Yes — open Chrome's settings, go to the On startup section, and select Continue where you left off. Chrome makes no distinction between you closing the browser and Windows shutting down for an update: either way, everything that was open in your last session reappears the next time you launch Chrome. You can jump straight to the setting by pasting this into the address bar:
chrome://settings/onStartupWhy Chrome forgets your tabs by default
Chrome's default startup behavior is Open the New Tab page. While you browse, Chrome continuously writes session information to your profile folder on disk, so a snapshot of your open windows and tabs exists the whole time. The catch is that Chrome only loads that snapshot when the startup setting tells it to. When Windows restarts, it simply ends Chrome's process along with everything else; the session data survives, but on the next launch Chrome dutifully follows the default and opens a single new tab instead. Your tabs were never lost — they just weren't requested.
The fix: three clicks
- Click the three-dot menu in Chrome's top-right corner and choose Settings.
- Select On startup in the left sidebar.
- Choose Continue where you left off.
That's the entire configuration. The setting is stored per profile, so if you use separate Chrome profiles for work and personal browsing, repeat the steps in each one. From now on, an update-triggered reboot behaves exactly like closing the browser at the end of the day: relaunch Chrome and your previous session unfolds again.
What comes back — and what doesn't
Once enabled, a session restore brings back:
- All windows and tabs from your last session, in their original arrangement, including multiple windows if you had several.
- Pinned tabs, which return in their pinned position.
- Tab groups, restored as the groups you left them in.
- Recent history within each tab — the Back button usually still works for pages you had visited in that tab.
A few things will not return:
- Incognito windows are discarded by design and are never restored.
- In-page state such as half-filled forms, scroll positions, or unsaved drafts in a web editor does not survive.
- Tabs you closed on purpose stay closed. If you change your mind, press
Ctrl+Shift+T(or check History > Recently closed) to bring them back one by one in reverse order.
One reassuring detail: Chrome saves the session continuously, not only on a clean exit. If an update forcibly reboots the machine mid-session, Chrome will usually present a Restore pages? prompt on the next launch — click it and you're back where you were.
When restore doesn't happen
If you've enabled the setting but tabs still vanish, work through these in order:
You launched a different profile
Session data belongs to the profile that created it. If Chrome opens into another profile, a guest window, or a brand-new one, you'll see an empty session. Click the profile icon next to the address bar and switch back to the profile you were using.
The setting was changed or is locked
Revisit chrome://settings/onStartup and confirm the radio button is still on Continue where you left off. On managed work machines, an IT policy may override this section — you'll see a "managed by your organization" note on the settings page if so.
A cleaner or extension wiped the session
Utilities that delete browser data on exit, or aggressive "privacy cleaner" software, can remove the session files Chrome needs. If you run such a tool, exclude Chrome's profile folder — typically C:\Users\<name>\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data — from its cleanup list.
You dismissed the restore prompt
After a crash or forced reboot, if you clicked the X on the Restore pages? bubble, all is not lost: Ctrl+Shift+T immediately after launch, or History > Recently closed, will recover the windows.
Habits that make restarts painless
- Pin your daily tabs. Pinned tabs survive every restore and can't be closed with a stray middle-click.
- Keep a "daily openers" bookmark folder. Right-click the folder and choose Open all as a manual fallback.
- Consider "Open a specific set of pages" instead. If your morning routine always needs the same three or four sites, listing them under On startup gives a predictable, fixed set — the trade-off is you lose the dynamic "whatever I had open" behavior.
- Sign in to Chrome and turn on sync. Sync doesn't affect local restore, but it lets you reach open tabs from other devices via History, a handy safety net.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will my tabs survive a forced reboot during a Windows update?
Almost always. Chrome writes its session data as you browse rather than only at exit, so even an ungraceful shutdown leaves a restorable snapshot. At worst, Chrome asks "Restore pages?" on the next launch — accept it.
Does this work if I shut down my PC normally at night?
Yes. The same restore happens whether the machine reboots for an update, sleeps and wakes, or you shut it down and start it the next morning.
Can I recover just one tab I closed yesterday?
Open History > Recently closed to see past sessions, or press Ctrl+Shift+T repeatedly — each press reopens the next-most-recently closed tab or window.
Do I need to be signed in to Chrome for this to work?
No. Session restore is entirely local to your profile on that PC. Signing in and syncing only adds the ability to access tabs from other devices.
Why did only some of my tabs come back?
Incognito tabs are never restored, tabs you closed manually remain closed, and if a different Chrome profile launched, it restores that profile's session — not the one you expected.