Almost everyone has done it at some point: you accidentally close your browser and instantly realize you just lost a huge collection of tabs you still needed.
Fortunately, most major web browsers have included session restore features for many years now, making it easy to recover accidentally closed tabs and windows in seconds.
How to Restore Closed Windows in Google Chrome
If you accidentally closed all your Google Chrome windows:
- Open Chrome again
- Click the three dots menu in the top-right corner
- Go to History
- Look for a section called:
- “Recently Closed”
- or a grouped session such as “12 Tabs”
- Click the session to restore all tabs and windows
Keyboard Shortcut
You can also restore closed tabs and windows instantly using:
- Windows/Linux:
Ctrl + Shift + T - Mac:
Command + Shift + T
You can press the shortcut multiple times to continue restoring previously closed tabs.
How to Restore Closed Windows in Microsoft Edge
Microsoft Edge works very similarly to Chrome because both browsers use Chromium.
Restore a Previous Session
- Open Edge
- Click the three dots menu
- Go to History
- Under “Recently Closed,” select the window or session you want to restore
Keyboard Shortcut
- Windows:
Ctrl + Shift + T - Mac:
Command + Shift + T
How to Restore Closed Windows in Mozilla Firefox
Firefox also includes built-in session restore tools.
Restore Tabs and Windows
- Open Firefox
- Click the menu button (three horizontal lines)
- Go to History
- Click:
- “Restore Previous Session”
- or select a recently closed window or tab
Keyboard Shortcut
- Windows/Linux:
Ctrl + Shift + T - Mac:
Command + Shift + T
How to Restore Closed Windows in Safari
Safari on macOS also supports restoring recently closed tabs and windows.
Restore Tabs and Windows
- Open Safari
- Click History
- Select:
- “Reopen Last Closed Window”
- or “Reopen All Windows from Last Session”
Keyboard Shortcut
Command + Shift + T
A Simple Shortcut Worth Remembering
Accidentally closing your browser can feel like a disaster in the moment, especially if you had important work, research, or shopping tabs open.
Fortunately, modern browsers make recovering closed windows quick and painless. If your browser crashed, these major browsers usually also ask you if you would like to automatically restore your previous session and all your windows/tabs.
If there is one thing worth remembering for when you accidently did the closing, it is the universal restore shortcut:
Ctrl + Shift + T- or
Command + Shift + Ton Mac
That one shortcut alone can save you a lot of frustration.
Related: Which Web Browser Is the Safest to Use? Chrome vs Edge vs Firefox
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