It’s unbelievable that I was unaware of this tab-reopening shortcut earlier.
I can’t even remember how many times I’ve unintentionally closed a Chrome tab that I intended to leave open. I’m simply rearranging my tabs one moment, and then it’s gone. No notice, no opportunity to press “cancel,” only immediate remorse.
Fortunately, Ctrl+Shift+T (or Cmd+Shift+T on a Mac) is a keyboard shortcut that has rescued me more times than I can admit. It functions similarly to a browser’s magic undo button. The tab always comes back as if nothing had occurred when I pressed it. This shortcut is the true MVP of all the ones I utilize. It’s time to add this shortcut to your toolkit if you haven’t already. Your browsing sessions will appreciate it, I promise.
In addition to all the various methods for recovering lost tabs in any browser, here’s how to employ this hidden browser weapon. Don’t forget to check out our list of the top keyboard shortcuts for Windows 11, the must-have Mac keyboard shortcuts, a Google Chrome trick that arranges all of your tabs for you, and a hidden power in your mouse scroll wheel.
In Google Chrome, there are four methods to reopen closed tabs.
Depending on your needs, it’s helpful to understand how Google Chrome’s various options for restoring tabs and windows after you’ve closed them work. However, keep in mind that when using incognito mode, you cannot restore closed tabs.
Table of Contents
1. Using keyboard shortcuts
Using a keyboard shortcut is the fastest approach to recover a single tab that you accidentally closed. Use Ctrl+Shift+T on a PC. Use Cmd+Shift+T on a Mac. Simply keep pressing Ctrl+Shift+T to make your tabs reappear in the order they were closed if you wish to restore multiple tabs or if you require a tab you closed a while ago. Bonus: The keyboard shortcut will reopen everything at once if you inadvertently close your browser window completely. Simply create a new Chrome window. Tabs you’ve gathered in groups should be restored as a result. When a system update requires you to shut down your browser or restart your computer entirely, this is a fantastic method.
2. The browser history technique
Recently closed tabs are also recorded in your Chrome browser history. Although this approach isn’t as quick as a keyboard shortcut, it might be helpful if you need to return to a tab that you closed a long time ago.
In Chrome, you can view your browsing history in a few different ways. Ctrl+H is another shortcut that may be used. Another is to choose History from the hamburger menu that appears in the upper right corner of your browser. And a third way is to type “chrome://history” into your address bar, then press enter.
You can access all of the websites and tabs you’ve visited, in reverse chronological order, no matter how you go to your browser history. You may reopen a result by clicking on it. A list of recently closed tabs is also included in the hamburger menu, which you may choose to reopen.
3. The tab search technique
Ever seen the small downward-pointing arrow in your Chrome tab bar? It’s located in Windows directly next to the icons for window closure, maximizing, and shrinking. (It’s in the upper right corner on a Mac.) This symbol represents Chrome’s built-in tab search function, which is also accessible by using the straightforward keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Shift+A. Both a list of your recently closed tabs and a list of all the tabs you presently have open are displayed by tab search. You may use the search box to find the desired tab by typing a keyword into it, or you can scroll through the lists to reopen or switch to it. For people who always have dozens of tabs open, this is helpful.
4. The taskbar approach
Right-clicking the icon from the taskbar will display a brief list of links if you have a Chrome window open or if the app is pinned in your taskbar: Most visited and recently shut down. From there, simply clicking on a tab will restore it. (Note that Mac users are not able to access these settings.
Bonus: The ‘continue where I left off’ approach
Ctrl+Shift+T is effectively made the default via a Chrome option. If you enable this option, Chrome will automatically reopen the tabs you had open in your last session each time you launch the browser. Go to Chrome settings (also via the hamburger menu) and choose On startup to enable it. Choose “Continue where you left off.”
What about alternative browsers such as Safari, Microsoft Edge, and Firefox?
In addition to right-clicking the tab bar and choosing Reopen closed tab, the Ctrl+Shift+T keyboard shortcut will also function in other browsers. Although the menu names and options may vary, the most of the other ways to reopen a tab are also compatible with different browsers. Except for the taskbar technique, the experience is very much the same on a Mac.
Additionally, you may search through your browser history in both Microsoft Edge and Firefox to locate and reopen a tab that you unintentionally closed. Firefox includes a special sub-menu under History called Recently closed tabs. Microsoft Edge offers a tabbed History menu for All, Recently closed and Tabs from other devices. In Safari, you may reach there through the History menu, either with the Recently Closed or Reopen Last Closed Tab option.
The other browsers also offer a feature to reopen the previous session’s tabs immediately upon starting. In Firefox, go to Settings > General and tick the item under Startup titled Open previous windows and tabs. Choose “Open tabs from the previous session” under “When Edge starts” after going to Settings > Start, home, and new tabs in Microsoft Edge. Select All windows from the previous session from the drop-down option that appears when Safari launches under Settings > General.