How to Reopen Closed Tabs in Easy Steps, With Photos

Key Points

• Tabs are like inboxes and can be managed and organized.
• Chrome users can reopen closed tabs by right-clicking on the Chrome bar or using the keyboard shortcut.
• Safari users can undo a tab close or check their recently closed tabs in the History menu.
• Firefox users can go to the History tab or use the keyboard shortcut as well.
• Mobile users can access their recent tabs in Chrome, Firefox, and Safari.

Tabs are sort of like inboxes. Some are meticulous about managing and organizing them. Others… not so much. But whether you’ve got 4 or 400 browser tabs open, we all know the pain of accidentally closing something important. And no matter how hard you try, you just can’t seem to remember the name of the website or find it in your browser history. If this sounds like you, then you’ll be pleased to know we’ve got just the solution you need. Whether you’re a Chrome cruiser, a Safari surfer, or even a Firefox fanatic, we’re going to show you easy methods to reopen your closed tabs. Check out the quick shortcuts below!

How to Reopen Closed Tabs on Chrome

First up, we’re going to explain how to reopen your closed tabs on Chrome, the ever-popular browser from Google. It’s easier than you think!

Step 1: Right-Click on the Chrome Bar

“Chrome Bar” is just fancy-speak for the bar at the top of your browser, where you can see your open tabs. Simply right-click on an empty part of this (not on an active tab), and you’ll see “Reopen Closed Tab” on the list. Click this to restore the last tab that you closed.

Step 2: Reopen a Closed Tab Using the Keyboard Shortcut

Here’s an even easier way to reopen a tab: If you press Ctrl+Shift+T, it’ll achieve the same thing. If you’re using a Mac, just substitute “Ctrl” with the “cmd” key. It couldn’t be simpler!

Step 3: Use the History Tab

Another way to reopen a tab is to click the “History” tab at the top of the taskbar. Here, you’ll see recent tabs under the “Recently Closed” submenu.

How to Reopen Closed Tabs on Safari

Although Safari may not be as widely used as it once was, if you like to use Apple’s browser, check out the steps below.

Step 1: Undo a Tab Close

One way to restore your tab is to go to the “Edit” tab in the taskbar and click the “Undo” option. Alternatively, you can press Ctrl+Z or cmd+Z to achieve the same result.

Step 2: Check Your Recently Closed Tabs

Alternatively, you can click “History”, and you’ll see an option called “Recently Closed”. Hover over this, and you’ll see all of your recently closed tabs, which you can reopen as you wish.

How to Reopen Closed Tabs on Firefox

Firefox also isn’t as ubiquitous as it once was, but it doesn’t retain as much of your digital data as Chrome does. So, it may have better privacy features, at least. The steps below show you how to restore your tabs on Firefox.

Step 1: Go to Recently Closed Tabs

Unfortunately, the undo function on Firefox doesn’t apply to tabs that’ve just been closed. But you can still go to the “History” tab, as with Safari, and check your recently closed tabs to find the one you want to open.

Step 2: Use the Keyboard Shortcut

On the other hand, Firefox still has a convenient shortcut you can use. By pressing Ctrl+Shift+T or cmd+Shift+T, you can quickly restore a tab.

How to Reopen Closed Tabs on a Mobile Device

If you’re wondering how to open a closed tab on your mobile, wonder no longer. While most mobile browsers don’t tend to have any shortcuts (probably because they lack keyboards!), you can still reopen a closed tab with the method below.

Step 1: Go to Your Recent Tabs

If you’re using Chrome, simply tap the three dots in the top-right corner, and you’ll see the “Recent tabs” option.

On Firefox, you have to tap the square instead to open all of your tabs. After this, tap the three dots as before to view the “Recently closed tabs” option. 

For Safari, you’ll need to tap the tabs icon in the bottom-right corner and then long-press the plus icon to view your recent tabs.

How to Reopen Closed Tabs: Wrapping Up

Luckily, most browsers have shortcuts for reopening tabs, but there are some other ways to achieve the same goal. You can even use the methods multiple times to reopen several tabs, with the last closed tab opening first. The sky is the limit… or your browser’s history capacity. Probably the latter.

To summarize the steps, check out the list below.

• For Chrome, you can right-click the Chrome Bar and then click “Reopen Closed Tab”.
• Alternatively, you can press Ctrl+Shift+T or cmd+Shift+T, or use the “History” tab to see multiple recent tabs.
• For Safari, you can use Ctrl+Z or cmd+Z to undo the tab close if it’s the last action you performed.
• You can also check your recently closed tabs in the “History” menu at the top of the screen.
• If you’re using Firefox, you can’t undo a tab close, but you can check your history in the same way as with Safari.
• Otherwise, you can press Ctrl+Shift+T, or cmd+Shift+T, for an even quicker result.

• If you’re using a mobile browser, you can tap the three dots in the top-right corner (on Chrome) to see the recent tabs menu.
• On Firefox, you’ll need to tap the tabs square and then tap the three dots.
• For Safari, tap the tabs icon in the bottom right, then long-press the plus icon.

The image featured at the top of this post is ©adike/Shutterstock.com.