How to Open a Recently Closed Tab in Safari on Your iOS Device - MacRumors
Skip to Content

How to Open a Recently Closed Tab in Safari on Your iOS Device

by

Accidentally close a browser tab in Safari on iOS and want to open it back up? There's a simple gesture for that, which you may not know about.


All you have to do is open up the tab view in Safari and long press on the "+" icon to get a look at all of the tabs that you've recently closed.

Even if you're aware of the gesture, it's worth a reminder that this feature exists in case someone gets ahold of your phone and checks your browser. Even if you've closed out a tab, it's still going to be visible in Safari, unless you were using a private browser window or have cleared your browsing history.

Want to close your Safari tabs all in one go? That's another hidden feature available in Safari. Make sure to check out our accompanying how to for instructions.

Top Rated Comments

scrapesleon Avatar
113 months ago
Nice didn’t know about this
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BMcCoy Avatar
113 months ago
Cool tip - i’ll use that.
Thanks.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
113 months ago
On a Mac, using Safari you can also either click and hold the + icon at the right of your tabs, or just quickly press ⌘⇧T to open your last-closed tab.

In fact, you can keep hitting that combo and it will keep opening other recently-closed tabs.
If I recall correctly, an even simpler ⌘Z (as in essentially "undo") will do the same thing basically.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
113 months ago
On a Mac, using Safari you can also either click and hold the + icon at the right of your tabs, or just quickly press ⌘⇧T to open your last-closed tab.

In fact, you can keep hitting that combo and it will keep opening other recently-closed tabs.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
113 months ago
Lol I had no idea! But iOS is so intuitive, you can even press things out of nowhere on a 3D Touch-less device!
It's basically long-press that has been around for a long time.
[doublepost=1515101414][/doublepost]
Cool! I didn’t know this :)
[doublepost=1515101359][/doublepost]
I missed that one! How do I do that?
How to Close All of Your Safari Tabs at Once on iPhone or iPad ('https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/how-to-close-all-of-your-safari-tabs-at-once-on-iphone-or-ipad.2098918/')
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kdarling Avatar
113 months ago
Handy. I've accidentally closed tabs before.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

Apple Watch Ultra 2 Black Titanium

New Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 Features Revealed

Sunday August 30, 2026 7:54 am PDT by
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman today further outlined what to expect from the Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 set to be unveiled on September 9. While it was initially rumored that Touch ID may be coming to the Apple Watch this year, Gurman reiterated that he does not expect the Series 12 or Ultra 4 to have any major design changes compared to the current Series 11 and Ultra 3 models. ...
Mac mini vs Studio Feature Sans Text 1

Apple Caught Off Guard by AI Demand for Mac Mini and Mac Studio

Sunday August 30, 2026 8:52 am PDT by
Apple's unusually timed announcement of new Mac mini and Mac Studio models this week was driven by unexpectedly strong enterprise appetite for AI hardware, according to The Information. Apple normally releases new Mac models in the autumn, closer to October or November, making this week's announcement unusually early, falling just before the anticipated arrival of new iPhone models. The...
Apple Event Logo

Apple Unveiled Four New Products This Week

Wednesday August 26, 2026 5:54 pm PDT by
Apple on Tuesday unveiled a new Mac mini with M6 and M5 Pro chip options, a new Mac Studio with M5 Max and M5 Ultra chip options, a new version of the Polishing Cloth with a lower price, and updated Magic Keyboards for Macs. To learn more about these products, read our coverage below: Apple Announces New Mac Mini With M6 and M5 Pro Chips and More Apple Unveils New Mac Studio With M5 Max...