How to Fix: Chrome Continue Where You Left off Feature Not Working
There are many reasons why the Chrome browser would need to close or relaunch, such as when it undergoes updates or crashes. When this happens, the handy continuity feature called Chrome Continue where you left off comes into play to help save and reopen your previously open tabs. Except when it doesn’t…This guide will give you troubleshooting tips when this feature doesn’t seem to be working.
Troubleshooting Tips to Try
Here is a list of tips to try when your previously open tabs aren’t automatically recovered by Chrome.
1. Chrome: Activate Continue Where You Left Off
One of the first things to try when troubleshooting the Chrome Continue where you left off feature, is to make sure it’s actually activated. Here’s what to do:
- Open Chrome.
- Click the more options button and select Settings from the menu.
- Scroll down to the On Startup section.
- Select the Continue where you left off option.
2. Update the Chrome Browser
If there is an available Chrome update, this may solve your tab issues, especially if there were bugs or glitches with previous versions. Here are the steps:
- Open the Chrome menu by clicking the three vertical dots on the upper right of your screen.
- Select Help.
- Select About Google Chrome.
- The next screen will automatically start updating your Chrome version, if you aren’t already up to date. When the update is finished, restart the browser. This may solve your problems with the Continue where you left off feature.
3. Disable and Re-enable Chrome Continue Where You Left Off
Sometimes, toggling this feature off and on again can fix any issues that may be preventing it from working previously. Here’s how:
- Open the Chrome menu through the three vertical dots on the upper right of the screen.
- Select Settings.
- On the left of the screen, select On Startup.
- Click the bubble to Open the New Tab page.
- Close Chrome.
- Reopen Chrome and repeat the steps until you get back to that On Startup menu.
- Select Continue where you left off.
- Close Chrome again.
- See if this feature works again once you restart Chrome.
4. Pay Attention to How You Close Chrome
If you are manually closing all of your open tabs before you close Chrome, only the last previously opened tab will be restored, not the rest of them. If you exit through the Chrome menu instead of closing all of the tabs, you should be able to have all of these tabs restored the next time you access the browser.
5. Disable Continue Running Background Apps
Sometimes disabling this feature can help with being able to restore tabs. Here are the steps:
- Access the Chrome menu from the three vertical dots.
- Go to Settings.
- Go to System (on the left side of your screen).
- Toggle off the Continue running background apps when Google Chrome is closed.
- Restart the browser and see if this fixes the problem.
6. Open Multiple Windows
If you had tabs open across multiple windows, Chrome may not be able to open them all. It usually opens only one window and the tabs that were open in it. Open another window and other tabs will open in it.
7. Check/Disable Extensions
When addressing Chrome Continue where you left off not working, try checking the extensions. These can sometimes interfere with this feature. Disable the extensions and then check if it works.
- Open Chrome.
- Click the more options button at the top right and select More tools>Extensions.
- Turn the switch next to each extension off.
- Close and reopen Chrome.
- Your tabs will reopen.
8. Create New Chrome Profile
A Chrome profile can be corrupted and this can cause problems with Chrome’s features. The easiest fix is to create a new profile.
- Open Chrome.
- Click your profile icon at the top.
- Select Add.
- Enter a name for the new profile.
- Delete the old profile.
- Sign in to your Google account in the new profile.
- Your data will sync to it and you can start using it.
9. Reset Chrome
If the feature still doesn’t work, reset Chrome.
- Open Chrome.
- Click the more options button at the top right.
- Select Settings from the menu.
- Click Advanced at the very bottom.
- Scroll to the bottom.
- Click Restore settings to their original defaults.
- Click Reset settings.
If the reset doesn’t fix the problem and neither does the new profile, you can clean install Chrome.
- Open Chrome.
- Paste this in the location bar: chrome://version.
- Copy the link to your profile.
- Open the link in File Explorer.
- Close Chrome.
- Go to the root Chrome folder and delete it.
- Open Control Panel.
- Go to Programs>Uninstall a program.
- Select Chrome and click the Uninstall button.
- Download Chrome and install it again.
How to Reopen Recently Closed Tabs Yourself
If Chrome isn’t able to automatically restore your tabs and you just want a quick fix, here are a couple of methods to do it yourself.
1. Using a Keyboard Shortcut to Restore Tabs
Another method for Chrome Continue where you left off not working is keyboard shortcuts. These are especially useful if there was an unexpected crash or even if you simply closed a tab by accident. Here’s the keyboard combo:
For Windows:
- Ctrl + Shift + T
For Mac:
- Cmd + Shift + T
This shortcut will automatically reopen a recently closed tab.
2. Reopen Closed Tabs Through Chrome’s History
Your most recently opened tabs will be accessible through Chrome’s History. It’s very easy to access, here’s how:
- Open the Chrome menu by clicking the three vertical lines on the upper right of the screen.
- Select History.
- There will be a section of Recent Tabs with a list of your most recently opened tabs. Simply select the one you want to reopen.
- Another option is to follow those same steps and select either History from the open menu, which will group your recent tabs chronologically, or choose Grouped History, which organizes recent tabs by group.
Conclusion
Chrome’s Continue where you left off feature normally struggles with multiple windows. The way around it is to open a second window. Other tabs that you had open will open in it. As for multiple profiles, a profile won’t pick up from where you left it off until you open a window of the profile itself.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does incognito mode affect the Continue where you left off feature?
Yes. Using incognito mode to stay private on the Chrome browser can keep current tabs from being saved into your browser history, which may affect being able to access them later.
Can Continue where you left off be affected by syncing issues?
Yes. If your Chrome browser is synced between multiple devices and there is a syncing problem, it may not be able to restore your previous tabs across these devices. This can also happen if one device has an outdated browser version and one has a newer one. It’s important to be sure the syncing configuring and Chrome versions match on all the linked devices. You can access sync options by clicking your profile image on the very top right of your screen. A menu will appear with syncing settings and other options that you can customize.
Does too many open tabs cause problems with the Continue where you left off feature?
It can, yes. If you have tons of tabs open, it may bog down Chrome’s ability to restore sessions and tabs. There is a higher chance of data corruption, laggy and slow responses from overstrained resources, and even an increased chance of the browser crashing, which could affect tab restoration as well.
Can malware or viruses affect Continue where you left off?
Absolutely. If there is a Chrome malware infection or system virus, it may affect the browser and disrupt or change syncing settings, browser settings, configurations, or even corrupt your data, such as your files or profile settings. Increased session crashes could also happen if the system’s resources are bogged down, which may affect Chrome’s ability to restore tabs. If you’re worried about malware, do an antivirus scan, hunt for any Chrome extensions that look suspicious, clear your browsing data and cache and try creating a new Chrome profile if you think your usual one may be corrupted.
