I just updated my devices to 16.4. No problem with the iPhone but my iPad lost all its open tabs. And I need to re-open all 20 or 30 of them. I’ve done this in the past with no problem, but can’t seem to figure out how to do it now. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.
Are you certain that you closed all your tabs - and have not, perhaps, opened a new Safari Window? Each Safari Window has its own self-contained set of open tabs.
When you open Safari, you may see the Shelf at the bottom of the screen - within which you will see each of your open Safari Windows; simply tap the thumbnail corresponding with the Safari Window (with associated tabs) that you wish to view.
If you closed a Safari Window - and all associated tabs - you can reopen a Recently Closed Window…
Starting from a Home Screen, assuming that Safari is visible in the Dock, touch-and-hold (i.e., long touch) the Safari icon; an Action Menu will appear.
From the menu, select Show All Windows; you will now see a screen that closely resembles the Task Switcher - but you will only see preview windows for your open Safari Windows. At top-right (or top-left for iPadOS16) you will see the Reopen Closed Window(s) button.
You should note that the Reopen Closed Window(s) button allows you to reopen a window for a limited period of time. If left too long, you may have lost the opportunity to recover the closed window - and with it the tabs and related tab history.
If you have accidentally closed all you your open tabs associated with a Safari Window, this User Tip may be helpful in recovering your tabs. While I have not [yet] updated the document to reflect changes in iPadOS15/16 (having been written for an earlier version of iPadOS), much of it is still relevant - as are the outlined strategies:
iPadOS - Safari - Lost Windows, Lost Tabs… - Apple Community
Are you certain that you closed all your tabs - and have not, perhaps, opened a new Safari Window? Each Safari Window has its own self-contained set of open tabs.
When you open Safari, you may see the Shelf at the bottom of the screen - within which you will see each of your open Safari Windows; simply tap the thumbnail corresponding with the Safari Window (with associated tabs) that you wish to view.
If you closed a Safari Window - and all associated tabs - you can reopen a Recently Closed Window…
Starting from a Home Screen, assuming that Safari is visible in the Dock, touch-and-hold (i.e., long touch) the Safari icon; an Action Menu will appear.
From the menu, select Show All Windows; you will now see a screen that closely resembles the Task Switcher - but you will only see preview windows for your open Safari Windows. At top-right (or top-left for iPadOS16) you will see the Reopen Closed Window(s) button.
You should note that the Reopen Closed Window(s) button allows you to reopen a window for a limited period of time. If left too long, you may have lost the opportunity to recover the closed window - and with it the tabs and related tab history.
If you have accidentally closed all you your open tabs associated with a Safari Window, this User Tip may be helpful in recovering your tabs. While I have not [yet] updated the document to reflect changes in iPadOS15/16 (having been written for an earlier version of iPadOS), much of it is still relevant - as are the outlined strategies:
iPadOS - Safari - Lost Windows, Lost Tabs… - Apple Community
Restoring closed tabs
