Firefox can restore all windows and tabs that were open when it was last closed or terminated unexpectedly. This article describes the circumstances under which Firefox will restore your previous session and how you can configure it.

When session restore occurs

When you select Restore Previous Session from the default home page

If you had tabs and windows open when you last closed Firefox, the default Firefox home page will have a Restore Previous Session button on it. To get your tabs and windows back, just click it.

When you select Restore Previous Session from the History menu

Here's how to get your tabs and windows from a previous session back if you don't use the default Firefox home page:

At the top of the Firefox window, click the Firefox button, go over to History (History menu in Windows XP) and select Restore Previous Session.On the menu bar, click the History menu and select Restore Previous Session.At the top of the Firefox window, click the History menu and select Restore Previous Session.

After installing an add-on

When a new extension or theme is installed, you must restart Firefox to enable the new add-on. To restart, click Restart Now. All windows and tabs are re-opened when Firefox restarts and installs the new add-on.

After a software update

To apply any updates to the Firefox application that have been downloaded, you must restart Firefox. To restart, click Apply Update.

After restarting with add-ons disabled

When you restart with add-ons disabled to troubleshoot Firefox problems, your tabs and windows will be reopened.

After a crash

Due to unexpected issues such as problems with a website, software errors, or an accidental loss of power, Firefox may unexpectedly close. In these situations, Firefox can restore the pages that you were visiting when it is restarted. Firefox will automatically restore your previous session, the first time you launch it after a crash.

If Firefox crashes a second time, the Restore Session (i.e. "Well, this is embarrassing") page will appear when you next launch Firefox.

• To restore your previous session, select the windows or tabs you want to restore and click Restore.
• If Firefox continues to experience errors when windows and tabs are re-opened, you can launch Firefox without restoring these items. Click Start New Session.

When you've set Firefox to show your windows and tabs from last time

You can set Firefox to always show your windows and tabs from your previous session each time you start Firefox. To change your Firefox startup settings, see Configuring session restore, below.

Configuring session restore

By default, when Firefox starts, a single window is opened, displaying your specified home page. If you wish, you can configure Firefox to open all windows and tabs from your previous session:

1. At the top of the Firefox window, click on the Firefox button and then select OptionsAt the top of the Firefox window, click on the Tools menu and then select OptionsOn the menu bar, click on the Firefox menu and select Preferences...At the top of the Firefox window, click on the Edit menu and select Preferences
2. Select the General panel.
3. From the When Firefox starts drop-down, select Show my windows and tabs from last time.
   Tip: If you want to speed up the startup, check Don't load tabs until selected so that only the last selected tab is loaded.
   Note: Unchecking Don't load tabs until selected can make Firefox take longer to start.
4. Click OK to close the Options windowClick Close to close the Preferences windowClose the Preferences window

Privacy issues

Session Restore may keep you logged in to sites that you were logged into before you closed Firefox. If someone else used your computer after you, they could access your account on these sites. If this is a concern then you should not configure Firefox to open all windows and tabs from your previous session.

You may also wish to disable the Session Restore crash recovery feature which is enabled by default. This will prevent restoring a previous session when Firefox is opened after an unexpected close or software crash:

1. In the Location bar, type about:config and press EnterReturn.

   • The about:config "This might void your warranty!" warning page may appear. Click I'll be careful, I promise!, to continue to the about:config page.
2. In the FilterSearch box at the top, type browser.sessionstore.resume_from_crash.
3. In the resulting grid, double-click on browser.sessionstore.resume_from_crash to set it to false.

Troubleshooting

Previous session not correctly closed

To get your tabs and windows back from a previous session, you should close Firefox from the menu: At the top of the Firefox window, click on the Firefox button and then select ExitAt the top of the Firefox window, click on the File menu and then select ExitOn the menu bar, click on the Firefox menu and select Quit FirefoxAt the top of the Firefox window, click on the File menu and select Quit If you close each window or tab, only the tabs in the final window that you close are available when you restart Firefox.

Settings may be incorrect

For other session restore problems, you may need to make corrections to your Firefox settings:

1. At the top of the Firefox window, click on the Firefox button and then select OptionsAt the top of the Firefox window, click on the Tools menu and then select OptionsOn the menu bar, click on the Firefox menu and select Preferences...At the top of the Firefox window, click on the Edit menu and select Preferences
2. Select the Privacy panel and make sure Firefox will: is set to either Remember history or Use custom settings for history.
   • If Firefox will: is set to Use custom settings for history then make sure that Permanent Private Browsing mode is not selected.
   • If Firefox will: is set to Use custom settings for history and Clear history when Firefox closes is selected, then click the Settings button and make sure that Browsing History is not selected.
3. Click OK to close the Options windowClick Close to close the Preferences windowClose the Preferences window

Based on information from Session Restore (mozillaZine KB)

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