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How to fix forgetting previously opened tabs when starting Firefox by clicking on a link in an external application?

  • 4 replies
  • 3 have this problem
  • 47 views
  • Last reply by K.Katka

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Hello, I have the option Startup: "Show my windows and tabs from last time" enabled. Works fine, except when Firefox starts when I click a link in an external application (typically Thunderbird). Then, the new link gets opened in a new tab, Firefox remembers the number of tabs I had opened when I last closed it, but all the "old" tabs are blank. Can I somehow fix this behavior?

Disabling add-ons does not help. Clicking on a link in an external application when Firefox is already opened works OK. I have been using Firefox for quite a short time now (probably half a year) and this problem was always there (i.e. it is not due to a new update).

Thank you.

Hello, I have the option Startup: "Show my windows and tabs from last time" enabled. Works fine, except when Firefox starts when I click a link in an external application (typically Thunderbird). Then, the new link gets opened in a new tab, Firefox remembers the number of tabs I had opened when I last closed it, but all the "old" tabs are blank. Can I somehow fix this behavior? Disabling add-ons does not help. Clicking on a link in an external application when Firefox is already opened works OK. I have been using Firefox for quite a short time now (probably half a year) and this problem was always there (i.e. it is not due to a new update). Thank you.

Chosen solution

If Firefox is closed and an external link opens Firefox, you need to go to History > Recently Closed Tabs and open those tabs before closing Firefox. If you don't the "previous session" will be gone and only the one page that the external program opened will be the new "previous session".

If that isn't satisfactory, you'll need to install a "session manager" type extension to remember more than "the last session" only.

AMO search for "session manager"

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Hi K.Katka, Please check your tab settings to make sure that it is not selected to not load a tab until selected:

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Thanks for the answer, I had the option "don't load tabs until selected" checked, so I unchecked it and the behavior is still the same. I should probably stress here that the problem occurs only when Firefox starts when opening the external link, if it is already open and minimized the new tab and the old tabs load OK.

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Chosen Solution

If Firefox is closed and an external link opens Firefox, you need to go to History > Recently Closed Tabs and open those tabs before closing Firefox. If you don't the "previous session" will be gone and only the one page that the external program opened will be the new "previous session".

If that isn't satisfactory, you'll need to install a "session manager" type extension to remember more than "the last session" only.

AMO search for "session manager"

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Although this is a kind of a work around and I would expect Firefox to open the old tabs normally, it works, thanks.