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Restore previous tabs

  • 9 replies
  • 6 have this problem
  • 78 views
  • Last reply by marcelnbp

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I just opened Firefox and all my previous Tabs are not there. The Restore Previous session option is not available

I just opened Firefox and all my previous Tabs are not there. The Restore Previous session option is not available

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marcelnbp said

I have multiple tabs open ... some of these are pinned ... when I restore, only the pinned ones plus one or two others are restored ... I have edited my toolbar to include a Restore add-on called Session-Sync to provide a solution for me but the Firefox Restore would be preferrable

Hmm, usually it is just the pinned tabs, or it's all the tabs. It's not normal to be missing a few tabs here and there when Firefox restores the window.

Could you check whether either of these are available (not hidden or grayed out):

  • "3-bar" menu button > History > Restore Previous Session
  • (menu bar) History > Restore Previous Session

If they are missing or grayed, are there any whole windows available to restore using either:

  • "3-bar" menu button > History > Recently Closed Windows
  • (menu bar or Alt+S) History > Recently Closed Windows
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All Replies (9)

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Firefox settings > General > Startup > Open previous windows and tabs

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Mark Baker said

I just opened Firefox and all my previous Tabs are not there. The Restore Previous session option is not available

Post a screenshot showing it please.

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I have multiple tabs open ... some of these are pinned ... when I restore, only the pinned ones plus one or two others are restored ... I have edited my toolbar to include a Restore add-on called Session-Sync to provide a solution for me but the Firefox Restore would be preferrable

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Chosen Solution

marcelnbp said

I have multiple tabs open ... some of these are pinned ... when I restore, only the pinned ones plus one or two others are restored ... I have edited my toolbar to include a Restore add-on called Session-Sync to provide a solution for me but the Firefox Restore would be preferrable

Hmm, usually it is just the pinned tabs, or it's all the tabs. It's not normal to be missing a few tabs here and there when Firefox restores the window.

Could you check whether either of these are available (not hidden or grayed out):

  • "3-bar" menu button > History > Restore Previous Session
  • (menu bar) History > Restore Previous Session

If they are missing or grayed, are there any whole windows available to restore using either:

  • "3-bar" menu button > History > Recently Closed Windows
  • (menu bar or Alt+S) History > Recently Closed Windows
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Thank You jscher, The restore previous session is hidden as in your point 1. Recently Closed Windows does show an entry, but it only includes the pinned tabs

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Could you check the "Open Tabs" panel of Firefox View to see whether there is a non-visible window with missing tabs? Firefox View - Access pages from open tabs, recently closed tabs, tabs from other devices and browsing history

If there aren't any closed windows, I don't have a theory.

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Thanks, but when I open the view, Open Tabs, there is only the current session ( Window 1, current ) and no greyed out or closed windows.

Interestingly, I have just begun to use Zen ( newish Firefox fork ) on my laptop, and it has a variation of these issues as well, and is acknowledged by the builders, but only at beta stage atm. But I am sure impressed with all the positives, and the eye appeal and trimmed down real estate. For some reason, the images in sites are sharper, even on a Mac. They also are responsive to fellow developer input.

Modified by marcelnbp

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marcelnbp said

Thanks, but when I open the view, Open Tabs, there is only the current session ( Window 1, current ) and no greyed out or closed windows

Okay, so if I understand:

  • When you start Firefox it restores your pinned tabs, but other tabs are restored selectively (selectively is not normal)
  • The missing tabs are not in a window available through Recently Closed Windows
  • The missing tabs are not in a non-visible window shown in Firefox View > Open Tabs

It sounds as though your session history is not being written correctly when you

menu > exit/quit

from Firefox. During a normal shutdown, Firefox should create an up-to-date sessionstore.jsonlz4 file to use for restoring your session at your next Firefox startup. If Firefox isn't closed normally, Firefox would use the recovery.jsonlz4 file that it usually updates within 15 seconds after every page change (for example, opening a tab, closing a tab, going forward/back within a tab). Perhaps that file isn't getting updated either, so Firefox keeps going back to an older, less complete session??

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Will see if I can find a solution, will keep you in loop, thx.

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