Restore tabs after restart
Understand what ALLO can reopen after quitting, restarting, or updating the desktop app.
The desktop app tries to bring your workspace layout back
When you quit, restart, crash, or install an update, the desktop app attempts to restore open windows, tabs, and canvas tabs. This is meant to preserve your working context: dashboards, canvases, projects, settings pages, and other ALLO routes you had open.
Restore is best-effort. It is reliable enough for normal daily use, but it is not a substitute for saving important workflow state, finishing uploads, or keeping permanent links to critical work.
Availability
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Available on | macOS and Windows desktop app |
| Restores | App windows, app tabs, and many canvas tabs |
| Works after | Normal quit, restart, update, and some crash recovery |
| Does not override | Sign-out, permission changes, deleted work, expired links, or account switches |
What can restore
ALLO can reopen:
| Restored item | Example |
|---|---|
| Windows | A second ALLO window on another monitor |
| Route tabs | Home, Dashboards, Search, Billing, Settings, or project pages |
| Canvas tabs | Canvases opened inside the desktop app |
| Tab order | The tab arrangement from the saved desktop state |
| Active tab | The tab you were using when state was saved |
If the app update requires a restart, ALLO saves a snapshot before installation where possible and then restores it after the app reopens.
What may not restore
| What may not come back | Why |
|---|---|
| Unsaved modal input | The app may restore the page but not an in-progress dialog. |
| Checkout or payment step | Secure payment pages may need to be reopened. |
| Upload in progress | A refresh, restart, or crash can interrupt local upload state. |
| Work you no longer can access | Permissions, membership, or share links may have changed. |
| Deleted or archived work | The old tab can only show the new state. |
| A tab from the wrong account | Signing in as a different account changes what can open. |
| Very recent tab changes | If the app quit before local state saved, the last few seconds may be missing. |
If a restored tab shows an error, do not assume restoration failed. The tab may have restored correctly but the underlying work is now unavailable.
Normal quit and reopen
Quit ALLO normally when possible. On the next open, the desktop app should try to restore the previous layout. If you do not want old tabs, close them before quitting or close them after restore.
If you share a computer, sign out instead of relying on quitting. Restore can reopen tab titles and routes, while protected content still requires a valid session. Signing out is the safer choice on shared devices.
Restart after update
When ALLO shows an update prompt, choose Restart when you are ready. The app attempts to save the current windows and tabs, install the update, and reopen them. If the update changes app internals, a restored tab may refresh or reload as it opens.
For update behavior, see Update the desktop app.
Crash recovery
If the app or computer crashes, ALLO attempts to restore the last saved desktop state. Crash recovery depends on what had already been saved locally. If a tab opened seconds before the crash, it may not return.
After a crash, check whether recent edits synced by opening the canvas from Home, Recent, or Search. If work appears missing, use When work looks missing before recreating it.
Account and permission changes
Restore cannot bypass access controls. If you sign in with a different email, are removed from a workspace, lose dashboard access, or open a canvas after its share link was revoked, the restored tab may show an access error.
Use When you can't access work when restored tabs point to work you believe you should still access. Use When work is read-only if the tab opens but edit controls are disabled.
Recover tabs manually
If tabs did not restore:
- Check Home → Recent for recently opened work.
- Use Search for the canvas, project, dashboard, or file name.
- Open All Canvases, Shared with Me, Files, or Dashboards depending on the item.
- Check Trash if the item may have been deleted.
- Ask the owner to resend the link if it was shared externally.
If you use dashboards as a team home base, star or pin the important resources so they are easier to recover. See Dashboards overview and Connect resources to a dashboard.
Troubleshooting restore
| Symptom | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| No tabs restored | Restore state was unavailable, app was reset, or account changed | Reopen work from Home, Recent, Search, or links. |
| Some tabs restored but not all | Last state save missed recent tabs, or those tabs no longer have access | Reopen missing tabs manually and check permissions. |
| Restored tab shows access denied | Permission, membership, or share link changed | Use When you can't access work. |
| Restored tab is read-only | Your role changed or the item is view-only | Use When work is read-only. |
| App restores into a bad or blank state | Local app state may be damaged | Use Troubleshoot the desktop app. |
When to contact support
Contact support if restore fails after every restart, the app repeatedly restores a blank or broken state, or restored canvas tabs show errors that do not match actual permissions in the browser. Include your OS, whether the issue followed an update or crash, whether the browser can open the same work, and a support log bundle if requested.