Persistent Sessions: open all/some open tabs on another device

[Alc]

Currently open tabs on one device, which could number in the hundreds, can't be opened quickly on a second device unless they are saved as a Bookmark group and then opened on another device.

First, it would be helpful if we could transfer open tabs from one device to another with ease, without bookmarking the open tabs (which isn't possible unless done before you leave the first device).

Second, it would be helpful if we could resume a full session that we have had on one device, make changes (I.E. close some tabs, open new tabs), and then switch to another device and be able to resume the exact same session on the new device, reflecting all newly opened or since closed tabs.

To do this, I would suggest a way to save a "persistent session" for lack of a better term. This session can be opened/closed on multiple PCs, laptops or tablets, with the latest changes always being reflected each time it's accessed from another device.

I would advise caution with any solution which would simply transfer still-open tabs from one device to another as while it could be useful, it may be chaotic when returning to the original device as there may be duplicates or tabs which were closed on the second device but remained open on the first device which the user returns to. This would add a level of clean-up required each time the user moves to a device which had been used once before.

In my use of Firefox, I tend to have a large number of tabs open at once, effectively one large persistent session which covers several topics, with tabs split between: shopping, research (incl. rabbit-hole-research), online courses, news, and schedules of immediate importance (e.g. flights, stores or swimming halls).

I recently found myself needing to transfer all tabs to a laptop from my PC. The only quick solution I found, was to bookmark all open tabs (hundreds of them) and open them on the laptop. Thankfully the laptop did not have related tabs open. However, I find it impossible to merge the two sessions again, as it will create scores of duplicate tabs, and I will find when I return to the PC that many tabs remain which I have in fact finished with and closed on the laptop. The only interaction between the now two separate sessions between the PC and laptop is the "send tab to device" feature. While this is a useful feature, unfortunately I find I will finish with a topic on the laptop and send one or two key tabs to my PC for action later, only to later think better of it and wish I hadn't sent them as I will now need to close them on the PC. Once I get to the PC, I may not instantly recall this and waste time looking at the dozen new tabs I sent over the course of a week.

"Sync'd open tabs" options don't allow me to open the scores of open tabs on my PC on the laptop. I found myself opening them one-by-one, which isn't reasonable.

Regarding use of persistent sessions on devices with less memory (e.g. mobile phones) there may need to be some limit to how many tabs actively load up at once. I've seen great Mobile phone Firefox performance improvement over the last year or two, so I have no doubt the team can overcome any such challenge.

[msalman]

I want to restore/retrieve the same session that I have in my other devices.
For example I was in office and I have opened any number of web urls.
but today I am working fro home and need all that tabs so there should be a option to bring all tab in current login window you can say it sync.
even it should be manageable remotely that I can add/close any number of tabs

[jscher2000]

Currently, syncing open tabs is a "real time" operation, so if you shut down the other Firefox, I don't think you can see its tabs.

That said, my experience is limited: I haven't tried to sync tabs between two desktop installations of Firefox. For mobile tabs, in my Windows Firefox, when I open the "Synced Tabs" sidebar, I can see all the tabs open in my Android Firefox. As far as I can tell, this is a "read only" view and doesn't have all the features you mentioned.

[pjborowski]

It seems like Firefox delegated some of functionalities you mention to addons, like the following, recommended one: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/tab-session-manager

There also seems to be a functionality for selecting all of your tabs and another, for sending them to the device you'd like to have them on. I haven't tried it yet - check it yourself 🙂

[C0oo1D]

Accidentally deleted profile, without the possibility of recovery, even with Recuva (ramdisk + system restore point). Sync not restored only opened tabs/windows and plugins settings. Half of problem this possibility could solve, if it will be possible in future.

[OpenSourceFan]

Yes!   I wish the tabs I am using on each device & mobile would sync so that I could access all of them where ever I am.    The current system makes it way too hard to start going at whatever I was working in the office when I get home.

[Alc]

We need a session (or partial session, e.g. a group of the open tabs) to be somehow synchronised on multiple devices.

This is the only way forward I see which avoids the eventual chaos of tabs which you've closed on one device still being open on another.

[NOTyourProblem]

Device TABS session EXPORT

If u want me to use firefox . then i want to be able to restore a session from a device to another . For example i reseted my phone and i lost all my tabs . no way to restore them they went missing from desktop menu to . ..... also it's such a drag to open them one by one  ......no wonder u go down in market share

[MarySmith1]

I want to close one device and pick up where I left off on another device, and this is not possible with Firefox. It’s really frustrating. I’m signed into both devices, and have synced (so I can see bookmarks, history, etc is really synced), but when I open Firefox on my iPad, it doesn’t have the same tabs as my MacBook, and my iPad doesn’t have the toolbar with all my favourite websites pinned to it.  This is really a downfall on Firefox’s part. Once would expect the definition of sync to be “replica”. The Firefox browser on my iPad would be a twin replica of what I use on my MacBook. Please fix this. It is very frustrating. When I’m doing research, I have to open up all the tabs on my iPad that I had open on my MacBook!!!! And! There is no toolbar on my iPad Firebox browser.

[Jon]

(Note: similar ideas have been merged into this thread)

[Arvid]

Edge currently has a feature where a window counts as a session and can be "stored" and "restored" across different devices as well as shared with others. I would go as far as say that I would pay for a feature like that, that would essentially allow my tabs to sync between devices and if I close them on one they will also close on the other ones.