How to Fix Chrome Tab Restore Not Working

To get closed tabs back in Chrome on a computer, press Ctrl + Shift + T on Windows and Linux, or ⌘ + Shift + T on a Mac. Each press reopens the next tab or window in the order they were closed. If that doesn’t bring back what you need, the pages are still in your History, and the rest of this page shows how to find them and how to make Chrome reopen your tabs every time.

Find lost tabs in your history

1. Open Chrome on your computer.
2. Select the three-dot More menu > History > History, or press Ctrl + H (⌘ + Y on a Mac).
3. Type a word from the page title or address in the search bar, or browse by date.

You can also search history straight from the address bar: type @history, press Tab or Space, then type what you remember. Google’s history help says History lists the pages you visited in the last 90 days. It does not include pages you visited in Incognito mode or pages you deleted from history.

Get tabs from your other devices

If you were signed in to Chrome on another computer or phone, you can open the tabs that are open there:

1. Select More > History > History.
2. On the left, select Tabs from other devices.

This needs tab syncing to be on. Go to More > Settings > You and Google, select your account name, and turn on History and tabs. These steps are from Google’s guide to getting your info on all your devices.

Make Chrome reopen your tabs every time

If Chrome opens a blank New Tab page instead of your tabs, change what it does at startup:

1. Select More > Settings.
2. On the left, select On startup.
3. Select Continue where you left off.

Google’s startup page help notes that your cookies and data are saved with this setting, so sites you were signed in to open signed in again. If you don’t want that, go to Privacy and security > Site settings > Additional content settings > On-device site data and turn on Delete data sites have saved on your device when you close all windows.

If your startup page or homepage changed and you didn’t change it, Google says your computer may have unwanted software. See Google’s steps to remove it.

Tabs that can’t be restored

• Incognito tabs. Incognito pages aren’t saved in History, and Incognito windows don’t reopen when Chrome restarts after an update (from Google’s update help).
• Deleted tab groups. Close group keeps a tab group saved so you can reopen it from the bookmarks bar or More > Tab groups. Delete group removes it from this device and your other signed-in devices (from Google’s tab help).

Protect your tabs before they go missing

• Bookmark all open tabs. Ctrl + Shift + D (⌘ + Shift + D on a Mac) saves every open tab as bookmarks in a new folder.
• Close tab groups instead of tabs. A closed group is saved and can be reopened.
• Relaunch for updates when you’re ready. When Chrome relaunches to update, it saves your open tabs and windows and reopens them.
• Use a session manager if you want saved copies of every window. Session Buddy and Tab Session Manager were live in the Chrome Web Store when we checked. Tab Session Manager’s listing says it can save automatically when a window closes and at regular intervals. More options are on our tab management extensions page.

On Android: check Inactive tabs

If tabs seem to have vanished on an Android phone or tablet, they may have moved to Inactive tabs. Google’s Android help says a tab or tab group you haven’t used for 14 days or more moves there.

1. Open Chrome and tap Switch tabs, to the right of the address bar.
2. Tap Inactive tabs. They are at the top of the tab grid. Tap one to open it.

To change when tabs move, tap More > Settings, then under “Advanced” tap Tabs and tab groups > Move to inactive section, and choose a time or Never. Google notes that inactive tabs and groups are closed automatically after 6 months unless you turn off Automatically close inactive items. Your history is under More > History.

On iPhone and iPad: check Inactive Tabs

Chrome on iPhone and iPad also moves tabs you haven’t used for a while into an Inactive Tabs section. Tap Switch Tabs > Inactive Tabs and select a tab to open it. The section only appears when you have inactive tabs. To change the timing, tap More > Settings > Tabs and tab groups > Inactive, or choose Never move. If you closed all inactive tabs by mistake, tap Undo at the bottom left straight away. Your history is under More > History.

Keyboard shortcuts for getting pages back

From Google’s Chrome keyboard shortcuts list.