Reopen Closed Programs & Folders with Hotkeys

This guide shows you how to bring back a program or folder you just closed without hunting through menus or using the mouse. You’ll learn the built-in Windows and macOS hotkeys, plus how to set up a custom shortcut for the times when the default doesn’t go far enough. No extra software is needed on Windows; macOS users will use a free, built-in utility.

What You’ll Need

• A Windows PC (Windows 10 or 11) or a Mac (macOS 12 or newer).
• For macOS: the Automator app (comes free with the system) or knowledge of System Settings shortcuts.
• For Windows: no additional tools are required for the built-in methods.

Step-by-Step

Windows: Reopen the Last Closed Folder in File Explorer

1. Open any File Explorer window (Win + E).
2. Press Ctrl + Shift + T. This reopens the most recently closed folder in a new tab or window. If you closed multiple folders, press the combination repeatedly to restore them in reverse order.
3. If you closed a folder while File Explorer was already open, the restored folder appears as a new tab (Windows 11) or a new window (Windows 10).

Windows: Reopen a Closed Program (Not a Folder)

1. There is no universal built-in hotkey to reopen a closed application like Word or Chrome. The closest is Ctrl + Shift + T inside most browsers, which restores the last closed tab, not the whole program.
2. To reopen a program you closed, use the Win + T shortcut to move focus to the taskbar, then use arrow keys to select the program’s icon and press Enter. This only works if the program is still pinned to the taskbar.
3. If the program is not pinned, you can press Win, type the program name, and press Enter. That’s not a hotkey for reopening, but it’s the fastest keyboard-only method.

Windows: Create a Custom Hotkey to Reopen a Specific Program

1. Right-click on the program’s desktop shortcut (or the .exe file) and select Properties.
2. In the Shortcut tab, click the Shortcut key field.
3. Press the key combination you want to use, for example Ctrl + Alt + N. Windows automatically adds Ctrl + Alt, so you only type the letter or number.
4. Click OK. Now pressing that combination will launch the program (or reopen it if it’s closed).

macOS: Reopen the Last Closed Window (Any App)

1. Open the app whose window you closed (e.g., Finder, Safari, Notes).
2. Press Cmd + Shift + T. This reopens the last closed window of that app. In Finder, it restores the last closed folder window.
3. If you closed multiple windows, keep pressing the combination to reopen them in order.

macOS: Reopen a Closed Program Entirely

1. If you quit the app (Cmd + Q), Cmd + Shift + T won’t work because the app isn’t running.
2. Press Cmd + Tab to cycle through open apps. If the app is not there, you need to relaunch it. The fastest keyboard way is Cmd + Space to open Spotlight, type the app name, and press Enter.
3. To make a specific app reopen with a hotkey, you can create a simple Automator service (see below).

macOS: Create a Hotkey to Reopen a Specific App (Automator)

1. Open Automator (from Applications or Spotlight).
2. Choose New Document and select Quick Action (or Service in older macOS).
3. Set “Workflow receives” to no input and select any application.
4. In the left library, search for Launch Application and drag it into the workflow.
5. From the dropdown, select the app you want to reopen (e.g., Safari).
6. Save the Quick Action with a name like “Reopen Safari”.
7. Go to System Settings > Keyboard > Keyboard Shortcuts > Services.
8. Find your Quick Action under General, click the shortcut area, and press your desired combination (e.g., Cmd + Shift + Option + S).
9. Now that hotkey will launch the app if it’s closed, or bring it to the front if it’s already running.

Common Mistakes

• Using Ctrl + Shift + T outside a browser or File Explorer: It only works in those contexts. In Word or Excel, it does nothing.
• Expecting Cmd + Shift + T to reopen a quit app on macOS: It only reopens windows of an app that is still running. If the app is fully quit, use Spotlight or a custom hotkey.
• Setting a shortcut that conflicts with an existing system shortcut: For example, assigning Ctrl + Alt + Delete is impossible. Windows will refuse or override.
• Forgetting to save the Automator service: If you don’t save, the shortcut won’t appear in System Settings.

Tips

• In Windows, Ctrl + Shift + T also works in many browsers (Chrome, Edge, Firefox) to restore closed tabs, which is handy if you closed a tab that pointed to a folder path.
• On macOS, you can set a hotkey to reopen the last closed window of any app using the Cmd + Shift + T default, but you can also assign a custom shortcut in System Settings > Keyboard > Shortcuts > App Shortcuts if you want a different combination.
• If you frequently close and reopen the same folders, consider pinning them to Quick Access in Windows or Favorites in Finder. Then you can press Win + E and click, or use Cmd + Shift + F in Finder to jump to Favorites.
• For Windows, you can use Win + number (e.g., Win + 1) to launch or switch to the first pinned taskbar item. If the app is closed, it launches it; if it’s running, it switches to it. This is a fast way to reopen a program without a mouse.

Troubleshooting

• Ctrl + Shift + T doesn’t reopen the folder I closed: Make sure you are in File Explorer (not on the desktop). Also, if you closed the folder by clicking the X on a tab, it may not be restored if you’ve since opened many other tabs. Try pressing it a few times.
• My custom hotkey doesn’t work: On Windows, check that the shortcut doesn’t conflict with a system key. Try a different combination like Ctrl + Alt + Shift + letter. On macOS, ensure the Automator service is enabled in System Settings > Privacy & Security > Automation (grant permission if prompted).
• Cmd + Shift + T does nothing in Finder: This can happen if the Finder window was closed by quitting Finder entirely. You can relaunch Finder by holding Option and right-clicking the Finder icon in the Dock, then selecting Relaunch. After that, the shortcut should work again.
• Windows shortcut opens a different program: If you assigned a shortcut to a program and it opens something else, the shortcut may be taken by another app. Right-click the shortcut, go to Properties, and change the key.
• Automator service doesn’t show up in System Settings: Make sure you saved the service with a name. Then restart System Settings or log out and back in. Sometimes it takes a moment to index.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I reopen a program that was closed with Task Manager?

No hotkey can do that. Task Manager force-closes the process, so there’s no “last closed” record. You’ll need to relaunch the program manually.

Does Ctrl + Shift + T work in all Windows programs?

No. It only works in File Explorer and most web browsers. In other apps, it may do nothing or trigger a different function (like reopening a tab in an IDE).

Is there a way to reopen multiple closed folders at once?

On Windows, you can press Ctrl + Shift + T repeatedly to restore folders one by one, but there’s no “restore all” hotkey. On macOS, Cmd + Shift + T also restores one window per press.

Can I set a hotkey to reopen the last closed window of any app on macOS?

Yes, the system-wide shortcut is Cmd + Shift + T, but it only works if the app is still running. If the app was quit, you need to relaunch it first.

What is the fastest way to relaunch a program without a mouse?

On Windows, press Win, type the first few letters of the program name, and press Enter. On macOS, press Cmd + Space, type the name, and press Enter.

Will my custom hotkey work after a reboot?

Yes, on both Windows and macOS, custom shortcuts persist across reboots as long as the shortcut file (Windows .lnk) or the Automator service remains in place.

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