Ctrl + Shift + T: the Windows shortcut that reopens browser tabs

Windows has a vast range of keyboard shortcuts. However, if you have ever accidentally closed an important browser tab, Ctrl + Shift + T is one shortcut you should know by heart.

Windows users tend to memorise several keyboard shortcuts. The best known include Alt + F4, which closes a window; Ctrl + F, which starts a search; Ctrl + Z, which undoes an edit; and the various shortcuts used to format text in Microsoft Word. Yet relatively few people know Ctrl + Shift + T, despite it being an essential shortcut when browsing the web.

Ctrl + Shift + T restores a closed browser tab

You may not need this shortcut every day, but it becomes particularly useful if you close an important tab in your browser by mistake. Pressing Ctrl + Shift + T in Windows automatically reopens the most recently closed tab. If you accidentally shut a tab, there is therefore no need to re-enter its URL or search for its link again.

Other useful Windows shortcuts for managing tabs

As we are discussing Windows shortcuts, here is a non-exhaustive list of commands that let you control your tabs without using a mouse or trackpad:

• Ctrl + T: open a new blank tab
• Ctrl + W: close the current tab
• Ctrl + Tab: move to the next tab
• Ctrl + Shift + Tab: return to the previous tab
• Ctrl + Shift + N: open a new tab in private browsing mode

AI browsers can reduce switching between tabs

It is also worth noting that, thanks to artificial intelligence, some browsers can already save you from moving back and forth between tabs. Dia from The Browser Company is among the AI-powered browsers designed to improve your productivity on the web. Its AI can extract the information you are looking for from your open tabs, so you no longer have to do it “manually”.