This site will have limited functionality while we undergo maintenance to improve your experience. If an article doesn't solve your issue and you want to ask a question, we have our support community waiting to help you at @FirefoxSupport on Twitter and/r/firefox on Reddit.

Search Support

Avoid support scams. We will never ask you to call or text a phone number or share personal information. Please report suspicious activity using the “Report Abuse” option.

Learn More

How can I restore a Firefox session & recover all held open tabs from this morning or yesterday?

  • 9 replies
  • 1 has this problem
  • 13 views
  • Last reply by mattt

more options

Earlier today when I stepped away from my desktop, my computer downloaded and installed Win7 updates. I hate crappy companies like Microsoft that updates are even necessary.

Since I was away from the computer, but left it on, I couldn't stop it to save my Firefox session before Restart. Typically I close Firefox first before the computer Restarts, so I can use Restore Session after. I loathe Microsoft that the default setting is for Win7 to be in control and not ASK before screwing up my system. Anyway, I have changed that setting so this doesn't happen again.

When I got back and saw Desktop only, I knew what had to be fixed. When I opened Firefox again, it did not give me the option to Restore Tabs. I went up to History and tried to Restore from up there too. No luck. Is there anyway to roll back Firefox to earlier this morning or last night when I turned off the computer? I had a lot of tabs open that I use frequently and I may or may not be able to remember all of them.

Restoring Tabs and/or Session is what I need. Please help, thank you.

Earlier today when I stepped away from my desktop, my computer downloaded and installed Win7 updates. I hate crappy companies like Microsoft that updates are even necessary. Since I was away from the computer, but left it on, I couldn't stop it to save my Firefox session before Restart. Typically I close Firefox first before the computer Restarts, so I can use Restore Session after. I loathe Microsoft that the default setting is for Win7 to be in control and not ASK before screwing up my system. Anyway, I have changed that setting so this doesn't happen again. When I got back and saw Desktop only, I knew what had to be fixed. When I opened Firefox again, it did not give me the option to Restore Tabs. I went up to History and tried to Restore from up there too. No luck. Is there anyway to roll back Firefox to earlier this morning or last night when I turned off the computer? I had a lot of tabs open that I use frequently and I may or may not be able to remember all of them. Restoring Tabs and/or Session is what I need. Please help, thank you.

All Replies (9)

more options

No once you lose those sessions they are gone. And as you did if you opened FF after it restarted there should've been a FF option to restore the tabs and sessions. Did you see that come up at all? If that options didn't appear and if you clicked to restore sessions and there was none to restore then they are gone. Restoring back will not bring those tabs back. What I suspect here is your settings were all checked marked to delete any history in your settings that is why there is no restore options showing. But why didn't you not make some of those as bookmarks cause sessions and history aren't what you should be using for important sites and task.

more options

I have Google searched this issue and I am seeing previous threads about session restores from within the profile, possibly using sessionstore or something like that???

I have never been able to make bookmarks work well. Now I can't even make new bookmarks with Firefox.


Anyone familiar with how to get into the mechanics of Firefox and restore from this sessionstore or something?

more options

Hi mattt,

By default, Firefox ask you if you want to restore the previous tabs when Firefox crashes or has a problem. You can check the option if you type "about:config" in the url field and search for "browser.sessionstore.resume_from_crash" This should be enabled.

Now you probably tried this right ? Click the menu button on the right side of your toolbar.

   Select Restore Previous Session.
more options

That is the thing that started all of this mess, Firefox did not crash. Stupid Windows Restart shut down my system without getting my approval. Windows shut down Firefox, it didn't crash. I am hoping I can find the way to get back to yesterday morning's or any day prior Firefox session which will have all of my previously open windows and tabs. Thank you again.

more options

I would even take just the first few words or characters from each tab & window I had open. Just a little primer to help me remember and recreate where I was.

more options

@mattt my system did that to me but when I opened Chrome, FF again it asked me to restore my session. So if you didn't get those options that means you unchecked your settings so nothing was saved when it closed and restarted. There nothing much that can be done now since there is no history or sessioned restored.

more options

My settings were to open a new Firefox session to my home page. I have now since changed it to restore to my last session. What I have been doing since I didn't know I could change where from starting at home page was to close Firefox thru the Task Manager any time I had to shut down the computer. That caused Firefox to think it crashed so it would offer me "Restore" every time I opened Firefox again.

I see that since Firefox was shut down by Windows it was tricked into thinking that it didn't need to offer "Restore" upon re-opening, but that was just because Windows closed Firefox down. I seriously hate Windows with all it's bugs, and Big Brother BS, but this Dell desktop came with it, so I guess I am stuck.

I still figure there must be something in the background data of Firefox where it stored which tabs & windows were open in previous sessions. I just haven't figured out where to find that. I am hoping someone here knows where to find that info.

more options
more options