Discover How to Close Tabs Automatically on Apple Devices

Have you ever opened Safari, the web browser on your Apple device, and noticed lots of open tabs? There is a built in feature on iOS devices that allows you to have open tabs automatically close after a certain period of time. Having too many open tabs can sometimes slow down the device.

To see how many tabs you currently have open, tap on the Safari icon, which looks like a blue compass:

Screenshot of Safari icon

On an iPhone, tap on the two squares in either the top or bottom gray bar:

Screenshot of the library's home page on a mobile device with the double-square icon highlighted in the lower right

On an iPad, tap on the four squares icon on the top right:

Screenshot of the library's home page with the four-square icon highlighted in the upper right.

Once you tap either of those icons, you’ll see a screen that shows all of your open tabs and the total number of open tabs. On those screens, you can tap the little X in the corner of each tab preview to close that particular tab. When finished on this screen, tap done to return to the previous screen.

Screenshot of the individual mobile Safari windows with the number of tabs highlighted in the bottom center.
iPhone Display of Open Tabs
Screenshot of tablet view showing individual browser tabs with the "5 tabs" message highlighted at the top right.
iPad Display of Open Tabs

A long press (holding your finger down on the icon instead of a quick tap) on either of the icons mentioned above will give you more options, including the ability to close that specific tab or close all of your open tabs.

To have your device automatically close any open tabs after a set period of time, tap on Settings and then Safari. Scroll down to the tabs section and then tap on Close Tabs.

Screenshot of settings with the "Close tabs" option highlighted in the right pane.

You have the option to have Safari automatically close tabs after one day, one week, or one month. A blue check will be next to whatever option is set.

Screenshot of the next settings page where the length of time is selected.

Have you tried out this feature? Let us know in the comments.

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