u/Maleficent_Speech289 — reddlx

Hi everyone,

I’m using Zen Browser on Zorin OS (Linux) and ran into a frustrating issue today. When I opened the browser, it acted like a completely fresh install all my settings, tabs, and history were gone.

What I’ve done so far: Luckily, I had a backup of my Zen Browser profile folder. I went to about:profiles, created a new profile, and pointed it to my backup folder.

The Current Problems: While my data is back, the browser is behaving very strangely now:

Link behavior: When I click on links within a website, Zen opens them in a completely new window instead of a new tab.
Performance: Everything feels noticeably slower than before.
Stability: The general stability feels "off" or buggy, and I’m worried that more issues might pop up.

My questions:

Is it normal for Zen to suddenly "lose" or reset the default profile on Linux?
Did I make a mistake by just linking the backup folder via the about:profiles manager?
How can I fix the "new window instead of tab" behavior? Is there a specific config flag for this?
Is this a all normal?

I really love Zen and I’m trying to avoid switching back to Firefox or Chrome. If anyone knows the proper way to "re-link" or restore a profile folder so it works smoothly again, I’d really appreciate the help!

Thanks in advance!