---
title: "Verify logs in Explore | Grafana Labs"
description: "Run a LogQL query in Explore to verify logs flow through the new Loki data source."
---

> For a curated documentation index, see [llms.txt](/llms.txt). For the complete documentation index, see [llms-full.txt](/llms-full.txt).

# Verify logs in Explore

Passing the Save & test check confirms connectivity, but it doesn’t confirm that logs are flowing. In this milestone, you run a LogQL query against your new data source in Explore and see real log lines.

To verify logs in Explore, complete the following steps:

1. In the Grafana Cloud navigation menu, click **Explore**.
2. From the data source picker at the top-left, select your Loki data source.
   
   For example, select **Production Loki**.
3. The Loki query editor has two modes. Use the **Builder** and **Code** tabs to switch between them. Select the **Code** tab to write a LogQL query by hand.
4. In the query field, enter a LogQL query using a label selector.
   
   Try one of the following examples:
   
   - **Filter by job label** — enter `{job="varlogs"}`, replacing `varlogs` with a label value present in your logs.
   - **List logs by job label** — enter `{job=~".+"}` to return log lines from every stream that has a `job` label.
   
   **Tip:** Use the **Label browser** in the query editor to discover which labels and values exist in your Loki data.
5. Click **Run query** to execute the LogQL query.
   
   You should see a **Logs** panel with a volume graph and matching log lines in the results pane. Expand any log line to inspect its labels, detected fields, and structured metadata.

## Verify successful log access

After running your query, you should see:

- A logs volume graph and a table of log lines in the Explore results panel
- No authentication or connection errors
- Log lines you can expand to view labels and detected fields
- Timestamps and label values that match what you expect from your log sources

**Congratulations!** You’ve successfully connected a Loki data source to Grafana Cloud and verified log data.

* * *

### More to explore (optional)

- [Loki query editor](/docs/grafana/latest/datasources/loki/query-editor/)
- [LogQL query language reference](/docs/loki/latest/logql/)
- [Log queries in LogQL](/docs/loki/latest/logql/log_queries/)
- [Grafana Logs Drilldown](/docs/grafana/latest/explore/simplified-exploration/logs/)