Restore previous session - Configure when Firefox shows your most recent tabs and windows
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- Revision id: 26857
- Created:
- Creator: Michael Verdi
- Comment: New 160 character search summary
- Reviewed: Yes
- Reviewed:
- Reviewed by: Verdi
- Is approved? Yes
- Is current revision? No
- Ready for localization: No
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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.
Table of Contents
- 1 When session restore occurs
- 1.1 When you tell Firefox to save your tabs on exit
- 1.2 When you select Restore Previous Session from the default home page
- 1.3 When you select Restore Previous Session from the History menu
- 1.4 After installing an add-on
- 1.5 After a software update
- 1.6 After restarting with add-ons disabled
- 1.7 After a crash
- 1.8 When you've set Firefox to show your windows and tabs from last time
- 2 Configuring session restore
- 3 Privacy issues
- 4 Troubleshooting
When session restore occurs
When you tell Firefox to save your tabs on exit
Firefox normally asks, "Do you want Firefox to save your tabs for the next time it starts" when you exit Firefox. If you no longer see this prompt, see How do I restore my tabs from last time?.
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
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 button, go over to ( menu in Windows XP) and select .On the menu bar, click the menu and select .At the top of the Firefox window, click the menu and select .
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
After a software update
To apply any updates to the Firefox application that have been downloaded, you must restart Firefox. To restart, click .
After restarting with add-ons disabled
Some problems may be caused by some extensions or themes. To troubleshoot them, you need to restart Firefox with add-ons disabled:
- At the top of the Firefox window, click the button, go over to ( menu in Windows XP) and select .On the menu bar, click the menu and select .At the top of the Firefox window, click the menu and select .
- In the Restart With Add-ons Disabled window, click .
- In the Firefox Safe Mode window, click to finish the restart.
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 .
- If Firefox continues to experience errors when windows and tabs are re-opened, you can launch Firefox without restoring these items. Click .
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:
- In the Menu bar at the top of the screen, click and then select or , depending on your macOS version.Click the menu button and select .
- Select the panel.
- 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.
- Close the page. Any changes you've made will automatically be saved.
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:
- Type about:config in the address bar and press EnterReturn.
A warning page may appear. Click to go to the about:config page. - In the FilterSearch box at the top, type browser.sessionstore.resume_from_crash.
- 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: Click the Firefox menu and select .Click the Firefox menu at the top of the screen and select .Click the Firefox menu and select 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:
- In the Menu bar at the top of the screen, click and then select or , depending on your macOS version.Click the menu button and select .
- Select the
- If Firefox will: is set to Use custom settings for history then make sure that Automatically start Firefox in a private browsing sessionPermanent 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 button and make sure that Browsing History is not selected.
panel and make sure Firefox will: is set to either Remember history or Use custom settings for history.
- Close the page. Any changes you've made will automatically be saved.
Based on information from Session Restore (mozillaZine KB)