• A recent crash, freeze, or problem app to investigate
• Optional: administrator access if you plan to uninstall software, update drivers, or change system settings

Note: Reliability Monitor is included with both Windows 10 and Windows 11. The layout may look slightly different depending on your version, but the main features work the same.

Step 1: Open Reliability Monitor​

There are several easy ways to launch Reliability Monitor.

Method 1: Use Search​

1. Click Start or press the Windows key.
2. Type Reliability Monitor.
3. Click View reliability history from the search results.

Method 2: Use Control Panel​

1. Open Control Panel.
2. Go to Security and Maintenance.
3. Expand Maintenance.
4. Click View reliability history.

Method 3: Use Run​

1. Press Windows + R to open the Run dialog.
2. Type the following command:
   perfmon /rel
3. Press Enter.

Tip: The Run command is the fastest method and works in both Windows 10 and Windows 11.

Step 2: Understand the Reliability Monitor Interface​

When Reliability Monitor opens, you’ll see a chart with a stability index from 1 to 10.

• 10 means the system is stable
• Lower numbers indicate more problems over time

Below the graph, Windows lists events by day or week. These events are grouped into categories such as:

• Application failures – programs that crash or stop responding
• Windows failures – system-related crashes or blue screen events
• Miscellaneous failures – other unexpected issues
• Warnings – events that may not be critical but could matter
• Information – successful updates, installations, and other system changes

Each day may show symbols such as:

• Red X = critical event
• Yellow warning icon = warning
• Blue information icon = informational event

Note: Reliability Monitor is especially helpful because it shows software installs, updates, and failures on the same timeline. This makes it easier to connect a problem with a recent change.

Step 3: Switch Between Days and Weeks​

By default, Reliability Monitor may show a daily view.

1. Look near the top of the window.
2. Click Days or Weeks to change the timeline view.

Use Days when:

• You know roughly when the crash happened
• You want more precise detail

Use Weeks when:

• You are investigating a long-term stability issue
• You want to spot patterns over time

If your PC has had repeated crashes, the weekly view can quickly show whether the issue is isolated or ongoing.

Step 4: Find the Day a Crash or Problem Happened​

1. Scroll through the graph to locate a drop in the stability index.
2. Click the date where you suspect the issue occurred.
3. Review the events listed in the bottom pane.

Look for entries such as:

• AppName stopped working
• Windows was not properly shut down
• Hardware error
• Windows failure
• Failed Windows Update
• Application installation success

The goal is to identify:

• What failed
• When it failed
• Whether anything was installed or updated just before the problem started

Warning: A single crash does not always mean an app is broken. Occasional failures can happen. Repeated crashes for the same app or service are more important.

Step 5: View Technical Details for an Event​

Once you find a suspicious event:

1. Click the event in the lower list.
2. Select View technical details.

You may see details such as:

• Faulting application name
• Faulting module name
• Exception code
• Windows version
• Event description
• Time and date of the error

This information helps you determine whether the problem is related to:

• A specific app
• A driver
• A Windows component
• A hardware issue

For example:

• If the same faulting module appears repeatedly, a program file or dependency may be damaged.
• If crashes started after an update or driver install, that recent change may be the cause.

Tip: Take a screenshot or copy the technical details before making changes. This gives you a reference if you need to search for the error later.

Step 6: Check for Related Updates or Installs​

Reliability Monitor doesn’t just show crashes. It also shows when software and updates were installed.

1. Look at the same day as the crash.
2. Check for Information entries such as:
   • Windows Update installed
   • Driver installed
   • New application installed
   • Application update completed
3. Compare the timing of those changes with the failure.

If an app started crashing right after:

• a Windows update,
• a graphics driver update,
• or a new app installation,

then you may have found the trigger.
This is especially useful in Windows 11, where background updates and app updates can occur with little notice.

Step 7: Use the Information to Fix the Problem App​

After identifying the likely cause, try one or more of these basic fixes.

If a specific app is crashing:​

1. Restart the PC.
2. Update the app to the latest version.
3. Uninstall and reinstall the app.
4. Check the app vendor’s support page for known issues.
5. Run the app as administrator if required.

If crashes started after a Windows update:​

1. Open Settings.
2. Go to:
   • Windows 10: Update & Security > Windows Update
   • Windows 11: Settings > Windows Update
3. Check update history.
4. Look for an optional fix, newer cumulative update, or rollback option if appropriate.

If the issue may be driver-related:​

1. Right-click Start and open Device Manager.
2. Expand the related hardware category.
3. Right-click the device and choose:
   • Update driver
   • or Properties > Driver > Roll Back Driver if the issue began after an update

If system files may be damaged:​

1. Open Command Prompt as Administrator.
2. Run:
   sfc /scannow
3. Wait for the scan to finish and follow any repair recommendations.

Note: Reliability Monitor helps you identify the timing and pattern of failures, but you may need other tools, such as Device Manager, Windows Update, or System File Checker, to resolve the root cause.

Step 8: Check for Recurring Patterns​

After trying a fix, come back to Reliability Monitor over the next few days.

1. Open Reliability Monitor again.
2. Review the stability graph.
3. See whether the same app or error appears again.

If the stability score improves and the crashes stop, your fix likely worked.
If the same issue continues:

• test the app in a clean boot environment,
• check for hardware issues,
• or search the exact error details online for more targeted guidance.

Tips and Troubleshooting Notes​

Helpful Tips​

• Use it alongside Task Manager and Event Viewer for deeper troubleshooting.
• Review the timeline after installing major software to catch problems early.
• Check for repeated “Windows was not properly shut down” errors if you suspect power loss or forced restarts.
• Monitor after driver changes if gaming, graphics, audio, or network issues begin.

Troubleshooting Notes​

• Reliability Monitor may not show every tiny issue immediately. Some entries appear after Windows processes system data.
• If the chart looks mostly empty, the PC may be new, recently reset, or the reliability history may have been cleared.
• If an app crash appears without a clear cause, update:
  • Windows
  • the affected app
  • device drivers
  • Microsoft Visual C++ runtimes or .NET components if required by the app

Warning: Do not remove random system files or registry entries based only on a crash report. Always confirm the cause before making advanced changes.

Conclusion​

Reliability Monitor is one of the most useful built-in troubleshooting tools in Windows 10 and Windows 11. It gives you a clear history of crashes, warnings, updates, and software changes so you can quickly connect problems to their likely cause. For beginners, it offers a much simpler way to investigate system instability than digging through raw event logs.
If an app keeps failing or your PC has become less stable, spending a few minutes in Reliability Monitor can save a lot of guesswork and point you toward the right fix faster.
Key Takeaways:

• Reliability Monitor provides a simple timeline of crashes, warnings, and updates
• It helps you identify when a problem started and what changed around that time
• You can use technical details to troubleshoot app, driver, and system issues
• It is built into both Windows 10 and Windows 11 and is beginner-friendly
• Checking it regularly can help you catch recurring problems before they get worse

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This tutorial was generated to help WindowsForum.com users get the most out of their Windows experience.