How to Get Internet Explorer to Not Close Tabs When Exiting

Internet Explorer 8 saves your browsing session by default when the program is closed.

When using Internet Explorer, you may have been disappointed by the fact that there is no apparent option to save your open browser tabs when the program is closed--particularly if you are used to using Firefox, which automatically asks by default if you would like to save your browsing session when exiting. However, Internet Explorer actually saves your browsing session when you close the program. With this feature, it is possible to restore your session when you return to using the web.

Things You'll Need

• Microsoft Internet Explorer 8

Instructions

1. Confirm that you are not browsing in private; look at the address bar at the top of the screen. If you are in a private session, you will see "InPrivate" in a blue block next to the address bar and your open tabs will not be saved. Close the "InPrivate" window and resume browsing in a regular Internet Explorer window to save your session. Close the browser when you wish.

2. Re-open Internet Explorer when you are ready to resume browsing.

3. Click the "Tools" button at the top of the browser window, then click "Reopen last browsing session." The open tabs from your previous session will be restored immediately.

Tips & Warnings

• To save an extra mouse click, configure Internet Explorer to offer to resume your last browsing session automatically. Click "Tools," then click "Internet Options." change your home page to "about:tabs" and click "OK." Now, every time Internet Explorer is opened, the "Reopen Last Browsing Session" link will appear at the top of the window.

References

• My Digital Life: How to Restore and Reopen Last Browsing Session in Internet Explorer 8

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish