How to recover lost Session Buddy sessions

1. Stop, and don't uninstall

Uninstalling an extension makes Chrome delete its data, including every saved session. Reinstalling won't bring it back. Also avoid saving new sessions in Session Buddy until you've copied its data: new writes can overwrite what's left.

2. Find and copy the data folder

Session Buddy keeps its sessions in Chrome's IndexedDB storage, in folders named after its extension ID edacconmaakjimmfgnblocblbcdcpbko.

1. Open chrome://version and copy the Profile Path. It usually looks like this:
   • Windows: %LOCALAPPDATA%\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default
   • macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Google/Chrome/Default
   • Linux: ~/.config/google-chrome/Default
   If you use more than one Chrome profile, the last part is Profile 1, Profile 2 and so on.
2. Quit Chrome completely. On Windows, check the system tray: Chrome can keep running in the background.
3. In the profile folder, open IndexedDB. Copy these to a safe place outside the Chrome folder:
   • chrome-extension_edacconmaakjimmfgnblocblbcdcpbko_0.indexeddb.leveldb (the main database)
   • chrome-extension_edacconmaakjimmfgnblocblbcdcpbko_0.indexeddb.blob, if it exists

Now you have a copy of the current state, good or bad, and can try the fixes below without risking anything.

3. Restore from a Session Buddy backup

Session Buddy has a manual Backup and Restore in its gear menu, and since version 4.1 it also keeps automatic backups of its database. Open Session Buddy, go to the gear menu and look at the restore options first. If you ever downloaded a backup file, restore that. This is the easiest and most complete route.

4. Restore an older copy of the data folder

If you have a system backup from before the sessions disappeared, you can put the old database back:

1. From your backup, recover the two folders named above from a date when your sessions were still there. Windows: right-click the IndexedDB folder → Properties → Previous Versions, or use File History. macOS: open the folder and enter Time Machine.
2. Quit Chrome completely.
3. Rename the current folders by adding -backup to their names, so you can go back.
4. Copy the old folders in, with exactly the original names.
5. Start Chrome and open Session Buddy.

5. No backup? Recover what Chrome remembers

• Recently closed: press Ctrl+Shift+T (Cmd+Shift+T on Mac) repeatedly to reopen closed windows and tabs, newest first.
• History: Ctrl+H opens chrome://history. Search for a site or a word from a page title. Chrome keeps about 90 days.
• Other devices: if Chrome sync is on, the History page lists tabs open on your other computers and phones.
• Leftover files: some people have found fragments of old session URLs by opening files in the .blob folder with a text editor. It's a long shot, but it costs nothing on the copy you made.

Make sure it can't happen again

Whatever you use, keep a copy of your sessions outside the extension: export them to a file now and then, or use a tool that backs up on its own.

Tabkeep was built after exactly this kind of loss. Every save is a new version, so nothing is overwritten. Updates take a backup and check it before changing your data. Deleted sessions wait 30 days in the trash. With Pro, an encrypted copy also goes to your own Google Drive.