Save and Restore Chrome Tabs, With Automatic Backups
Install from Chrome Web StoreWhat BelayTab Supports in Chrome
- Save & restore sessions
- Automatic snapshots
- Version history
- Tab groupsGroup names and colours are saved and recreated.
- Recently closed windows on the Recovery screen
- FaviconsIcons come from the browser’s own cache.
- SyncPaid plan.
What Chrome Does on Its Own
- Continue where you left off: Settings → On startup reopens the tabs from your last session.
- Reopen closed tabs: Ctrl+Shift+T (Cmd+Shift+T on Mac) brings back closed tabs and windows, one at a time, most recent first.
- History → Recently closed lists tabs and windows you closed in this session.
- Tabs from other devices: with Chrome sync on, History shows tabs open on your other signed-in devices.
- Saved tab groups: Chrome can save a tab group, close it, and reopen it later from the bookmarks bar or the tab group menu.
Where Chrome’s Tools Fall Short
Chrome keeps one previous session, not a library of them. If Chrome restarts twice, or a restore goes wrong, the earlier state is gone. Recently closed only goes back so far, and it is cleared when you clear history.
Everything lives in your Chrome profile. A corrupted profile, a reset, or a new laptop without sync takes your open tabs with it, and Chrome has no way to export a session to a file.
How BelayTab Fits Into Chrome
BelayTab saves your windows as named sessions and snapshots every open window every 5 minutes and whenever one closes. Each session keeps its last 20 versions, and deleted sessions stay in trash for 30 days.
The Recovery screen shows snapshots alongside Chrome’s own recently closed windows. Export writes JSON, CSV, a URL list or HTML bookmarks, and a rolling export file can land in Downloads on a schedule. BelayTab asks for no host permissions and runs no scripts on the pages you visit.
Chrome Tab Shortcuts
| Action | Mac | Windows / Linux |
|---|---|---|
| Reopen the last closed tab or window | Cmd+Shift+T | Ctrl+Shift+T |
| Open a new tab | Cmd+T | Ctrl+T |
| Close the current tab | Cmd+W | Ctrl+W |
| Jump to the next tab | Cmd+Option+Right arrow | Ctrl+Tab |
| Open History | Cmd+Y | Ctrl+H |
| Open a new window | Cmd+N | Ctrl+N |
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I restore my tabs after Chrome closes?
Press Ctrl+Shift+T (Cmd+Shift+T on Mac) straight after reopening Chrome, or open History → Recently closed. If that list is empty, restore the latest snapshot from BelayTab’s Recovery screen.
Does Chrome save tab groups when it closes?
Chrome can save tab groups and restore them with the rest of your session when “Continue where you left off” is on. Groups can still be lost if the session restore fails, which is why BelayTab saves group names and colours with each snapshot.
Can I export my open Chrome tabs to a file?
Not with Chrome alone. BelayTab exports sessions as JSON, CSV, a plain URL list or HTML bookmarks, and can write an export file to Downloads on a schedule.
Is BelayTab free in Chrome?
Yes. Saving, snapshots, version history, import and export are free with no limits. Only Sync is paid, at $4 a month or $36 a year.
Related
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