How to Restore Lost Tabs on Microsoft Edge
Have you ever lost all your tabs on Microsoft Edge and wished for a way to get them back? Don’t worry, you’re not alone! Losing tabs can be frustrating, especially when you have a lot of important tabs open. Fortunately, there are different ways to restore lost tabs on Microsoft Edge. In this article, we’ll give you a step-by-step guide on how to restore lost tabs in different situations.
Understanding Lost Tabs in Microsoft Edge
Before we dive into the solutions, let’s first understand why we lose tabs in Microsoft Edge. There are different reasons why this can happen, and it’s important to know them to prevent it from happening in the future.
Common Reasons for Losing Tabs
The most common reasons for losing tabs are accidental closing, system crashes or forced shutdowns, and browser updates. Closing a tab by accident is probably the most common cause of losing tabs. System crashes or forced shutdowns can happen due to power failures, hardware issues, or other external factors. When you reopen Microsoft Edge after a crash, any tabs you haven’t saved will be lost. And finally, browser updates can sometimes cause tabs to disappear.
How Microsoft Edge Handles Tabs
Microsoft Edge automatically saves your tabs in a session every time you close the browser. When you reopen Edge, it restores the tabs from your previous session. However, if the browser crashes or you force shut it down, the tabs in the session are lost.
Enabling and Configuring Tab Restore Settings
Accessing Microsoft Edge settings
One way to prevent losing tabs in Microsoft Edge is by enabling and customizing the tab restore feature. To do this, you will need to access the Microsoft Edge settings menu. To do so, follow these steps:
Open Microsoft Edge and click on the “three-dot” icon on the top right corner of the screen.
Select "Settings" from the drop-down menu.
In the settings menu, select the “On startup” tab on the left panel.
Choose from the three startup options: “Open a new tab,” “Continue where you left off,” or “Open a specific page or pages.”
If you choose “Continue where you left off,” Edge will automatically restore your previous tabs every time you open the browser.
Customizing Tab Restore Options
If you choose “Continue where you left off,” you can further customize the tab restore feature. To do this, follow these steps:
Scroll down to “Advanced Settings” on the same page.
Toggle on the “Restore tabs” option, so that it is in the “on” position.
You can choose whether to restore only the tabs from your last session or restore all tabs you have open in Microsoft Edge across all devices.
You can also choose to restore only the tabs that were open when the browser was last closed, the tabs that were manually closed, or both.
Restoring Tabs After a Crash or Forced Shutdown
Using the Built-in Tab Restore Feature
If you experience a crash or forced shutdown and lose your tabs, you can still restore them on Microsoft Edge. To do this, follow these steps:
Reopen Microsoft Edge.
Click on the “three-dot” icon on the top right corner of the screen.
Select “History” from the drop-down menu.
From the history tab, click on “Reopen closed tabs” option.
Microsoft Edge will then restore the tabs that were lost in the previous session, including the tabs that were open when the browser was last closed.
Troubleshooting Issues with Tab Restoration
If the built-in tab restore feature doesn’t work, there are other possible solutions. First, check if you have disabled the tab restore feature in Microsoft Edge settings. If it is disabled, enable it and check if the tabs are restored. If the issue persists, try clearing your cache and cookies, or resetting Microsoft Edge settings to default.
Restoring Tabs from Browsing History
Accessing Your Browsing History
If you closed a tab accidentally and can’t locate it, you can restore it from your browsing history. To do this, follow these steps:
Click on the “three-dot” icon on the top right corner of the screen.
Select “History” from the drop-down menu.
From the history tab, click on the date when you last visited the website you lost.
Select and right-click on the website you want to restore.
From the drop-down menu, choose “Open in a new tab.”
Identifying and Reopening Lost Tabs
If you still can’t locate the lost tab, you can search for it in your browsing history. To do this, follow these steps:
Press “CTRL+H” on your keyboard.
In the history tab, type the name of the website you lost in the search box.
Identify the correct tab by looking at the name or URL of the website.
Right-click on the website and select “Open in a new tab.”
Utilizing Browser Extensions for Tab Management
Recommended Tab Management Extensions
If you regularly work with many tabs and want an easier way to manage them, you can use tab management extensions. These extensions provide various features, such as saving and grouping tabs, organizing them in different windows, and searching for specific tabs. Some recommended tab management extensions for Microsoft Edge are OneTab, Tabs Outliner, and Toby.
Installing and Configuring Extensions for Optimal Use
To install and configure tab management extensions, follow these steps:
Click on the “three-dot” icon on the top right corner of the screen.
Select “Extensions” from the drop-down menu.
Click on the “Get extensions from the Microsoft Store” button.
Search for and select the tab management extension you want to install.
Click on the “Install” button.
After installing the extension, it should appear in the Edge toolbar. You can then customize its settings according to your needs.
Conclusion
Losing tabs can be frustrating, but with Microsoft Edge’s built-in features and additional extensions, restoring lost tabs is easy. By customizing restore settings and using these tools, you can ensure that you never lose an important tab again.