How to Save All Tabs in Chrome at Once (and Reopen Them Later)

You don't have to bookmark a window full of tabs one by one. Chrome can save every open tab with a single shortcut, and a tab-saver extension can save the whole session in one click.

Those two methods don't save the same thing. The built-in option saves links. An extension can save the session, every open tab, restored with one click later. Below are the exact steps for both, plus how to pick the one that fits how you work.

The quick answer

• Save every open tab as links: press Ctrl+Shift+D (Cmd+Shift+D on Mac), or right-click any tab and choose Bookmark all tabs. Chrome saves the current window's tabs into one new folder.
• Save every open tab as a restorable session: use a tab-saver extension. One click saves all open tabs into a named collection you can reopen later.
• Reopen a saved folder: open it in your bookmarks and choose Open all (or Open all in new window).

The rule of thumb: bookmarks keep links; extensions keep sessions. If you just need the pages back, the folder is enough. If you want the whole stack back exactly as you had it, you want a session saver.

How to save all tabs in Chrome with bookmarks

Bookmark all tabs (the shortcut)

Right-click any tab in the window you want to save and choose Bookmark all tabs, or press Ctrl+Shift+D (Cmd+Shift+D on Mac) (Chrome keyboard shortcuts).

Chrome creates a new bookmarks folder and asks you to name it. Give it something you'll recognize later: a date-stamp like "Aug 4" works, or a project name like "Q3 research."

One thing to know: this covers the current window only. With two or three windows open, run it once per window (each run makes its own folder), or merge the folders in the bookmarks manager afterward.

Here's a typical case. It's Friday, you have 30 tabs open from a week of research, and you don't want to lose them. One shortcut, a folder named "Aug 7," and they're saved. On Monday, one click opens them all again.

What it actually saves

A folder of links, one per open tab, and nothing more. It does not:

• Close your tabs. Bookmarking copies the links; your window stays open exactly as it was.
• Save the page's state. If you were halfway down an article, reopening the bookmark loads a fresh copy.
• Save the session. You get a list of links, not a window you can restore in one go.
• Keep your tab groups. Groups are flattened into a single list of links. Group names, colors, and structure don't survive the save.

What it does give you: a durable copy. Bookmarks live in your browser profile, so the folder survives restarts, updates, and the tabs themselves being closed. The links are safe until you delete them.

How to reopen the saved tabs

Open the bookmarks bar or the bookmarks manager, find the folder, and click it. Choose Open all to open every link, or Open all in new window if you want to keep your current window as is.

If the bookmarks bar isn't visible, press Ctrl+Shift+B (Cmd+Shift+B on Mac) to show it, or open the bookmarks manager with Ctrl+Shift+O (Cmd+Option+B on Mac).

The limits

Save often and the folders stack up: "Aug 1," "Aug 4," "Aug 6," each one a snapshot you have to remember and search by hand. Each folder is a static list of links, so a page saved twice sits in two folders, and folders you no longer need stay in your bookmarks until you delete them. With bookmark sync enabled, the folder also appears on your other devices (more on bookmark sync). That's handy if you save on a laptop and reopen on a phone. For the other built-in and extension options, see the other ways to save tabs in Chrome.

How to save all tabs with a tab-saver extension

If you save tabs regularly, a project that runs for weeks, research that spans days, a standing "read later" stack, a tab-saver extension saves the session, not just links.

We make one: Zen Tabz, a free extension for Chrome (110+) and Firefox. No account, and your data stays in your browser by default. Optional encrypted cloud sync is available if you want collections on more than one device. Save all open tabs with Zen Tabz

Here's the whole flow:

1. Install. Open the Chrome Web Store, search for Zen Tabz, and click Add to Chrome. It's also on the Firefox Add-ons store.
2. Open the extension. Click the Zen Tabz icon in your toolbar.
3. Save your tabs. One click saves every open tab into a new collection.
4. Name it. Call it "Q3 research" or "Trip planning." A name beats a date when you're juggling projects.
5. Restore the session. Open the extension, pick the collection, and the whole session opens again at once, tab groups included.

The practical difference from bookmarks: a collection is the session, not a folder of links. You restore everything in one click instead of opening folder after folder of links, and you can keep several named sessions without burying them in the bookmarks manager. A designer might start Monday by restoring the "Client launch" collection in one click, then park the "Reading list" stack until the weekend. Each saved under its own name, none of them lost. Zen Tabz also saves tab groups permanently, so groups survive restarts instead of vanishing with the window. There's nothing to sign up for, no account, and your data stays in your browser by default.

Which one do you need?

Method	What it saves	Best when
Bookmark all tabs	A folder of links from the current window	One-off snapshots before closing a window
Tab-saver extension	Named, restorable sessions	Recurring saves, multiple projects, whole stacks

Two questions settle it:

• Do you need links back, or the session back? A few pages later, the bookmark folder is enough. Everything back in order, use an extension.
• Is this a one-off or a recurring workflow? The occasional window, the built-in option is plenty. Saving tabs every day across projects, a session saver earns its place.

If you're still unsure, think about next Monday. If you'd be happy to reopen a handful of bookmarks, you don't need more than Chrome's built-in option. If you want everything back in one click, go with the extension.

FAQ

Does the shortcut close my tabs?

No. Bookmarking all tabs saves a copy of each link; every tab stays open exactly where it was.

Does Bookmark all tabs cover all windows?

No. It saves the tabs in the current window only. If you have multiple windows open, run it once per window; each run creates its own folder, which you can merge in the bookmarks manager.

Can I save tabs across multiple windows?

Not in a single action with the built-in option. Bookmark all tabs covers the current window only, so you'd save each window separately. A tab-saver extension captures everything at once: Zen Tabz saves every open tab across all windows in one click, into a named collection you can restore on demand. And if you're recovering from a crash or a closed session, see how to restore tabs after Chrome closes.

Can tabs be saved automatically?

Chrome won't hold multiple named sessions on its own. The "Continue where you left off" startup setting (Chrome Help) reopens the most recent session automatically, but it keeps only one at a time and you can't name or organize it. For recurring, named saves you need a tab-saver extension.