How to Reopen Closed Tabs in Safari on iPhone

Why do your tabs keep closing on iPhone or iPad? Maybe you wanted to retrieve a few interesting recipes you saw online, but now the tabs for those recipes are nowhere to be seen in Safari. But don't panic! We'll show you how to retrieve those lost tabs on your iPhone or iPad.

How to Open Recently Closed Tabs on iPhone & iPad

If all your Safari tabs disappeared on your iPhone, don't worry. We can help your find and reopen tabs you may have accidentally closed. This works on both iPhone and iPad (although the placement of the buttons in the below screenshots will look different depending on your device). For more iPhone and iPad troubleshooting pointers, don't forget to check out our free Tip of the Day newsletter. Now, here's how to re-open a closed tab on Safari on iPhone:

1. Open Safari.
2. Tap the tabs icon in the bottom right.
3. Long press the Plus icon to view tabs that you’ve recently closed.
4. You should now see your recently closed tabs in Safari. Simply find the one you want to get back and tap it to reopen it.

That's how to open closed tabs in Safari on your iPhone. Since Safari doesn't have undo/redo buttons, this is also the only way to undo closing a tab. If your Safari tabs are closing on their own, there might be a setting that is automatically closing them for you. While the steps above show how to open previously closed tabs on an iPhone, the process is the same on iPad!

Why Did All My Tabs Disappear in Safari on iPhone?

Another cause of Safari tabs disappearing is a setting that automatically closes open Safari tabs after a set amount of time. This can prevent the problem of too many open tabs, but can also lead to tabs you still want open getting closed. If you're tired of having to restore closed tabs in Safari on your iPhone, here's how to solve this issue on your iPhone or iPad.

1. Open Settings.
2. Scroll to the very bottom and tap Apps.
3. In the app list, find Safari. You can either scroll through the list or use the search bar.
4. Scroll down, and under Tabs tap Close Tabs.
5. Make sure that Manually is selected.

Now that you have changed your settings, you might not even need to remember how to bring back a closed tab again, unless you accidentally close it yourself.

Bookmark Open Tabs

Once a tab is bookmarked, you will always be able to find it, even if it's closed or your browser history is closed. Follow these steps to avoid having to keep reopening closed tabs:

1. Open Safari and tap the Tabs button. Then, tap the More button, and a menu will pop up.
2. Tap Add Bookmarks for [number] Tabs.
3. Create a name for the new folder. Tap Save.

That's it! Now you can find your saved tabs anytime by tapping the Bookmark icon in Safari and tapping on the name of the tab group you created.

Check Tab Groups & Safari Profiles

In Safari, you can create tab groups to separate all of your different tabs into specific groups. For example, if you have several recipe tabs open, you could place these tabs into a group called "Dinners." As a result, if your Safari tabs disappeared on iPhone, it could just be that you accidentally switched to a different tab group or profile. Here's how to check:

1. Open Safari, tap the Tabs button, and finally tap the More icon like you've done in the previous steps. Then, swipe to the left on the tab bar at the bottom of the screen.
2. If you have other tab groups open, you'll see a new tab group with a different set of tabs open.

Additionally, Safari now has a feature called Safari Profiles, which allows you to separate your browsing sessions into different profiles. If you have these set up, you can follow the steps above and double check which profile your tab is open under right underneath the tab group name.

Why Did All My Tabs Disappear in Safari on iPad?

Safari closing tabs on its own seems to happen somewhat frequently to iPad users. Here are some iPad-specific fixes for how to get tabs back. Has your Safari app completely disappeared from your Home Screen? Find out how to get Safari back on your iPhone or iPad.

How to Get Tabs Back on iPad

If you're browsing the web on an iPad and you have multiple Safari windows open, then you may not be able to see all your tabs. These steps will allow all your open tabs to appear in the current window. This potentially includes some tabs that weren’t visible in the Tab Overview screen. For a more in-depth tutorial, check out our article on re-opening closed tabs in Safari.

1. Open Safari.
2. Tap the tabs button in the to right corner.
3. Press and hold the plus icon.
4. You should now see your recently closed tabs in Safari. Simply find the one you want to get back and tap it to reopen it.

You will now be able to see all of your tabs will appear in the window under the URL bar.

Why Did Safari Delete My Tabs? Reveal the Shelf on iPad

This method will show any open windows directly above the Dock. As a result, you will be able to switch between windows and potentially reveal any Safari tabs that disappeared on your iPad.

1. Long press the Safari icon in the Dock or on the Home Screen.
2. Select Show All Windows. You may have to scroll down to see this option.
3. All your open Safari windows and tab groups should now be visible.

So now you know how to recover a tab in Saari in many different ways! If you are still having trouble opening closed tabs or locating a missing tab, it may, unfortunately, be lost forever. Next, find out the best ways to manage your Safari tabs.

Top image credit: wk1003mike / Shutterstock.com