The subject of the invention is a method for detection and automatic identification of defects in rolling bearings applicable in diagnosing rolling bearings and detecting damage in a very early stage of its occurrence.The inventive method in which the vibrations of a bearing in operation are measured, the measured analogue signals are converted to digital data which are filtered and next shock pulses are detected, whereupon defects present in the tested bearing or bearings are identified, characterized in that the detection of shock pulses is done using shock pulse likelihood ratio (Ms).