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Firefox 8 doesn't auto-restore the previous session after using Private Browsing mode. Is there a way to turn the auto-restore feature back on?

  • 9 cavab
  • 61 have this problem
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  • Last reply by YampA

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Normally Firefox would restore the previous session automatically after using and exiting Private Browsing mode. Now it no longer does so. Is there any way to have Firefox automatically reopen the previous session ONLY after using Private Browsing mode? I used this quite often as a way to remember what I was doing in the previous session. I would rather not have to manually restore the previous session (and I would probably forget as well), nor do I want Firefox to reopen my previous browsing session every time.

Normally Firefox would restore the previous session automatically after using and exiting Private Browsing mode. Now it no longer does so. Is there any way to have Firefox automatically reopen the previous session ONLY after using Private Browsing mode? I used this quite often as a way to remember what I was doing in the previous session. I would rather not have to manually restore the previous session (and I would probably forget as well), nor do I want Firefox to reopen my previous browsing session every time.

All Replies (9)

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You can't restore tabs and windows from a Private Browsing session because no data is saved to disk during such a session.

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I think I should clarify. This is what I used to do with the previous versions of Firefox:

  1. Have a Regular session open with multiple tabs and windows.
  2. Start Private Browsing Mode, use it, and then close Firefox.
  3. Start Firefox again (in Regular Mode) and all my tabs and windows from the first regular session open up automatically.

After I updated to Firefox 8 it no longer automatically does that. When I do Step 3 it opens to my home page. I'm not sure if it's a problem with just my installation. I greatly prefer having Firefox automatically open the previous session from before I switched to Private Browsing Mode.

Modified by teeraths

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Is that sessie still available via History > Recently Closed Tabs?

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It's not available through History > Recently Closed Tabs, but it is available through History > Restore Previous Session.

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In the previous version of FF I had, I could save all the (many) windows with tabs I was using by closing via File / Exit. When I opened FF the next time, they all automatically were restored. Can this functionality be restored? I work with a lot of windows and tabs and really, really miss that. In fact, I recently lost all my windows and tabs when our IT worked on my computer. They opened FF which opened only the one window. When I came in to work and opened FF, the History / Restore Previous Session restored the IT window only as it was the last session. I am still trying to recover.

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Click Tools->Options Go to General Tab.

In "When Firefox starts" Drop Down Menu select "Show My windows and tabs from last time"

This should enable auto restore.

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Wonderful! Thanks so much! Memal

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I think it is an important issue. This function was very useful in earlier versions of Firefox, I really miss it. The new bug was added. https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=708251