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Getting started with VConsole

vconsole2.exe is a standalone program that captures all output from the game console into a separate buffer.
Unlike the Source 1 console, vconsole2.exe is far more powerful: it not only lets you search through messages, but also start processes, monitor engine events (via plugins), and more.

info

vconsole2.exe is located in the game/bin/win64 folder.

In multiplayer Source 2 games, if VConsole is started without -tools mode it will not connect to the game.

VConsole Interface

vc1

1- Toolbar​

This is the dock that holds all the console plugins. Left-click on an icon to open the corresponding plugin.

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Some of the plugins shown in this guide may not exist in every Source 2 game (e.g. Half-Life: Alyx iconHalf-Life: Alyx, Steam VR iconSteam VR, Dota 2 iconDota 2).

Example: the NetGraph plugin opened from the toolbar.
vc1_bar
vc1_pl

2- Console output​

Displays the runtime output of the game and tools.
vc_ot

3- Plugin docking​

Certain plugins can dock into the main VConsole window.
For example, the Convar Helper is shown docked below.
vc_dock

4- Input Bar​

Command​

Type a command and press Enter — equivalent to typing in the in-game console.
vc_cmm

Lets you search the VConsole message log for a specific string.
vc_srch
vc_srch_ex

Filter​

Lets you filter the VConsole message log for a specific string.
vc_fltr
vc_fltr_ex

VConsole Options

Customization​

Open Main -> Options to access the customization panel.
vc_cstm_1
vc_cstm_2
vc_cstm_3

Channel Activity​

Sometimes subsystems output large amounts of information that can hide useful messages.
To solve this, VConsole allows you to set the verbosity level of each channel, letting you control how much output is shown. Open Viewers -> Properties to access the spew panel.
vc_pp_1 vc_pp_2

An alternative way is right click in the subsystem in the console output. vc_pp_3 vc_pp_4