Brave Loses All Tabs When Closed with Multiple Instances Across Workspaces on Windows

When running multiple instances of Brave across different virtual desktops (workspaces) on Windows, closing the browser results in the complete loss of all open tabs. This occurs regardless of whether “Continue running background apps when Brave is closed” is enabled or disabled, and despite having “Continue where you left off” activated. The issue does not occur consistently when Brave is limited to a single instance on one workspace.

Steps to Reproduce:

  1. Open Brave on Windows and ensure “Continue where you left off” is enabled in Settings > On startup.
  2. Open multiple tabs (e.g., 5-10 tabs) in one instance of Brave on the first virtual desktop/workspace.
  3. Switch to a second virtual desktop/workspace and open another instance of Brave with additional tabs.
  4. Close both instances of Brave by clicking the “X” button or via the menu (File > Exit).
  5. Reopen Brave and check if the tabs from either instance are restored.

Actual Result:
Upon reopening Brave, all tabs from both instances are lost. The browser starts with a single new tab, and the previous session is not restored, even though “Continue where you left off” is enabled.

Expected Result:
Brave should restore all tabs from all instances across workspaces upon reopening, as per the “Continue where you left off” setting.

Brave Version:
[Insert your Brave version here, e.g., “Version 1.63.169 Chromium: 122.0.6261.94 (Official Build) (64-bit)” – find it in Menu > About Brave]

Operating System:
[Insert your Windows version, e.g., “Windows 11 Pro, Version 23H2, Build 22631.3296” – find it in Settings > System > About]

Additional Information:

  • The issue persists regardless of the “Continue running background apps when Brave is closed” setting (tested with both ON and OFF).
  • The problem occurs consistently when using multiple virtual desktops/workspaces in Windows.
  • Restarting the browser or system does not resolve the issue.
  • No extensions are causing this (tested in a clean profile).
  • The issue is less frequent when Brave runs as a single instance on a single workspace.

Your Brave Browser Version 1.63.169 is very much out-of-date.

Please update. You could use:

https://brave.com/download/

Or go to:

https://github.com/brave/brave-browser/releases/tag/v1.76.82

and there, download the installer for your Windows OS machine’s architecture.


BEFORE YOU DO THAT UPDATING . . .


Please backup your Brave Browser data.

Windows OS System Restore Points:

https://www.winhelponline.com/blog/create-system-restore-point-script-windows-10-8-7-vista-xp/

https://www.elevenforum.com/t/create-system-restore-point-in-windows-11.3602/

(Bookmark those sites.)


Be Prepared


Maintain chronological backups of application data.

Maintain backups of those collections of backups, on external drives.

I would routinely back up the “BraveSoftware” folder; but you might routinely back up the “Brave-Browser” folder or the “User Data” folder

Windows OS:

  • C:\Users\username\AppData\Local\BraveSoftware\Brave-Browser\User Data\

Some of the reason why I prefer to backup a senior container, has to do with trying to maintain file and folder access permissions; and in general, the integrity of what is contained.


The following info is about, Where the Brave Browser installation is, on a Windows OS PC:

Brave Browser installation location on Windows OS

Application “brave.exe”

64 architecture

C:\Program Files\BraveSoftware\Brave-Browser\Application\brave.exe

The initial Brave Browser Profile is, by default, named “Profile 1” (unless you change that namebrave://settings/getStarted).

The folder that contains the initial Brave Browser Profile, is the Default folder (a name that you must not change):

C:\Users[UserName]\AppData\Local\BraveSoftware\Brave-Browser\User Data\Default\

That path may also be written:

%LOCALAPPDATA%\BraveSoftware\Brave-Browser\User Data\Default\

%USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\BraveSoftware\Brave-Browser\User Data\Default\


If you create 1 additional Profile (aka “Profile 2”), it will be stored in folder Profile 1:

C:\Users[UserName]\AppData\Local\BraveSoftware\Brave-Browser\User Data\Profile 1\

If you create a 2nd additional Profile (aka “Profile 3”), it will be stored in folder Profile 2:

C:\Users[UserName]\AppData\Local\BraveSoftware\Brave-Browser\User Data\Profile 2\


IMPORTANT - Replacing Profile folders

When replacing Brave Browser Profile folders:

Folder named Default (including its contents) can only replace its likeness: the folder named Default.

Folder named Profile 1 (including its contents) can only replace its likeness: the folder named Profile 1.

Folder named Profile 2 (including its contents) can only replace its likeness: the folder named Profile 2.


IMPORTANT - Brave Browser Preferences

Some Brave Browser Preferences are stored in the Preferences file:

%LOCALAPPDATA%\BraveSoftware\Brave-Browser\User Data\Default\Preferences

The contents of that Preferences file, are not exactly the contents of, brave://prefs-internals/.

Some Brave Browser Preferences are stored in the Local State file:

%LOCALAPPDATA%\BraveSoftware\Brave-Browser\User Data\Default\Local State


Bookmarks and Bookmarks.bak files:

%LOCALAPPDATA%\BraveSoftware\Brave-Browser\User Data\Default\Bookmarks
%LOCALAPPDATA%\BraveSoftware\Brave-Browser\User Data\Default\Bookmarks.bak

Cache (folder):

%LOCALAPPDATA%\BraveSoftware\Brave-Browser\User Data\Default\Cache\

Cookies (file):

%LOCALAPPDATA%\BraveSoftware\Brave-Browser\User Data\Default\Cookies

History (file - usually lots of data):

%LOCALAPPDATA%\BraveSoftware\Brave-Browser\User Data\Default\History

Crash Reports:

%LOCALAPPDATA%\BraveSoftware\CrashReports\


Be aware of a custom installation:

June 2023, anon57438784 wrote:

Custom installation folder - #4 by anon57438784

Brave uses the OMAHA updater . . .

Brave uses the OMAHA updater, which is open source alternative to what Chrome uses, and probably what Edge uses as well.

OMAHA update can only update in two locations, Program files when you install with admin rights and %localuserdata% when you install without admin rights, but the User Data never changes, it always goes to where it goes.

Brave by not having a custom installer, they have the way to use Policies and all that which is good for enterprise, unlike other Browsers.

So, in that case, what you have to move is the User Data.

Brave in their Github page already offers a zipped version of the Browser which doesn’t have the updater, which means you can place it anywhere you want, and then you can create a BAT file [batch file?] or Shortcut and use whatever directory you want for the User Data.

You can use --user-data-dir="User Data" and the folder will be placed wherever the Brave.exe you are starting is.

If you want to keep the ‘updater’ but move the files, then you should use Junctions or Symbolic Links, which is exactly what Windows users all over Windows, so using them will not cause issues.

The best way to use it is by installing Brave without admin rights, so everything Application, Updater and User Data will be placed in the same folder, in %localappdata%\BraveSoftware

Then you use move it somewhere else and create the junction or symbolic link to it in the same place so Updater and everything works as expected.

It is the way Chromium works, this has to be something Chromium offers easier without using the --user-data-dir=.


You might have data set to be cleared On exit (you can check this by going to Settings --> History --> Clear browsing data --> On exit

Or, in a Brave Browser New Window, go to the On exit tab at:

brave://settings/clearBrowserData


Well, I am actually on [v 1.76.82] but problem persists.

Btw I installed Windows 11 shortly before and the older version is available for download on the Brave website. What’s wrong?

@chbox

Last Brave Browser stable release for Windows OS 7:

Release v1.47.186 (Chromium 109.0.5414.119)
Released January 25, 2023
https://github.com/brave/brave-browser/releases/tag/v1.47.186

Brave Browser v1.63.169 is now, also an archived Brave Browser stable release version, released March 5, 2024:

https://github.com/brave/brave-browser/releases/tag/v1.63.169

So, you recently updated from Windows OS 10 to Windows OS 11.


Having backed up your Brave Browser data, then you might . . .

Clear cache, cookies; exit / quit everything and restart your computer.

Then, install the Brave Browser stable release from:

https://github.com/brave/brave-browser/releases/tag/v1.76.82

Examine your Windows OS machine’s architecture:

https://pureinfotech.com/check-if-processor-arm64-x64-64bit-windows-11/

I suspect, that the installer for your computer, will be one of:

  • brave-v1.76.82-win32-arm64.zip
  • brave-v1.76.82-win32-x64.zip

You might study the “lost tabs” issues:

Lost 100+ tabs, need to recover them ASAP - #9 by Mattches

Browse tabs lost - #6 by Mattches


There are also reports, here at the Brave Community, that:

Sometimes, a Brave Browser user simply exits / quits everything and restarts their computing device . . . and some, or all, of what went missing, magically returns.

Sometimes, when a Brave Browser user encounters your issue, the user then clicks on a “Restore” button (if that appears, after some “glitch” or crash) . . . and sometimes that works . . . but sometimes that does not work.


omg, what kind of support is that? I dont need talk with bot. :face_with_symbols_on_mouth:

1 Like

@chbox

I was aiming for, whatever may be your multi- Windows OS platforms scheme . . .

Make sure that the important Brave Browser data is backed up on each Windows OS platform.

Make sure all Windows OS platforms have the latest Brave Browser stable release version installed.

Because Brave Support will want to know that such improvements are an already-accomplished basis, from which to start - in other words, this information will save Brave Support’s time spent, asking questions, trying to get answers from you.


Workspaces as a topic, may interest:

Worskpaces/Containers feature feedback

Workspaces in Brave

That second link, includes some extensions that you might find helpful - including, Tabs assistance.


I believe I’ve explained everything clearly. In brief, if I’m using two separate workspaces in Windows 11, each with Brave browser open, closing one of them causes Brave to forget the tabs that were open in that workspace. The developer could easily verify this issue in just 10 seconds.

To put it another way, Brave doesn’t seem to support Windows 11 workspaces properly. I want to be able to use the browser in both workspaces, each with its own distinct set of tabs, and when I close it in one workspace, I expect it to reopen in that same workspace with the same group of tabs intact.

@chbox

About the Brave Browser Memory and Energy Saver control switch - including the effect of the control re using Tabs:

Brave Support - Brave Help Center article, “How do I use the Memory and Energy Saver features in Brave?” ← I reposted that, at:

Cannot access inactive tabs - #2 by 289wk

Maybe, for some as-yet-unknown-reason, that feature effectively crosses over what are supposed to be barriers between virtual platforms, workstations, workplaces, workspaces?


The usage of the term “instance” (as used in a wide variety of reported issues, here at the Brave Community) may mean any of:

  • an open tab
  • an open window
  • a running process
  • an Internet browser user Profile
  • a Brave Browser stable release installation
  • a Brave Browser Beta release installation
  • a Brave Browser Nightly release installation
  • a ______ -type of workplace / workspace (there are many types)

A virtual platform may mean:

  • a virtual platform
  • a virtual workplace
  • a virtual workspace
  • a virtual workstation
  • a “virtual instance”

. . . again, depending upon who is doing the reading / writing.

Better to describe in specific details, for example:

I have a Windows OS 11 PC, on which, I have 3 virtual platforms - 1: VMWare, 1: Parallels, 1: Windows Virtual Machine.

Brave Browser v1.76.82 is on my Windows OS 11 PC, the browser is a system level (not a user level) installation.

On each of the 3 virtual platforms mentioned, I have Windows OS 11 installed.

On the VMWare platform, I have Brave Browser v1.76.82 installed - a system level intallation.

On the Parallels platform, I have Brave Browser v1.63.169 installed - a user level installation.

On the Windows Virtual Machine platform, I have Brave Browser v1.76.82 installed - a user level intallation.

Thus, I have 4 Brave Browser installations:

  • 1 BB installation on my Windows OS 11 PC platform
  • 3 BB installations, 1 each per virtual platform, of the 3 virtual platforms on my Windows OS 11 PC

I use multiple Tabs for each Brave Browser user Profile of each Brave Browser installation.

ISSUE / PROBLEM:

[ _ _ _ _ _ _ . . . ]


What are Windows workspaces https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/configure-multiple-desktops-in-windows-36f52e38-5b4a-557b-2ff9-e1a60c976434