Closed a tab by accident? Want to return to something you worked on last week? Find out here how to restore recently closed tabs in Safari on an iPhone (and even those closed not quite so recently).
First, Pink Mouthwash for Runners
If you’ve been wondering whether you should rinse your mouth during a run, the answer is likely “yes, if you want to run farther and run faster.”
If, as luck would have it, you can choose between a colorless, sweetened liquid without calories and an identical calorie-free sweetened “drink” that has been colored pink—go for the color. Next to giving you a boost of energy and restoring your vigor, rinsing your mouth with sweet, pink water may also “improve feelings of pleasure.”
Now, want to restore the vigor of a tab just closed on an iPhone? Here’s the pink mouthwash for that:
How to Restore Recently Closed Tabs in Safari on iPhone
Time needed: 1 minute
To open recently closed tabs again in Safari on an iPhone or iPad:
- Tap the tab button in Safari to see the tab overview.
Landscape view: You can also rotate the iPhone into landscape mode.
Private browsing mode: You cannot revisit tabs in Private Browsing Mode.
iPadOS: On an iPad, you can also just open or go to any browser tab. - Tap and hold ➕.
- Now tap the closed tab you want to reopen
More recent tabs: Scroll up to find a long list of recently closed Safari browser tabs.
Restore Closed Safari Tabs Using the Browser History
You can also go back to a previously visited but closed page using the browsing history, of course:
- Tap the bookmarks button in any browser window.
- Now go to the History tab.
- Tap and hold the page you would like to visit again.
Search: Tap Search History and type any part of the site’s title or URL to find past pages. - Select Open in Background from the context menu or page preview.
How to Restore Recently Closed Tabs in Safari on iPhone: FAQ
Can I reopen a tab from private browsing mode?
No.
Safari keeps no record of tabs open in Private Browsing Mode. You will not find the pages in Safari’s browsing history, and closed tabs do not show up in Recently Closed Tabs.
(How to restore recently closed tabs in Safari on an iPhone tested with iOS 14–17 and iPadOS 14–17; first published August 2021, last updated April 2024)