- The shortcut that brings tabs back
- Use History when you need an older tab
- Right-click the tab bar
- After Chrome crashes or the computer restarts
- Make Chrome reopen your tabs every time
- What you can't get back
- Get tabs from your phone or another computer
- Restore tabs on Android and iPhone
- Stop losing tabs in the first place
- My verdict
- Frequently asked questions
To restore tabs in Chrome, press Ctrl, Shift and T on Windows or Command, Shift and T on a Mac. Each press reopens the next most recently closed tab, and if you closed a whole window, the window comes back with all its tabs. You can also find closed tabs under History.
Closed a tab you needed? Or worse, closed the whole Chrome window with twenty tabs of research in it? Don't panic, and don't start searching for each page again. Chrome remembers what you closed, and one shortcut usually brings it all back. Here's that shortcut, the History menu backup, and the setting that stops this happening again.
The shortcut that brings tabs back
| Computer | Press |
|---|---|
| Windows, Linux or Chromebook | Ctrl + Shift + T |
| Mac | Command + Shift + T |
Google's shortcut list describes it as reopening previously closed tabs in the order they were closed. So press it once for the last tab you shut, again for the one before, and keep going. If the last thing you closed was a whole window, the shortcut brings back the window with every tab inside it.
Use History when you need an older tab
- Click More, the three dots at the top right.
- Hover over History.
- Look under Recently closed for the tab or window, shown with a count of its tabs.
- Click it to reopen.
For anything further back, open the full history page with Ctrl and H, or Command and Y on a Mac, and search for a word from the page title. History is the safety net for tabs you closed hours or days ago.
Right-click the tab bar
There's a third way. Right-click an empty part of the tab strip, next to your open tabs, and choose Reopen closed tab or Reopen closed window. It does the same as the shortcut, handy if you're using the mouse anyway.
After Chrome crashes or the computer restarts
When Chrome closes unexpectedly, it usually offers a Restore button the next time you open it. Click it straight away. If you miss it, open the menu, go to History and look for the window under Recently closed, or press Ctrl, Shift and T in a new window.
Updates are kinder. Google says that when Chrome restarts to install an update, it saves your tabs and windows and reopens them automatically, so you don't need to do anything.
Make Chrome reopen your tabs every time
- Open Settings from the three-dot menu.
- Select On startup.
- Choose Continue where you left off.
Now when you quit and open Chrome again, it re-opens the same pages you had. Google points out one side effect: because cookies and site data are saved, sites you were signed in to open again still signed in. On a shared computer, that may not be what you want.
What you can't get back
- Incognito tabs. Chrome doesn't keep history from Incognito, so closed private tabs are gone, and they won't reopen after an update restart either.
- Tabs from a cleared history. If you deleted your browsing history, Recently closed is wiped too.
- Unsaved form text. A restored tab reloads the page, so anything typed and not submitted may be lost.
- Another device's tabs only show if you're signed in and syncing. Then History lists tabs from your other devices.
Get tabs from your phone or another computer
If you're signed in to Chrome with sync on, open History and look for the section listing tabs from other devices. You'll see the pages open on your phone or work laptop and can open any of them on the computer in front of you. It's the quickest way to pick up reading you started elsewhere, and it works even if the other device is switched off, as long as it synced before you closed it.
Restore tabs on Android and iPhone
On a phone, open Chrome and tap the tab switcher, the square with a number in it. Closed tabs show an Undo option for a few seconds after you swipe them away, so tap it straight away if you closed one by mistake. After that, tap the three dots, then Recent tabs, to see recently closed pages and tabs from your other signed-in devices, and tap one to reopen it.
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Stop losing tabs in the first place
Bookmark any tab you'll need again, or use a tab group so related tabs live together and can be saved. When you've got a window full of research, right-click a tab and choose to bookmark all tabs into a folder before you close. For speedier tab work in general, Ctrl plus 1 to 8 jumps straight to a tab by position and Ctrl and 9 takes you to the last one. My list of ChatGPT keyboard shortcuts has more of these small speed-ups.
My verdict
Ctrl, Shift and T, or Command, Shift and T on a Mac, is the first thing to try every time, and it rescues whole windows as well as single tabs. Use History for anything older. Then switch on Continue where you left off so a restart never loses your tabs, unless the computer is shared. If you're looking at other browsers that handle tabs differently, see my Arc alternatives roundup.
Frequently asked questions
How do I restore closed tabs in Chrome?
Press Ctrl, Shift and T on Windows, or Command, Shift and T on a Mac.
How do I restore a whole Chrome window I closed?
Press the same shortcut, or open History and choose the window under Recently closed.
Can I restore Incognito tabs in Chrome?
No. Chrome doesn't save history from Incognito windows.
How do I make Chrome reopen my tabs at startup?
In Settings, choose On startup, then Continue where you left off.
Where are recently closed tabs in Chrome?
Click the three dots, hover over History and look under Recently closed.
Why didn't Chrome restore my tabs after a restart?
Check the On startup setting, and look for a Restore prompt or the window in History.
