Session Buddy lost your sessions? How to get them back

Updated November 6, 2026 · 6 min read

Session Buddy 4 arrived on March 10, 2024 as what its developer called “a complete rewrite and a huge release” in the announcement. Within days, users on the same forum reported that sessions were gone after the automatic update, for example this thread about unnamed sessions. Sessions can also go missing later for other reasons: the developer has written that “browsers will sometimes clear extension data.”

The good news is that Session Buddy documents its recovery options well. Work through them in this order.

1. Look in History first

In version 4, Previous Sessions were replaced by a History feature. Many “lost” sessions are simply there. The v4 FAQ explains how to get to it: click the This browser tile in the navigation sidebar on the left, then the History button at the upper right.

2. Save what you have before changing anything

Session Buddy’s Preventing Data Loss page describes two commands you run in the developer console of the Session Buddy page. One downloads your current collections and history to a file; the other creates a diagnostics file you can send to support. Follow the exact steps on that page, then check that the downloaded file contains your data. After that, restart the browser and, if needed, the computer.

3. Restore from a backup file

If you ever made a backup file, restoring it is the quickest way back. According to Session Buddy’s Backup and Restore page:

1. Click the gear icon in Session Buddy and choose Restore.
2. Drag your backup file into the area shown.
3. Review what will be restored, then press Restore.

Search your Downloads folder and any cloud drive for older backup files first. A backup from last month is far better than nothing.

4. Check the automatic backup (version 4.1 and later)

The Preventing Data Loss page says automatic backups have been built in since version 4.1 to protect against corruption, and that they can lag by about 24 hours. If your data disappeared recently, the automatic backup may still have it. Follow the steps on that page, and contact Session Buddy support if you cannot find it.

5. If you moved from version 3 late, transfer the data by hand

Most people were migrated from version 3 automatically. The v4 FAQ notes that people who upgraded after Chrome 124 need to move their version 3 data manually, and the Restore v3 Data page has the steps. If your old collections are missing but newer ones are there, this is the likely reason.

6. Restore the data folder from a computer backup

If none of the above works and you back up your computer, the data folder itself can be restored. Session Buddy’s data location page says to look in your Chrome profile folder, inside IndexedDB, for:

• chrome-extension_edacconmaakjimmfgnblocblbcdcpbko_0.indexeddb.leveldb
• chrome-extension_edacconmaakjimmfgnblocblbcdcpbko_0.indexeddb.blob (if present)

To find your profile folder, type chrome://version in the address bar and read Profile Path. Quit Chrome, copy the current folders somewhere safe, then put back the versions from your Time Machine, Windows File History or other backup. Start Chrome and open Session Buddy.

What makes things worse

• Uninstalling or reinstalling the extension.
• Clearing browser data or running a disk cleaner before you have a backup.
• Opening Session Buddy in several tabs at once; its documentation links this with data corruption.

How to avoid the next loss

• Make backup files regularly from the gear menu, and keep them outside the browser.
• Include the data folders in your system backup. Session Buddy’s own guide suggests this.
• Keep a readable copy. Export your important collections as Markdown or HTML now and then. Our guide to backing up Chrome tabs to a file shows several ways.

Questions