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Computer restarted unexpectedly with edge browser open. Had 1 window with over 200 tabs. I was not offered the "restore previous session" popup upon opening edge again. Recently closed shows only a handful of tabs.

Nathan DeWitt 0 Reputation points
2025-07-13T00:04:22.42+00:00

I was using my laptop just fine. I needed to use the bathroom and it was starting to run low on battery, so I decided to take a break and close it while I let it charge up. About an hour later, I go to get back to what I was doing, and realize it had restarted. I assume some kind of update?? Nothing that has made my life any easier. I have been through an unexpected restart just a couple of days ago, which my edge session automatically opened itself and brought my tabs back without even asking. That was great! I did not alter any settings. Everything is how it comes by default. I even tried using the command prompt suggestions found in other answers here. It just opens a new window with nothing in it. I tried a different one too, which did not work as it says it cannot find the path specified or it says its not an operable file. I just want my tabs back, or to at least know why they cannot be retrieved and what caused this.

Microsoft Edge | Tabs, address bar, and search | Windows 11
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  1. Randy Baroja 2,540 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2025-07-13T01:10:21.22+00:00

    Hey there!

    Nice to meet you! I'm Randy, an Independent Advisor.

    It sounds really frustrating to lose your tabs like that, especially when Edge had restored them automatically before. What probably happened is that your laptop did a Windows update while it was charging and idle. Sometimes Windows restarts on its own after updates, even if you didn’t ask for it.

    Edge usually brings back your tabs after a crash, but not always after a normal restart or update. Since you didn’t change any settings, it might just be that the update cleared your session data.

    First, open Edge and press Ctrl + H to check your browsing history. You might see the tabs you had there and can reopen them manually.

    Next, go to Edge Settings > Start, home, and new tabs and make sure it’s set to "Open tabs from the previous session." If it’s set to open a new tab page, that’s likely why nothing came back.

    If you're comfortable digging deeper, you can try looking for old session files. Press Win + R, type this, and hit Enter:

    %localappdata%\Microsoft\Edge\User Data\Default\Sessions

    There might be files named Tabs_*.bin or Session_*.bin. Sometimes, renaming the newest ones to Current Tabs and Current Session (after fully closing Edge) can bring your tabs back. Want help with this step?

    Also, did your system update recently? Were you signed in to Edge with your Microsoft account? These details can help us figure out what went wrong.

    Best regards,

  2. Randy Baroja 2,540 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2025-07-13T07:56:11.4866667+00:00

    Hi,

    Got it. Since you’re seeing both older and newer session/tab files, that’s a good sign—Edge might’ve just started fresh after the update and skipped recovery.

    Here’s what you can try:

    Close Edge completely—make sure no windows are running in the background.

    Go back to that folder.

    Rename the older Session_*.bin file to Current Session and the older Tabs_*.bin file to Current Tabs.

    Open Edge again and see if your tabs come back.

    Sometimes updates reset session recovery, even if you’re signed in. Signing in mostly helps with sync and history, but not always tab sessions.

    Regards,

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