Free fix

How to close all apps and restore them later on Mac

End the day with a clean Mac, and start tomorrow exactly where you left off — windows and browser tabs included.

Short answer

macOS can reopen windows after a restart, but has no way to close everything now and restore it later. MacFixes saves it all, closes it, and brings it back with one click.

Free in MacFixes.

What macOS gives you

When you restart or log out, “Reopen windows when logging back in” brings back what was open. Many apps reopen their own windows when they launch, unless “Close windows when quitting an application” is on in Desktop & Dock. Browsers have their own “continue where you left off”. There’s no single button that saves everything, quits it and restores it later.

How MacFixes fixes it

  1. 1
    Turn on the fix
    Open MacFixes Settings → Windows and turn on “Save & close everything” (or type its name into Search for a fix).
  2. 2
    Allow Accessibility and Automation
    Accessibility lets MacFixes see and place windows; each browser asks once so MacFixes can save its tabs.
  3. 3
    Save & Close, then Restore
    Click Save & Close Everything at the end of the day. Click Restore to reopen the apps, put windows back in their places and reopen browser tabs — or have it restore at login.
DownloadmacOS 14 Sonoma or later · free

Permissions, and turning it off

“Save & close everything” needs macOS’s Accessibility and Automation permissions. macOS asks you, and you allow each once.

  • Accessibility lets an app see and work the windows, menus and buttons of other apps, and click or type for you. You can see it, and take it back, in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility.
  • Automation lets an app send commands to one other app, such as asking Finder which folder is open. macOS asks separately for each app it talks to. You can see it, and take it back, in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Automation.

To stop using it, open MacFixes Settings → Windows and use the switch on the “Save & close everything” row.

Questions

Will I lose unsaved work?

No. Apps are asked to quit the way ⌘Q asks, so anything unsaved asks first, and nothing is ever force-quit. Apps still open afterwards are listed.

Which browsers’ tabs are saved?

Safari, Chrome, Brave, Edge and Arc. Firefox brings back its own tabs.

What about a call or a recording?

Apps using the microphone are left open by default, and you can add apps that should never be closed.

More fixes macOS doesn’t give you

Save and restore window layouts›Automatically quit apps you’re not using›Make Mac apps quit when you close the last window›

One of 47 fixes and 10 apps in MacFixes. Every fix · Every app · Something else your Mac won’t do? Request it.

Close all apps and restore them later with MacFixes

MacFixes has 47 fixes for things macOS gets wrong or leaves out. Add only the ones you want. This one is free. macOS 14 Sonoma or later.

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