Brave closes tab groups when you close the browser window because it treats them as temporary by default

Brave Browser does not save tab groups the way you might expect. When you create a group of tabs and then close Brave entirely, the group disappears. This happens because Brave's default setting is to treat tab groups as session-only — they exist only while the browser is open. The moment you shut down Brave, those grouped tabs are gone unless you have changed a specific setting beforehand.

This is different from how some other browsers handle tabs. Firefox and Chrome both offer options to restore your entire session, including tab groups, when you reopen them. Brave has this option too, but it is not turned on automatically, and even when it is, tab groups behave differently than individual tabs.

Key Takeaways

  • Tab groups in Brave are deleted when you close the browser unless you enable session restore in settings.
  • Enabling "Continue where you left off" under Settings > Startup will restore your tabs and groups when you reopen Brave.
  • Even with session restore on, Brave may still lose tab groups if the browser crashes or if you manually clear browsing data.
  • Pinning individual tabs within a group gives you a backup — pinned tabs always reappear when you restart Brave.
  • Tab groups are a browser feature, not a Brave-specific tool, so they work the same way across most modern browsers.

How to turn on session restore so tab groups stay

Open Brave and go to Settings (the three horizontal lines in the top right corner, then select Settings). On the left sidebar, click Startup. Under "On startup," you will see three radio button options. Select Continue where you left off. This tells Brave to reopen all your tabs and tab groups exactly as they were the last time you closed the browser.

After you change this setting, close Brave completely and reopen it. Your tab groups should now appear. If they do not, check that you actually selected the "Continue where you left off" option — the most common reason tab groups vanish is that this setting was never turned on in the first place.

Keep in mind that this setting applies to all your windows and tabs, not just grouped ones. If you have Brave set to open a specific homepage or set of tabs on startup, changing to "Continue where you left off" will override that behavior.

Why Brave's default is to delete tab groups

Brave's default behavior is to start fresh each time you open the browser. This is a privacy-focused choice — the idea is that if you close Brave, you are done with those tabs, and there is no reason to store them. Brave is designed around the principle that you should control what data persists on your computer, and session data (like open tabs) is one form of data that some users prefer not to keep.

This default is different from what many users expect, especially if they are coming from Chrome or Firefox, where session restore is often the default or is offered more prominently. Brave assumes you want a clean slate unless you tell it otherwise. Once you change the setting, Brave behaves like other browsers, but you have to make that choice yourself.

What happens if Brave crashes or you force-close it

If Brave crashes unexpectedly or you force-close it (for example, by using Task Manager on Windows or Force Quit on Mac), your tab groups may not be restored even if you have "Continue where you left off" enabled. Brave saves your session data when you close it normally, but a crash or force-close does not give it the chance to save.

Some browsers offer a "crash recovery" feature that can restore tabs after an unexpected close, but Brave's version of this is less reliable with tab groups specifically. If you lose tab groups frequently due to crashes, the most reliable workaround is to pin the most important tabs in each group. Pinned tabs are stored separately and almost always reappear when you restart Brave, even after a crash.

Clearing browsing data will erase tab groups

If you use Brave's "Clear browsing data" feature, you can accidentally delete your saved session, including tab groups. When you open the Clear Browsing Data menu (Ctrl+Shift+Delete on Windows, Cmd+Shift+Delete on Mac), make sure you do not have "Cookies and other site data" or "Cached images and files" checked if you want to keep your session. However, there is no separate checkbox for "session data" — Brave groups it with other temporary data.

The safest approach is to avoid using "Clear browsing data" if you have tab groups you want to keep. If you need to clear some data (for privacy or performance reasons), do it before you create important tab groups, or accept that you may lose them.

Tab groups are not unique to Brave — they work the same way everywhere

Tab groups are a feature built into most modern browsers: Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and Brave all have them. They work the same way across all these browsers — they are a way to organize multiple tabs visually by color and label, but they are not a permanent storage system. Tab groups are always tied to your current browser session.

If you need a more permanent way to organize and save collections of websites, consider using bookmarks or bookmark folders instead. Bookmarks are stored in your browser's data and will survive a restart. You can also use browser extensions designed for tab management, though these add another layer of software to maintain.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I save a tab group so it comes back every time I open Brave?

Not directly through tab groups themselves. Your best option is to enable "Continue where you left off" in Settings > Startup, which will restore your groups when you restart Brave. If you want a group to reappear every single time you open the browser, convert it to a bookmark folder instead — bookmark folders are permanent and will always be there.

Will tab groups sync across my devices if I sign into Brave?

No. Brave syncs bookmarks, passwords, and some settings across devices, but tab groups are not included. Tab groups are session-specific and stay only on the device where you created them. If you need the same collection of sites on multiple devices, use bookmarks instead.

What is the difference between pinning a tab and putting it in a group?

Pinning a tab makes it appear as a small icon at the left of your tab bar and keeps it open even if you close other tabs. Pinned tabs survive a browser restart. Tab groups are just a visual organization tool — they do not protect tabs from being deleted when you close Brave. You can pin tabs within a group for extra protection.

If I have "Continue where you left off" on, will my tab groups always come back?

Usually, but not always. A normal close and restart will restore them. However, if Brave crashes, if you force-close it, or if you clear browsing data, your groups may be lost. For critical tabs, pin them within the group as a backup.

Does Brave have a way to export or save tab groups?

Brave does not have a built-in export feature for tab groups. The only way to preserve a group is to convert it to bookmarks manually or use a third-party tab management extension. Some extensions let you save and restore tab groups, but they require you to install and trust additional software.