How to Disable the “Reopen Last Browsing Session” Feature in Internet Explorer 8

Earlier we saw how to clear the last browsing session history in Internet Explorer 8 using CCleaner. There is a new GPO added which lets you disable the Reopen Last Browsing Session option. If you enable this policy setting, users will not be able to use the Reopen Last Browsing Session option from the Tools menu.

Method 1: Using the Registry Editor

1. Launch Regedit.exe and go to the following branch:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Software \ Policies \ Microsoft \ Internet Explorer \ Recovery

Note: The Recovery key does not exist by default. You need to create one manually.

2. Create a new DWORD value named NoReopenLastSession

3. Double-click NoReopenLastSession and set its value data to 1

4. Exit the Registry Editor.

Registry Fix

To automate the above, download noreopenlastsession.zip. Unzip and run the file noreopenlastsession.reg.

Method 2: Using the Group Policy Editor

1. Launch the Group Policy Editor (gpedit.msc) and go to:

User Configuration | Administrative Templates | Windows Components | Internet Explorer

2. Set Turn off Reopen Last Browsing Session to Enabled.

3. Exit the Group Policy Editor.

Editor’s Note: Note that enabling this Policy only disables the Reopen Last Browsing Session option in the Tools menu in Internet Explorer. However, Internet Explorer 8 still saves the last browsing session history (in two .dat files) regardless of this Policy setting.