How to Restore and Reopen Last Browsing Session Opened Tabs in IE8 (Internet Explorer 8)
Unlike Internet Explorer 7 (IE7) which allows user to select option to re-open and restore opened tabs the next time user uses Internet Explorer upon exiting IE with multiple tabs detected, Internet Explorer 8 (IE8) has removed such ability to automatically reopen and restore last browsing session with opened tabs and windows from last time. Workaround of crashing IE8 Beta 1 is used to restore last opened tabs. However, command to Reopen Last Browsing Session has been added in final version of IE8.
Reopen Last Browsing Session works in similar fashion with Show my windows and tabs from last time startup option of Firefox, except that there is no option to automatically reopen last browsing session upon start up or launch of IE8 browser. Thus, in order to restore last browsing session and re-open all last opened tabs in IE8, user have to run Internet Explorer first, and then use one of the following methods to open last browsing session in IE 8 in Windows 7, Vista, XP, Server 2003, Server 2008 and Server 2008 R2.
How to Reopen Last Browsing Session in Internet Explorer 8
Method 1: In Internet Explorer window, click on Tools pull down menu (either from Command Bar or Menu Bar, which can also be activated via Alt+T keyboard shortcut), and select Reopen Last Browsing Session.
Method 2: Open a new tab, and then click on Reopen Last Browsing Session link. If you can’t see it, expand Reopen close tabs section.
Tip: If you set IE’s home page to about:Tabs, then it’s possible to access Reopen Last Browsing Session instantly on running IE browser.
For user who don’t use the feature, it’s possible to disable and turn off Reopen Last Browsing Session feature. If you want to reopen closed tabs, IE8 supports it too.
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Entries (RSS)
October 19th, 2009 18:28
Kool
October 4th, 2009 00:17
The problem is this functionality doesn’t always work and isn’t reliable. If you had a pop-up window come up during your web browsing session, that now becomes the new “session”. Restoring these tabs will result in a single window with a single tab showing only the contents of that pop up.
I made a thread about it on Microsoft Answers. I’m hoping someone at MS has noticed this fustration and is working to patch it.
http://social.answers.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/InternetExplorer/thread/40fbd8cb-2df9-4895-9291-64918a47055a
As a heavy heavy tab user, this is the single issue that has kept me from making IE8 my main browser. I have lost too many tabs to this black hole.
September 11th, 2009 19:10
The problem with IE8 is that when you open 2 or more IE windows and within them you have several tabs opened, when you exit and reopen IE anew, only one tab and not all your previously opened tabs are opened when you choose to restore your last browsing session. Firefox on the other hand not only opens all your tabs but also the other separate windows that you opened simultaneously.
September 5th, 2009 01:41
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
We should be able to Reopen Last Browsing Session automatically like most other browsers do. But since it isn’t available (yet), your tip did the trick. I’m always worrying that I’ll forget to open them up, and then lose them the next time. But I won’t forget thanks to your tip.
Now if we could only automatically open a new tab when opening a shortcut, instead of having it use the current tab, I’ll be a happy camper. Got any tips for that?
Rick
August 19th, 2009 07:12
This feature doesn’t really work. If you have multiple windows open, it may or may not reopen any of them.
It sometimes reopens windows that were previously closed and doesn’t reopen the windows that were active.
This feature is rock solid in Firefox. I’ll stick with that.
August 17th, 2009 04:59
I’m glad it has the functionality (finally), but no way to set it to the default? Lame.
I wish software companies, like Microsoft, would start letting ME decide how to use my software, instead of deciding what is good for me.
This is almost as bad as when they decided to install Seaport.exe and then give me no way to uninstall Seaport without a manual hack.
WG Hubris
BestHubris.com
August 5th, 2009 23:36
[...] How to Restore and Reopen Last Browsing Session Opened Tabs in IE8 [...]
August 3rd, 2009 02:11
[...] session. If a user has completely close and exit IE browser window frame, he or she will need to restore last browsing session to get back any opened tabs while exiting [...]