These days, I spend more time than ever using the Google Chrome browser, and my laptop screen is nearly never free of dozens of open tabs. I lost count of the number of times I unintentionally clicked the “X” on a tab I was trying to switch to. It appears to take place every day. Maybe my mouse speed isn’t calibrated correctly. Maybe I click too much. Or maybe I just have faith in Ctrl+Shift+T to protect me. My secret weapon, this keyboard shortcut has come to my aid more times than I want to count.
What does Ctrl+Shift+T (or, for Mac users, Cmd+Shift+T) mean? It ranks right up there with Ctrl+Z as one of the most significant and practical keyboard shortcuts, in my opinion. In actuality, it serves the same purpose of correcting an error. specifically, the error of unintentionally shutting a tab or window in a browser. The simplest approach to restore a browser tab that you unintentionally Xed out is to use Ctrl+Shift+T.
Let’s go over how to use it and all the other methods for retrieving deleted tabs in any browser. Don’t forget to check out our lists of the top Windows 11 keyboard shortcuts, the most important Mac keyboard shortcuts, and a Google Chrome hack that automatically organises all of your open tabs.
Best Four ways to reopen closed tabs in Google Chrome
You have a few options in Google Chrome for opening closed tabs and windows again, and depending on your needs, it’s useful to understand how they all operate. However, keep in mind that using incognito browsing doesn’t provide you the option of restoring closed tabs.
1. Keyboard shortcut method
Using a keyboard shortcut is the quickest way to reopen a single tab that you accidentally closed. Use Ctrl+Shift+T on a computer. Use Cmd+Shift+T on a Mac. Simply keep pressing Ctrl+Shift+T and your closed tabs will resurface in the order they were closed if you wish to restore several tabs or if you need one from a previous session. Bonus: By just opening a new Chrome window, the keyboard shortcut can instantly reopen your whole browser window if you unintentionally close it all. This is an excellent strategy to use when you have to restart your computer or close your browser due to a system update.
2. Browser history method
The most recent tabs you closed are also recorded in your Chrome browser history. Although it’s not as quick as a keyboard shortcut, this technique is helpful if you closed the tab long ago and need to access it again.
You can view your Chrome browser history in a few different ways. Ctrl+H is a different shortcut that can be used. Another is to pick History from the hamburger menu in the top right corner of your browser. A third choice is to insert “chrome:/history” into your browser’s URL bar after typing it.
You can access all the webpages and tabs you’ve opened, in reverse chronological order, in your browser history, no matter how you get there. You can reopen a result by clicking on it. You can choose to reopen recently closed tabs from a built-in list that appears when you navigate through the hamburger menu.
3. Tab search method
Have you ever paid attention to the tiny downward-pointing arrow on the Chrome tab bar? In Windows, it is immediately adjacent to the window-closing, window-maximizing, and minimise icons. (On a Mac, it is at the upper right.) The built-in tab search function of Chrome is represented by this icon, and it may be used by pressing the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Shift+A. Both a list of all the tabs you presently have open and a list of the tabs you’ve previously closed are displayed when you use tab search. To reopen or switch to a certain tab, you may either scroll through the list or use the search bar. For individuals who constantly have dozens of tabs open, this is useful.
4. best Taskbar method
If the programme is pinned to your taskbar or if you have a Chrome window open, you can get a brief list of links by right-clicking the icon: Most frequent and most recent closures. A tab can be restored from there by simply clicking on it. (Note these choices do not appear on Mac.)
Extra credit: “Continue where I left off” technique
A Chrome setting effectively makes Ctrl+Shift+T the default key combination. By turning on this option, Chrome will automatically reopen the tabs you had open during your previous session every time you launch the browser. Go to Chrome settings (also accessible from the hamburger menu) and select On startup to enable it. Choose the option to pick up where you left off.
What about other the browsers, like Firefox, Microsoft Edge and Opera?
The keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Shift+T is functional in other browsers as well (as well as right-clicking the tab bar and selecting Reopen closed tab). The majority of the other ways to reopen a tab are also compatible across browsers, however the menu names and options could be different. With the exception of the taskbar technique, the experience is nearly the same on a Mac.
You may also search through your browser history for Firefox and Microsoft Edge to identify and reopen a tab you unintentionally closed. Recently closed tabs is a separate submenu in the History section of Firefox. The History menu in Microsoft Edge is divided into tabs for All, Recently closed tabs, and Tabs from other devices. In Opera, clicking the History icon from the sidebar will also bring up a list of recently closed tabs if the sidebar is active and History is one of the items you’ve chosen to include in the sidebar.
The other browsers have a setting to automatically reopen the tabs from the previous session at startup. Open previous windows and tabs at startup by checking the item in Firefox’s Settings > General section. Go to Settings > Start, home, and new tabs in Microsoft Edge and select Open tabs from the previous session under When Edge starts. Additionally, in Opera, go to Settings > On startup and select the option to save the tabs from the previous session.
