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My favorite keyboard shortcut of all time (and it works on every browser)

The more tabs you have open, the higher the chances you accidentally close one. This handy shortcut flips those odds.
Written by Kerry Wan, Senior Reviews Editor
Reviewed by Amy Lieu
A close-up shot of the 16-inch MacBook Pro's keyboard.
June Wan/ZDNET

I like to think that I'm not alone when I have far too many browser tabs opened at once. Multitasking is real. And in this day and age, are you really browsing if there aren't layers upon layers of windows stacked from one end of your monitor to the other? 

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While I wouldn't place myself on the extreme end of the multitasking spectrum (my tab names are still legible and aren't just icons), I still find myself misclicking a tab every so often, hitting that small X button, and accidentally closing it.

Fortunately, all hope is not lost, because the greatest keyboard shortcut of all time does exist. It's Ctrl+Shift+T for Windows users or Cmd+Shift+T for Mac users, and it works on virtually every browser. When pressed, the shortcut recovers your most recently closed tab between all active windows. Repeat the process and you'll continue to recover every closed tab before that one.

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The fun doesn't end there. Say you accidentally close a window full of tabs. By opening a new window with the same browser and pressing Ctrl+Shift+T, every old tab will repopulate in its original order. It's like a next-level "Undo" button!

Not only has this shortcut saved me after unintentionally closing out of customer service chats, buying queues, and other timely activities, but it's also proven helpful when I simply want to bring back a tab that's regained relevancy. So the next time you find yourself in a similar position, don't forget this simple yet effective keyboard shortcut that can save your day.

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