Session Buddy alternative: what to look for after losing sessions

If you are looking for a different session tool because your saved sessions were not there one day, recover first and switch second.

First, try to get your sessions back

1. Do not uninstall or "repair" the extension. Removing an extension deletes its stored data, and Chrome's repair prompt reinstalls it clean. Whatever is still on disk goes with it.
2. Quit Chrome completely and make a copy of your whole profile folder (table below) before trying anything else. Every later step is safer with that copy.
3. Do not run cleaner tools (CCleaner, "free up space" utilities) until you are done. They are a common cause of the loss in the first place.

• An empty list does not always mean the data is gone. Session Buddy publishes its own notes on data loss and recovery at sessionbuddy.com/data-reliability. Follow those first: they are written by the people who know the product.
• Look in the extension's settings for any backup or restore option, and search your Downloads folder for files you exported in the past.
• If your computer keeps backups, restore the extension's data folders in your Chrome profile from before the loss. Session Buddy's extension ID is edacconmaakjimmfgnblocblbcdcpbko.

If you use several Chrome profiles the folder is called Profile 1, Profile 2 and so on instead of Default. Open chrome://version and read the "Profile Path" line to be sure.

What actually prevents this

Every extension that stores data inside the browser profile shares the same weakness: the profile is a single point of failure. Browser bugs, disk cleaners, a full disk, a power cut during a write, or a storage migration in an update can all damage it. When you compare alternatives, these are the questions that matter:

• Does it keep versions, or one live copy? With versions, a bad save cannot replace a good one.
• Does it verify what it wrote? A save that is only half written should never be treated as valid.
• Does it put a copy outside the browser automatically? Manual export only helps if you remembered to do it last week.
• Can it restore on an empty profile? That is the situation you will actually be in.
• Is the storage format migrated and tested between versions? Updates are when most losses happen.

How Tabiary answers those questions

• Versions: every save is a new version; nothing is overwritten. Automatic versions are kept for 7 days, and sessions you save yourself until you delete them.
• Verified writes: a version only counts once it is fully written and its checksum matches.
• A copy outside the browser: export your whole history to a file at any time.
• Empty profile: import an export file into a fresh install.
• Updates: the storage format is versioned and each change ships with a tested migration.

Tabiary is a backup, not an organiser: it has no notes, tags or folders. It can run next to whatever you use to organise your sessions.