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Steps to reproduce:

  • Open a private window
  • Open multiple tabs
  • Close a tab
  • Use cmd+shift+T to undo that
  • First press (of cmd+shift+T) opens a non-private window
  • Second press of cmd+shift+T opens the last non-private tab.

Expected behavior:

  • That the last closed private tab in the window is reopened, until the browser window is closed.

Firefox gives you Cmd+Shift+T reopning the last closed private tab in the window, until the window closes.
Orion is following Safari's behaviour, which maybe is a little more private, but also is inconvenient if you accidentally close a tab.

    For what it's worth, this is the same behaviour as Chrome. It might make sense to have this as a preference under the privacy section, so users can have the freedom to have it both ways.

    Yeah, this sometimes annoys me in Safari too, but this is how Safari developers have also decided to implement this. If a closed private tab could be restored and users weren't aware of it, I can see it potentially ending very badly… this could make sense as an option (I mean, being able to restore such tabs), but definitely not as a default.

      I use Firefox too and I would like this feature in Orion. It could be an option under Preferences > Privacy.

        Safari doesn't let you reopen closed private tabs either. I personally think you shouldn't have a way to reopen closed private tabs, and I think that adding such a feature would introduce security concerns (even if it is a setting you have to specifically enable).

          I guess it comes down to use-case. Would you remove the back/forward buttons in private mode?

          If your workflow is "new tab for everything", then in essence opening a tab is like clicking a link, and closing the tab is like clicking "back". If the data is held in RAM only, and not persisted, then you aren't likely to be significantly impacting the threat model for the user. If you weren't allowing back/forward in private mode, I think users would dislike it, but then you could illustrate a scenario where there's a new security concern introduced.

          From the perspective of "container tabs" that we've designed/talked about before, making "private browsing" usable will be important, as that enables the "disposable temporary container" in a more elegant way.

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