# Tracking and Debugging Events

> Inspect website and API events, stop debugging, and test without sending data to destinations.

Source: https://docs.oursprivacy.com/docs/tracking-and-debugging-events

Use Recent Events to check an event's properties and destination activity while you test your site.

[Open Recent Events in app](https://app.oursprivacy.com/recent-events)

## Debug Mode: See Events From Your Site in Seconds

1. In **Recent Events**, select **Send debug events**.
2. Choose your site or enter its URL, then select **Open in debug mode**.
3. On your site, perform the action you want to check, such as submitting a form.
4. Return to Recent Events and select the event to inspect its properties and destination activity.

![Recent Events with the Send debug events dialog open on the Website (Web SDK) tab, ourshealth.example entered as the site, the Open in debug mode and Stop debugging buttons, and shortcuts for three recently seen Ours Health sites](https://docs.oursprivacy.com/img/tracking-and-debugging-events/tracking-and-debugging-events-img-1.jpg)

Events usually appear within seconds. Search by event name, visitor, or another value to find your test.

Debugging lasts for one hour. To stop sooner, open **Send debug events**, choose the same site, and select **Stop debugging**.

Debugging does not prevent delivery to destinations. Use [Test Mode](https://docs.oursprivacy.com/docs/test-mode) when you want to test without sending data to them.

![A Recent Events detail for an appointment_requested event marked Test Event, with the Dispatches tab listing Google Analytics 4, Meta Conversions API, and Google Ads Enhanced Conversions, each recorded with the message that a test token was used so no dispatch was performed](https://docs.oursprivacy.com/img/tracking-and-debugging-events/tracking-and-debugging-events-img-3.jpg)

## Check API Events

Select the **REST API** tab in **Send debug events** for a copyable request. Send it, then inspect the result in Recent Events.

![The REST API tab of Send debug events with an API key chosen from the Patient portal backend source and a copyable curl request to the track endpoint that sets _debug_mode to true](https://docs.oursprivacy.com/img/tracking-and-debugging-events/tracking-and-debugging-events-img-2.jpg)

For automated checks, use the [Test Events API](https://docs.oursprivacy.com/docs/platform-api/test-events). It sends debug events with your source's live token, so they can reach your destinations, and reads back each recorded dispatch. To test without sending anything to destinations, use a [test token](https://docs.oursprivacy.com/docs/test-mode).

## Preview Unpublished Tags

In **Tag Manager**, select **Preview**, enter your site URL, and select **Open preview**. Your saved, unpublished changes run in that tab. Choose **Exit** on the site to return to published tags.

Preview links are private and expire after one hour. Preview is separate from event debugging and Test Mode: it changes which tags run, and those tags can send real events. To inspect their events in Recent Events, enable event debugging separately.

## If an Event Is Missing

* Confirm you opened the correct site in debug mode and performed an action that sends an event.
* Check that the Web SDK is installed and your consent settings allow the event.
* Check that the event is allowed by your account's configuration.
* Use [Query Events](https://docs.oursprivacy.com/docs/analytics/query-events) for events outside the 48-hour Recent Events window or events sent without debugging enabled. It filters the full event stream, adds property columns, and shows each event's destination dispatches.

To check whether an event is allowed and how it is mapped for each destination, ask the [AI Assistant](https://docs.oursprivacy.com/docs/ai-assistant/reviewing-your-setup). It answers from your account's configuration and shows you where to make a change.

## Next Steps

* [Query Events](https://docs.oursprivacy.com/docs/analytics/query-events): explore the full event stream with filters, columns, and export.
* [Test Mode](https://docs.oursprivacy.com/docs/test-mode): check events without delivering them to destinations.
* [Tag Manager](https://docs.oursprivacy.com/docs/tag-manager): configure and preview tags.
* [Track Events API reference](https://docs.oursprivacy.com/docs/reference/track): send events from your server.