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Browser tabs are a standard feature that allows users to open and switch between multiple web pages within the same window. You can find browser tabs in Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox and basically in all other web-browsers today.
They have several advantages over opening each web page in a separate window. Browser tabs not only help users save screen space and reduce clutter on their desktop. They also make it easier to compare and contrast information from different sources without losing track of where they are. Browser tabs also enable users to organize their browsing sessions into groups or categories based on their interests or tasks.
How to Reopen Closed Tabs to Bring a Webpage Back
To close tabs and by that a certain webpage happens quickly. Hence, knowing how to restore tabs on Chrome, Edge or any other browser can be considered a crucial skill. There are different ways how to open a tab you just closed ranging from simple hotkey, accessing menus, digging in browsing history or simply by navigating the same way as before. Here we show you how to get tabs back in Chrome, Edge, and Firefox using different methods.
Restoring Tabs = Restoring Windows
The various web browsers treat windows in the same way than tabs. You can restore a browser window with its tabs that you closed by accident using the same methods shown below.
How to Restore Tabs on Chrome
To reopen a closed tab in Chrome can be achieved in various ways which we show here. As the possibility to reopen a closed tab creates a certain risk to your privacy, we will also show you how to remove a certain page from Chrome browsing history so nobody can sniff on you just by reopening a closed tab or webpage you browsed recently.
- Option 1: Right-click the empty space in the tab area and click “Reopen closed tab”.
- Option 2: You can also reopen a closed tab in Chrome using the hotkey “CTRL+SHIFT+T”
The benefit of using a shortcut for opening closed tabs is that by using it several times you can restore tabs on Chrome one by one in the order they were closed previously.
- Option 3: Click the menu button, select History, and select the tab you want to reopen in the “Recently closed” list
Using the “Recently closed” list is useful if you want to restore tabs on Chrome that have been closed a little while ago in your browsing session.
- Option 4: Click the menu button, select History, and open browsing History
- Click on the previously closed tab you want to restore
Using the checkbox and selecting delete, you can also remove the previously closed tab/webpage from your browsing history.
- If you like hotkeys, you can also jump to Chrome browsing history by pressing “CTRL+H”
- Chrome browsing history can also be accessed via the URL chrome://history. Clicking the right dots you can also remove any closed tab via “Remove from History”.
How to Reopen a Closed Tab in Microsoft Edge
To reopen a closed tab in Edge can be achieved in the same ways as in Chrome. As the possibility to reopen a closed tab creates a certain risk to your privacy, we will also show you how to remove a certain page from Edge's browsing history so nobody can spy on you just by reopening a closed tab or webpage you browsed recently.
- Option 1: Right-click the empty space in the tab area and click “Reopen closed tab”.
- Option 2: You can also reopen a closed tab in Edge using the hotkey “CTRL+SHIFT+T”
The benefit of the hotkey method is that by using it several times you can restore tabs on Edge one by one in the order they were closed previously.
- Option 3: Click the menu button and select History
- Select the tab you want to reopen in the “Recently closed” list
Using the “Recently closed” list is useful if you want to restore tabs on Edge that have been closed a little while ago in your browsing session.
- Alternatively, you can open the full history via click or reviewing the “Tabs from other devices” filter in Edge
You can also open the full browsing history of Edge via the URL edge://history.
- In Edge´s Full History, you can filter by date range if needed
- Click on the previously closed tab/webpage you want to restore or delete
The “X” button removes the entry from the Edge browsing history permanently
How to Reopen a Closed Tab in Firefox
To reopen a closed tab in Firefox can be achieved in various ways which we show here. As the possibility to reopen a closed tab creates a certain risk to your privacy, we will also show you how to remove a certain page from Firefox browsing history so nobody can spy on you just by reopening a closed tab or webpage you browsed recently.
- Option 1: Right-click the empty space in the tab area and select “Reopen closed tab”.
- Option 2: Press the hotkey “CTRL+SHIFT+T”
Pressing the hotkey “CTRL+SHIFT+T” several times will also bring back older tabs/windows in the order they have been closed.
- Option 3: Open the menu and select “History”
- Click “Recently closed tabs” to show the list
- Click the closed Firefox tab you want to restore
Alternatively, you can click “Reopen all tabs” to restore all closed tabs in this list at once.
- Option 4: Open the menu and click “History”
- Firefox shows a list of important websites in “Recent history” which you can re-open via click.
What gets into “Recent history” depends on various criteria so it is good to know the “Recently closed tabs” list. To access the complete Firefox browsing history, click “Manage history” below.
- Double-click to reopen the previously closed tab/visited website
- Remove webpages from Firefox history as needed
You can either hit the delete button for a selected entry or delete a page from Firefox history via right-click and selecting “Delete page”.
How to Clear Browser History on Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Opera
If you share a computer, there are instances where you may not want another person to see the websites you've been visiting. In our other guide we show you how to delete your browsing history in Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and Opera so you can hide your activity.
How to Clear the Cookies, Cache, and Site Data for a Specific Site in Chrome, Microsoft Edge, and Firefox
It's not unusual to experience issues with a website due to an issue with your browser's cache or cookies. In fact, most support technicians will ask you to clear cookies/cache in Chrome, Firefox, or Edge as a first troubleshooting step. However, in most cases, it's not necessary to clear the entire cache. If you're having an issue with a single site, it makes more sense to delete specific cookies and cache elements of certain websites that could be causing the issue.
