Add to Chrome — freeIncluded Automatically
You do not save pinned tabs separately; they are part of every session save.
Save Pinned Tabs, Restore Them Pinned
Pinned tabs are the handful you always want open: mail, calendar, the dashboard you live in. Zen Tabz includes them automatically when you save, and reopens them still pinned, so your essential tabs never drift back into the crowd.
Why pinned tabs are easy to lose, and how to stop
Pinned is a position, not a save
Pinning a tab shrinks it to the left of the tab bar and keeps it around while the window is open. What pinning does not do is store the tab anywhere durable. Close the window and, by default, the pinned state goes with it. Chrome can restore pinned tabs on startup only when the previous session is restored cleanly, and after a crash that recovery is not guaranteed.
What Zen Tabz does with pinned tabs
When you save a session, pinned tabs are captured along with everything else, and they keep their pinned status in the saved collection. Restore the collection and they reopen pinned, in the pinned position, next to the rest of the tabs you saved. You do not pin them again by hand.
- Pinned tabs are included automatically in a save, with no separate step.
- Saved pinned tabs restore in their pinned state, not as ordinary tabs.
- Pinned tabs travel with the session, so the whole arrangement comes back together.
Good for the tabs you never close
Mail, calendar, chat, a monitoring dashboard: these are the tabs people keep pinned precisely because they are always in use. Saving a session keeps them safe across restarts, crashes, and the end-of-day close, so the ritual of re-pinning everything each morning disappears.
Step-by-Step Guide
How to Save Pinned Tabs in Chrome
Keep your always-open tabs safe and restored as pinned.
1
Pin your essential tabs
Right-click a tab and choose Pin. Pinned tabs shrink to the left of the tab bar and stay open.
2
Install Zen Tabz
Add Zen Tabz to Chrome from the Chrome Web Store.
3
Save your session
Click the Zen Tabz icon and save your tabs. Pinned tabs are included automatically.
4
Restore later
Restore the collection and your pinned tabs reopen in their pinned state.
Pinned Tab Features
Pinned State Preserved
Restored pinned tabs come back pinned, in the pinned position.
Part of the Session
Pinned tabs stay with the rest of the window arrangement when you restore.
Survives Restarts
Saved pinned tabs are not lost when Chrome closes, updates, or crashes.
Free and Local
No account required, and your saved tabs stay in your browser by default.
Optional Sync
Enable encrypted cloud sync to restore the same pinned setup on another computer.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How do I save pinned tabs in Chrome?
- Pin the tabs you want to keep, then save your session with Zen Tabz. Pinned tabs are included automatically and restore in their pinned state.
- Do pinned tabs restore as pinned?
- Yes. Saved pinned tabs reopen pinned, in the pinned position, rather than as ordinary tabs.
- Why do my pinned tabs disappear when I close Chrome?
- Pinning keeps a tab open while the window is open, but it does not store it. Chrome can restore pinned tabs on startup only when the previous session is restored cleanly, and a crash can break that. Saving a session stores them durably.
- Is saving pinned tabs a separate step?
- No. Pinned tabs are captured as part of a normal session save, so there is nothing extra to do.
Never Lose a Pinned Tab
Save your session and your essential tabs reopen still pinned. Free for Chrome.
Works on Chrome 110+. No account required.