A OneTab alternative that backs up your tabs automatically
Keep every window, tab and tab group recoverable without clicking anything, and bring your OneTab list with you.
OneTab is a popular way to tidy up: it turns your open tabs into a list and closes them to free memory. That's great for decluttering. It's a different job from protecting the tabs you're still working in, and many people end up wanting both a list of saved links and a safety net for when Chrome crashes or a window closes.
Workspace Recovery Vault is that safety net. It doesn't close anything. It quietly saves restore points of your open windows, tabs, pinned tabs and tab groups while you work, and it can import your OneTab list so nothing you've saved gets left behind.
OneTab and Workspace Recovery Vault compared
| OneTab | Workspace Recovery Vault | |
|---|---|---|
| Main job | Collapse open tabs into a list to save memory | Keep a recoverable history of your open workspace |
| Saves automatically | No, you click to send tabs | Yes, every 5 minutes and after changes |
| Closes your tabs | Yes | No |
| Keeps windows, pinned tabs and tab groups | Saves links in groups | Yes, restored as they were |
| Go back to how things looked days ago | No | Yes, 7 days free, up to 1 year with Pro |
| Preview what's missing before restoring | No | Yes |
| Checksum-verified saves | No | Yes |
| Encrypted backup file | No | Yes |
| Imports OneTab lists | n/a | Yes |
How to move your OneTab list into the Vault
- Click the OneTab icon to open your OneTab page, then choose Export / Import URLs.
- Select all the text in the export box and copy it.
- Paste it into a plain-text file and save it with a
.txtending. On a Mac, use TextEdit and choose Format → Make Plain Text first. On Windows, Notepad works. - Open Workspace Recovery Vault, click Import backup, and pick the file.
- Each OneTab group becomes a window in a single imported restore point. Preview it, then recover all of it or just the tabs you want.
Your OneTab data isn't changed. The Vault only reads the file. Imported restore points are kept until you delete them, even on the free plan.
Can I use both?
Yes. Plenty of people keep OneTab for parking links and run the Vault in the background as crash protection. The Vault only records tab addresses, titles and window organisation, stores them in your Chrome profile, and doesn't inject anything into websites.
Questions
Is Workspace Recovery Vault a good OneTab alternative?
If what you want is protection against losing tabs to a crash, update or closed window, yes. It saves your open windows, tabs, pinned tabs and tab groups automatically and lets you restore any of them. If you mainly want to close tabs to save memory, OneTab does that job and the Vault doesn't.
Can I import my OneTab tabs?
Yes. Export your list from OneTab's Export / Import URLs page, save it as a .txt file, then use Import backup in the Vault. Each OneTab group becomes a window you can restore.
Will importing delete anything from OneTab?
No. The Vault only reads the file you choose. Your OneTab list stays as it is.
Is it free?
Yes. Automatic restore points, 7-day history, recovery preview, search, and import and export are free with no time limit. Imported sessions are kept until you delete them.