Undo Close Tab is an add-on that displays a clickable list of recently closed tabs in Firefox
Has it ever happened to you that you closed a tab by accident? Maybe because you thought you no longer needed the webpage open or by accident? It may have happened even that you noticed only after some time that you'd need the closed tab again.
We have all been there. Fortunately, Firefox has an undo closed tab option, which you can access by right clicking the tab bar and selecting "Undo Closed Tab" or by using the Ctrl + shift + T keyboard shortcut.
Tip: check out our Firefox Tab Mastery guide for additional tips and information.
While you can use the command to restore closed tabs in order of recency, there is one problem with the approach. Let's say you closed a tab and then closed 5 more. You have to actually open 6 tabs to get to the one you wanted. Wouldn't it be better to have a list of previously opened tabs?
"Undo Close Tab" might just save your day or at least a few minutes of your day. And yes, before you ask it is called Undo Close Tab, not "Undo Closed Tab". That's probably to differentiate itself from the default Firefox tab bar context menu option.
Once installed, the extension adds a button on the toolbar. Click this button to restore a closed tab. Right-click on the button to display the list of recently closed tabs and choose the one that you want to re-open. That's basically it for the main feature but there are a few options that you can customize in Undo Close Tab's settings. The add-on displays up to 25 items in the closed tabs menu, you can change it to a a different number depending on your needs.
The extension by default only lists tabs that were closed in the active window. So, if you had 2 windows and closed a tab in the 2nd window, you can only undo the action in that window. Disabling this option might be a good idea if you want a quick way to re-access the tab and you are working with multiple windows regularly. There is also an option to clear the list at any time.
There are 3 additional context menu options that you can enable to access Undo Close Tab from. A sub-menu for the tab bar and another for the page context menu are the first two. What do they do? They enable a drop-down list of closed tabs; just select the one that you wish to restore and click on it.
The "page context" is the main portion of the browser where the content of web pages is displayed.
The third context menu option is a functioning "Undo Close Tab" button in the right-click menu. This one doesn't have a drop-down menu (list of closed tabs). Personally I found enabling the tab bar and page context menus the best way to use Undo Closed Tab. It's a lot faster if you don't have to mouse over the toolbar icon.
The extension provides a feature I loved in Tab Mix Plus. There used to be an add-on called Undo Close Tab Replacement which was quite similar to Undo Close Tab, but the former is no longer available.
Closing Words
Undo Close Tab is a helper extension for the Firefox web browser to restore any tab closed recently in the browser. If you find yourself closing tabs by accident frequently or wanting to restore tabs closed in other browser windows, you may like the feature.
Now You: do you use any tab-based extensions in Firefox?
Firefox: re-inventing the browser wheel in 2019… and it’ll never work as good as it used to.
nice that Vivaldi already has this built into the browser with an icon at the top right of open tabs
I maintain the most recent version of Firefox with a modest complement of extensions as a fallback browser but almost never use it because of (in my view) inadequate extension functionality and a tendency to snoop in the absence of up-to-date countermeasures. My primary browser is still Pale Moon with a full complement of extensions, including Tab Mix Plus.
I’ve configured Tab Mix Plus to reopen an accidentally closed tab by double-clicking pretty much anywhere on the Tab Bar that isn’t a function button (e.g., a Close Tab Button). It’s faster and easier than using Undo Close Tab in a tab context menu or doing Ctrl-Shift-T. Click-click and the tab reopens.
If I have to reopen a somewhat older closed tab, I use Tab Mix Plus’s “Display Closed Tabs List” toolbar button.
As for History, it’s my primary means of finding and revisiting older tabs/webpages, but even though I display the Menu Bar (like John Fenderson, above) in both Pale Moon and Firefox, I use Ctrl-Shift-H to get there. Actually, I probably use History more often than Tab Mix Plus’s closed tabs list, at least for tabs that weren’t closed *very* recently, since I can filter out the chaff in its Search History bar.
It’s encouraging that Firefox is beginning to regain a small part of the functionality it lost when it ended support for old-school extensions, but from what I’ve seen so far, WebExtensions are still only pale, incomplete approximations. I prefer the powerful, pre-WebExtensions implementations of Tab Mix Plus, Session Manager, DownThemAll, Downloads Statusbar, MozArchiver, and the like because they make browsing considerably faster, easier, and more convenient for me. I know I’m in the minority and that Pale Moon might be living on borrowed time. But I find solace in the closing dialog of “Blade Runner” (1982):
[Gaff:] It’s too bad she won’t live. But then again, who does?
[Deckard :] Gaff had been there, and let her live. Four years, he figured. He was wrong. Tyrell had told me Rachael was special: no termination date. I didn’t know how long we had together. Who does?
I just put the recent history icon in the toolbar. No need to install an addon. In Firefox go to -> customize and drag & drop the “clock icon” where you want it.
I have absolutely no idea why this isn’t even a standard feature on all web browsers in 2019 when Opera Presto had it for decades, half a decade ago. Just madness.
This add-on is one of my favorites!
Previously, it used Hotkeys (Shift + ctrl + T) and “history” function.
Therefore, when I first saw (discovered) this add-on, I felt it as like “Junk†extension.
However, according to the user review, it was highly rated as “Users: 33905, 5 ★: 179†and “Recommended” badge was also given, so I decided to give it a try.
The conclusion:
The correct judgment cannot be made unless it is actually used.
With this add-on, everything is just a “one-click†away.
“Decisive advantage†is that you don’t need to combine several keys (shift + ctrl + T) or click 2-3+ times.
I prefer “open in new tabs†browsing, the number of tabs is usually around “50†and may exceed “100â€.
The bookmark function and the speed dial (FVD) function are also used, but browsing with separate tabs makes “comparison verification and related searches†easy and exciting.
In order to open a lot of tabs:
◠Tree style tab: Group management by tab hierarchy … etc
â— Auto Tab Discard: The tab in the background is automatically paused by any timer setting, and memory in tab units is suppressed.
â— Clear Cache: One click releases the browser cache
◠Undo Close Tab: The last closed tab can be restored with one click, and the closed tab can be selected and restored from the “List of history menu†provided in the add-on.
◠In addition, an add-on “Bookmarks Organizer†that can detect and delete or correct duplicate bookmarks or broken links is useful.
For such a use, an add-on that can complete its purpose with just one click is very useful.
Whether it is useful depends on how user of use it and values.
And the evaluation of this add-on is of course the highest rating of “★★★★★â€.
At this rate, by 2040, we will have 50 addons that together provide all the functionalities that Tab Mix Plus gave to Firefox users back in 2010.
How will we ever be able to thank Mozilla enough for trashing Firefox?
Why Firefox Had to Kill Your Favorite Extension | How-To Geek（Justin Pot | November 18, 2017, 6:40am EDT ）
https://www.howtogeek.com/333230/why-firefox-had-to-kill-your-favorite-extension/
Yeah, I get why this was done. I just think it was a bad decision. I mean, what’s the benefit of having a chrome browser called “Firefox”? And where’s the fun in creating such a limited clone and developing for it?
WebExtensions API is a specification standard for “protecting the browser’s core programâ€.
WebExtension API has nothing to do with “extension safety measuresâ€.
In measures against cyber attacks and personal information protection, browser vulnerability countermeasures have become an issue:
Prevention of browser “core program†tampering,
Measures to prevent historical data leakage,
Measures against malware hidden in updates,
Measures against privacy policy violations,
etc.
Based on those perspectives, Mozilla decided to abolish the “XUL†API, which can be directly involved in the program, and switch to the “WebExtension†API, which cannot be involved in the core program.
What’s the WebExtensions API? | Browser Extensions – Mozilla | MDN |
https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Mozilla/Add-ons/WebExtensions
Firefox’s WebExtension API is separate from the Chromium’s WebExtension API and is not just a subset. Many Firefox-specific APIs have been established：
Browser support for JavaScript APIs – Mozilla | MDN |
https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Mozilla/Add-ons/WebExtensions/Browser_support_for_JavaScript_APIs
A Classic Extension Reborn: Tree Style Tab – Mozilla Hacks – the Web developer blog
Interview with an add-on developer (Piro) who rebuilt a very complex extension (Tree Style Tab) created on the legacy XUL platform for the new WebExtensions API
https://hacks.mozilla.org/2017/12/webextension-tree-style-tab/
Want more technical detail? Check out Piro’s post WebExtensions Migration Story of Tree Style Tab for his strategies, code snippets, and architectural diagrams of the XUL and WebExtensions platforms.
WebExtensions Migration Story of Tree Style Tab | Piro’s post
https://piro.sakura.ne.jp/latest/blosxom/mozilla/extension/treestyletab/2017-10-03_migration-we-en.htm
About “malicious incidents such as tricksâ€:
It is time to get rid of Stylish | gHacks Tech News
https://www.ghacks.net/2018/07/03/it-is-time-to-get-rid-of-stylish/
Stylus sees large user increase after Stylish removal | gHacks Tech News
https://www.ghacks.net/2018/07/09/stylus-sees-large-user-increase-after-stylish-removal/
A wave of malware add-ons hit the Mozilla Firefox Extensions Store | gHacks Tech News
https://www.ghacks.net/2019/05/29/another-malware-wave-hit-the-mozilla-firefox-extensions-store/
Reprinted the main part from the article:
Malicious or spam extensions that use the names of popular extensions or programs are not anything new. Mozilla’s AMO store was hit with waves of spam extensions in 2017 and 2018, both happened after Mozilla switched the release process.
Google’s Chrome Web Store was hit even harder by unwanted extensions in recent years. Chrome’s popularity and the fact that Google does not review any extensions manually by default play a role here.
While it is easy to spot these particular fake extensions, others may not be as easy to spot. Back in 2017 I suggested Mozilla add a “manual reviewed†batch to extensions to give Firefox users more confidence in the legitimacy of extensions on the official add-ons repository.
About “waves of spam extensions in 2017â€:
Mozilla’s AMO Extensions store has a spam infestation problem | gHacks Tech News
https://www.ghacks.net/2017/12/13/mozillas-extensions-store-has-a-spam-infestation/
About “waves of spam extensions in 2018â€:
Another wave of spam add-ons hits Mozilla Firefox AMO | gHacks Tech News
https://www.ghacks.net/2018/04/09/another-wave-of-spam-add-ons-hits-mozilla-firefox-amo/
About “Google’s Chrome Web Store was hit even harder by unwanted extensions in recent yearsâ€:
Another Chrome extension horror story: coinhive and domain registration | gHacks Tech News
https://www.ghacks.net/2017/10/15/another-chrome-extension-horror-story-coinhive-and-domain-registration/
Google’s bad track record of malicious Chrome extensions continues | gHacks Tech News
https://www.ghacks.net/2018/05/11/googles-bad-track-record-of-malicious-chrome-extensions-continues/
Malicious Chrome extensions with Session Replay appear in Chrome Store | gHacks Tech News
https://www.ghacks.net/2018/02/05/malicious-chrome-extensions-with-session-replay-appear-in-chrome-store/
@owl:
We are all very aware of Mozilla’s reasoning for this action. Restating the reasons yet again doesn’t eliminate the fact that doing so seriously reduced the usefulness of the browser for a lot of people because of the lost functionality.
Append,
About posting to Comments:
I post with awareness of the presence of viewers.
In other words, for comments that should not be left unattended, I add a reply to prevent misunderstandings and prejudice from spreading.
This reply to @Yoav and @John Fenderson is also for people reading this topic (Undo Close Tab is an add-on that displays a clickable list of recently closed tabs in Firefox).
@John Fenderson said on September 24, 2019 at 5:35 pm
＞ We are all very aware of Mozilla’s reasoning for this action.
Perhaps it is “an old knowledge fact†for the old regulars of this site (Ghacks.net).
However, the end user base is wide. Constantly, new beginner users are increasing in snowball style.
Posting to this site is just the “top of the icebergâ€.
This site is not a closed world of membership:
About gHacks
Ghacks is a technology news blog that was founded in 2005 by Martin Brinkmann. It has since then become one of the most popular tech news sites on the Internet with five authors and regular contributions from freelance writers.
Old and young men and women around the world are browsing this site. The viewer’s skills are not uniform.
I have been involved in several community forums for many years. From that experience, I realize that “common sense†and “degree of understanding†vary from person to person.
It may be “I know”.
But may not know.
It may also be “misunderstoodâ€.
This perspective must always be kept in mind.
John Fenderson, a programmer and experienced, is knowledgeable. But not everyone is on the same level as John Fenderson.
What is expected of this site:
â— The latest news and commentary,
â— Introduction and explanation of software, etc.
â— Providing emergency information,
â— Skill exchange and sharing via this site
Since it is a cyber space where hate and fake news are flooding, how to engage in “Comments†is important in order to share the truth.
The important point is not the deepen relatives of the intellectuals, but the approach to misunderstood people and ignorant people.
I agree… and also, reducing the allowable functionality of _all_ extensions was a lazy substitute for what Mozilla should have done: continue to allow XUL, but screen individual extensions for security/privacy issues.
After screening, Moz could have either banned from their web store extensions that failed the tests, or they could have left them up but only given a “checked OK by Moz” kind of badge to the ones that proved safe. Of course they would have to re-screen later updates to the extensions too, since malware can creep in to updates.
Moz has a substantial budget. My suggestion would require their technical staff to actually do useful work (instead of their usual B.S.), which I guess is too much to ask.
Recent History extension for Chrome is very similar.
Every built in function need an extension! I guess next we will get extension to close tab
I have been using this one for awhile:
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/close-tab-history-button/
Another good add-on is Tab2List. It combines history, closed tabs, search and save list of open tabs.
Firefox have add-ons. The other one has extensions…
@Ashwin; Its great addon indeed. Would you also please review https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/hd-quality-toggle-for-youtube if its best or you know better than that? Thank you.
Firefox actually already has the closed tab or closed window list functionality. It is found (tested on Firefox 24.x series) in the “History” menu, and called “Recently Closed Tabs”. The menu item is in a section together with the other similar options, “Recently Closed Windows” and “Restore Previous Session”.
If you add the built in History button to the toolbar from the Customize… menu, you get the exact same functionality without installing an add on.
I use Undo Close Tab.
I tried you suggestion of adding the History button to the toolbar from the Customize menu.
I noticed that some (but not all) of the items listed don’t use the site’s favicon. The History pulldown doesn’t show them either, but the History -> Recently Closed Tabs does. Is this a bug with Firefox?
I know it’s not much help but it works on my machine (that is, all the favicons show up).
If you close a tab too soon and want to resurrect it, try clicking on “History” and then on “Recently Closed Tabs”. This is a built in function that has been in Firefox and Pale Moon for a long time. I do not see the need for an add-on to duplicate a built-in function.
Never realized that was there. Thxs George
I think the main issue here is that the Menu Bar is not displayed anymore by default. I do tap on Alt to bring it up whenever I need to restore a browser window, session, or some tabs, and it works well if you know that it is there.
Most Firefox users who were not around when the menu bar was displayed by default probably don’t know that it exists anymore as there is no real indication that it is there.
Still, a good point that you are making.
“…the Menu Bar is not displayed anymore by default…”
It is on the Mac, because Mozilla doesn’t have a choice. With rare exceptions, the Mac menu bar is drawn by the operating system, not by individual apps the way it is on Windows, although the individual Mac apps typically populate most of the items within the menu bar. So the “Recently Closed Tabs” and “Recently Closed Windows” items never went away in Mac Firefox.
I still do miss Tab Mix Plus, regardless. It had many great features, such as the ability to lock, protect, or freeze tabs… and many, many more. And I still haven’t forgiven Mozilla for dumbing down the customization options in FF.
I did not know that, thanks for the info!
@Martin Brinkmann: “I think the main issue here is that the Menu Bar is not displayed anymore by default.”
I always forget about this, because the first thing I do is reenable the menu bar, as I find it far too convenient to do without.
Enabling the Menu Bar always made sense to me as well. Let’s hope the option to do that isn’t removed because it’s not used by enough people, which is Mozilla’s mantra these days.
T_T i miss tabmixplus…i more used to the left click undo close tab list button in tmp…just the list to undo and clear list…this one right click and that extra entries and that width make it look ugly…dont get mad, im glad addon can do this now…that +1 for tabmixplus full revival…but can webextension now use left click instead of right click for this?