Use the Reopen Closed Tab Chrome Shortcut and More Tips

If you’re hard at work and suddenly close a tab by mistake, it can interrupt your state of flow. Worse yet, you might forget which website you were on, and it can be hard to find it again. Thankfully, the Google Chrome browser is very forgiving. As long as you weren’t using Incognito mode, there are several ways to reopen closed tabs on Chrome, including keyboard shortcuts.

Method 1: The Keyboard Shortcut

The fastest way to reopen a closed tab on Chrome is with a keyboard shortcut. 

If you closed your Google Chrome window — or if it crashed, updated or closed due to shutting down your computer — open it back up. On a Windows or Linux computer, press Ctrl + Shift + t. If you’re working on a Mac, press ⌘ + Shift + t. This should reopen all your previously closed tabs. 

Did you close more than one tab but not the entire window? If so, simply continue using the keyboard shortcut, also known as a hotkey, to restore them. It will reopen your tabs one at a time in the order in which you closed them. 

This keyboard shortcut also works on other browsers, like Firefox, Opera and Microsoft Edge. 

Method 2: Tab Search 

The Chrome browser has a dropdown arrow next to the minimize, maximize and close icons. It’s called the tab search feature. 

Click on it, then scroll down to see your current and recently closed tabs on your Chrome browser. You can also search for closed tabs using the search bar that appears when you click the arrow. Simply type in words from the website’s URL or title of the article or document, and the closed tab should appear on the list. 

Method 3: Browser History

Check your browser history to reopen closed tabs on Chrome. One shortcut is to press Ctrl + H to immediately open your history. Or, click on the three vertical dots in the top right corner of your browser. On the dropdown menu, click History or scroll down to see a few of your recently closed tabs. 

This method also works for other browsers. 

Method 4: The Taskbar 

If your browser is pinned to your taskbar — the horizontal bar at the very bottom of your computer screen — you can use it to reopen a closed tab on Chrome. Locate the Google Chrome icon in the taskbar, then right-click it. This will open a list of your recently closed tabs. 

This method doesn’t work on Mac, but works for any Windows computer. 

Method 5: Restore Pages

If your computer or Chrome browser crashed, then the next time you open Chrome, it should display a message telling you Chrome didn’t shut down correctly. It will then give you the option to restore any crashed pages. This will reopen your closed tabs. 

How to Reopen a Closed Tab on Chrome: Use a Shortcut

These shortcuts should be all you need to successfully reopen your closed tabs. They work for all browser types as long as you weren’t using Incognito mode when you closed the tabs. Some of these methods only work on Windows computers, while others will work on Macs, but all of them will restore order after the chaos of accidentally closing an important tab.