TabfortHow to restore tabs on a Chromebook
Updated 11 November 2026 · by Roman Denisov, maker of Tabfort
On a Chromebook, Chrome is most of the computer, so losing your windows hurts more: an update restart, a sign-out or a dead battery can close everything you had open. Here is how to restore tabs on a Chromebook, from the quickest fix to the setting that brings your windows back after every restart.
Want this to never happen again? Tabfort saves and restores tabs automatically — free.
1. Press Ctrl+Shift+T
The shortcut works on a Chromebook exactly as on any other computer. Right after you closed a tab, it brings the tab back. If you closed a whole window, it reopens the whole window. Press it several times to go further back.
2. Open History → Recently closed
Open the Chrome menu ⋮ → History. Under Recently closed closed windows appear as lines like “12 tabs”; click one to bring the window back with all its tabs. The full history (Ctrl+H) has every page you visited, but there you reopen tabs one by one.
3. Make your Chromebook restore windows after a restart
ChromeOS has its own setting that decides what happens to your windows after a restart or an update:
- Open the ChromeOS Settings app (from the clock area or the launcher).
- Type restore apps in the search box at the top.
- Open Restore apps on startup and choose Always restore. With Ask every time you get a notification with a Restore button after each start instead.
After that, a restart for a ChromeOS update brings your Chrome windows back on their own.
4. Open tabs from your phone or another computer
If Chrome sync is on, ⋮ → History → Tabs from other devices shows tabs that are still open on your phone or other computers.
When a Chromebook loses tabs for good
- Powerwash (factory reset) erases everything stored on the Chromebook, including browser sessions and extension data.
- Guest mode keeps nothing after you sign out.
- Several restarts in a row before you restored the tabs: each start can overwrite the previous session.
- Windows closed one by one before a restart: only what was open at the last moment comes back.
Keep a restorable copy of your tabs on a Chromebook
Tabfort is a Chrome extension, so it installs on a Chromebook the same way as in Chrome on any laptop:
- Every change to your windows, tabs and tab groups is saved within seconds, plus a full snapshot every 5 minutes.
- Restore tabs from any snapshot of the last 7 days, with tab groups, their names and colours.
- After a crash or an unexpected shutdown, Tabfort offers to bring every window back on the next start.
- Before a powerwash, export everything from Tabfort to a JSON file and move it to Google Drive in the Files app. After the reset, install Tabfort again and restore tabs from that file.
- Free forever, no account.
Questions
How do I restore tabs on a Chromebook?
Press Ctrl+Shift+T to reopen the last closed tab or window, or open ⋮ → History → Recently closed and click the window you want back.
How do I get my tabs back after a Chromebook update?
Right after the restart press Ctrl+Shift+T or check History → Recently closed. To have windows come back automatically, open ChromeOS Settings, search for “restore apps” and set Restore apps on startup to Always restore.
Does a powerwash delete my tabs?
Yes. A powerwash erases everything stored on the Chromebook. Export your tabs to a file and keep it in Google Drive before you reset.
Do Chrome extensions like Tabfort work on a Chromebook?
Yes. Extensions from the Chrome Web Store install on a Chromebook as in Chrome on any computer — unless a school or company manages the Chromebook and blocks extensions.