What is a .ETL file?
ETL is a Windows Event Trace Log - a binary capture of low-level system and application events produced by Event Tracing for Windows.
- Did you know
- ETL traces are how tools like Windows Performance Analyzer reconstruct exactly what the system was doing microsecond by microsecond.
- Event Tracing for Windows is built into the OS and so low-overhead that it can log millions of events a second with little slowdown.
- ETL is a binary format meant for tooling, normally read with Windows Performance Analyzer, tracerpt or PerfView rather than a text editor.
- What Analyser reads
- Identify and read more security and forensics files: OpenPGP messages/keys/signatures (.pgp/.gpg/.sig - armor type, packet walk, key algorithm and user ID, secret-key warning), YARA rules, Snort/Suricata IDS rules, STIX/OpenIOC threat intel, Fiddler captures (.saz), 1Password exports (.1pux), Apple Keychain, KeePass 1.x (.kdb), Microsoft keys (.pvk) and AFF/AFF4 forensic images.
- Depth of analysis
- .ETL is an identification-grade format: Analyser recognises it from its bytes and decodes the header metadata it carries, rather than opening it in a full viewer. Formats that do get a full viewer are marked "Full" on the formats page.
- Open a .ETL file
- Drag a .ETL file onto the Analyser home page (or tap to pick one). It is identified entirely in your browser - nothing is uploaded, there is no account, and it works offline once installed.