diff --git a/lisp/tab-bar.el b/lisp/tab-bar.el
index 61efa332e0b..f05596d5ed9 100644
--- a/lisp/tab-bar.el
+++ b/lisp/tab-bar.el
@@ -1393,6 +1405,53 @@ tab-bar-tab-post-select-functions
   :group 'tab-bar
   :version "30.1")
 
+(defcustom tab-bar-select-keep-windows-function #'tab-bar-select-keep-windows
+  "Function that keeps windows after selecting a tab.
+When a previously selected tab displayed a buffer that was later killed,
+this function defines what to do with the window that displayed that buffer
+after switching back to the previous tab.  By default, either a random
+buffer is displayed instead of the killed buffer, or the window gets deleted.
+However, with the help of `window-kept-windows-functions' it's possible
+to handle such situations better by displaying an information about
+the killed buffer."
+  :type '(choice (const :tag "No special handling" nil)
+                 (const :tag "Show placeholder buffers"
+                        tab-bar-select-keep-windows)
+                 (function :tag "Function"))
+  :group 'tab-bar
+  :version "30.1")
+
+(defun tab-bar-select-keep-windows (_frame windows)
+  "Display a placeholder buffer in the window with killed buffer.
+A button allows to restore a killed file buffer."
+  (dolist (quad windows)
+    (when (window-live-p (nth 0 quad))
+      (let* ((window (nth 0 quad))
+             (old-buffer (nth 1 quad))
+             (file (when (bufferp old-buffer)
+                     (buffer-file-name old-buffer)))
+             (name (or file
+                       (and (fboundp 'buffer-last-name)
+                            (buffer-last-name old-buffer))
+                       old-buffer))
+             (new-buffer (generate-new-buffer
+                          (format "*Old buffer %s*" name))))
+        (with-current-buffer new-buffer
+          (set-auto-mode)
+          (insert (format-message "This window displayed the %s `%s'.\n"
+                                  (if file "file" "buffer")
+                                  name))
+          (when file
+            (insert-button
+             "[Restore]" 'action
+             (lambda (_button)
+               (set-window-buffer window (find-file-noselect file))
+               (set-window-start window (nth 2 quad) t)
+               (set-window-point window (nth 3 quad)))))
+          (goto-char (point-min))
+          (setq buffer-read-only t)
+          (set-window-buffer window new-buffer))))))
+
 (defvar tab-bar-minibuffer-restore-tab nil
   "Tab number for `tab-bar-minibuffer-restore-tab'.")
 
@@ -1438,7 +1497,10 @@ tab-bar-select-tab
       (let* ((from-tab (tab-bar--tab))
              (to-tab (nth to-index tabs))
              (wc (alist-get 'wc to-tab))
-             (ws (alist-get 'ws to-tab)))
+             (ws (alist-get 'ws to-tab))
+             (window-kept-windows-functions
+              (delq nil (cons tab-bar-select-keep-windows-function
+                              window-kept-windows-functions))))
 
         ;; During the same session, use window-configuration to switch
         ;; tabs, because window-configurations are more reliable