How Do You Close an iPad App: What Most People Get Wrong

Ever feel like your iPad is getting a little cluttered? You’ve got Safari open with forty tabs, a half-finished email in Mail, and maybe a game of Slay the Spire paused in the background. Your first instinct is probably to "clean house" and swipe everything away. We’ve all been there. You double-tap or swipe up and start flicking those app windows into the abyss like you're playing a high-stakes game of digital frisbee.

But here’s the kicker: how do you close an ipad app correctly, and more importantly, should you even be doing it?

Most of us grew up on Windows or macOS where "closing" meant freeing up memory and making the machine go faster. On an iPad, the rules of the game are totally different. iPadOS is basically a tiny, genius librarian. When you move away from an app, the system doesn't keep it "running" in the traditional sense; it freezes it in time.

The "How-To" for Every iPad Model

Before we get into the "why," let’s make sure you actually know the physical motions. Apple has changed the hardware enough over the years that there isn't just one way to do this.

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iPads Without a Home Button (Face ID or Top Button Touch ID)

If you have a modern iPad Pro, an Air (4th gen or later), or the newer Minis, you don't have that big circular button at the bottom. You’re living the gesture life.

1. The Swipe-and-Pause: From any screen (even inside another app), place your finger at the very bottom edge where that little horizontal bar sits. Swipe up about halfway and—this is the part everyone misses—pause for a second.
2. The App Switcher: Once you pause, the "cards" will appear. These are your recently used apps.
3. The Flick: Find the app that’s annoying you. Swipe its preview card straight up and off the top of the screen. Poof. Gone.

iPads With a Home Button

Maybe you’re rocking the classic iPad 9th gen or an older Mini. You’ve got the physical Home button. It’s a bit more tactile.

1. The Double-Click: Give that Home button two quick, sharp clicks. Don't hold it, or you'll wake up Siri.
2. The Grid: Just like the gesture models, you’ll see the App Switcher pop up.
3. The Dismissal: Flick the app card upward to close it.

Honestly, if you're trying to close a bunch of apps at once, you can actually use two or even three fingers to swipe multiple cards up at the same time. It feels kinda like a pro move when you pull it off.

Why You Should Probably Stop Doing This

Here is the truth that usually shocks people: closing your apps constantly is actually bad for your battery life.

I know, it sounds counterintuitive. But experts like John Gruber of Daring Fireball and even Apple’s own software lead, Craig Federighi, have been banging this drum for years. When you "close" an app by swiping it away, you are removing it from the iPad's RAM (Random Access Memory).

The next time you tap that app icon, the iPad has to do a "cold start." It has to fetch all that data from the storage, rebuild the interface, and re-establish your login sessions. That takes a burst of CPU power and, consequently, a bigger bite out of your battery.

When you leave the app "open" (which is actually a state of suspension called "tombstoning"), it sits in the RAM doing virtually nothing. Waking it up from that state uses almost zero energy. It’s like the difference between waking someone up from a nap versus making them get out of bed, shower, and get dressed all over again.

When Closing an App is Actually Necessary

So, if it’s bad for the battery, why does the feature even exist? Because software isn't perfect. You should only really worry about how do you close an ipad app in three specific scenarios:

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• The App is Frozen: If you’re staring at a white screen or a button won’t click, the app’s internal "process" is stuck. Swiping it away forces it to reset.
• The Audio Loop: Sometimes a video or music app gets confused and keeps playing sound even after you've exited. That’s a valid reason to kill it.
• Privacy Concerns: If you’re looking at something sensitive (like a banking app or a gift you’re buying for someone in the room), you might want to flick it away so the preview doesn't show up in the App Switcher later.

A Note on iPadOS 18 and 19 Multitasking

If you've updated to the latest software, you might have Stage Manager turned on. This changes the vibe completely. Instead of a simple line of cards, you might see apps grouped on the left side of your screen.

To close an app in Stage Manager, you usually have to tap the three little dots (...) at the top of the window and select "Close" or "Minimize." But the "Swipe up from the bottom and pause" gesture still works as a universal "Get me to the App Switcher" command regardless of whether Stage Manager is active.

Myths That Just Won't Die

People often think their iPad is "slow" because too many apps are open. In reality, iPadOS is incredibly aggressive about memory management. If you open a heavy app like Adobe Premiere Rush or a 3D game, the system will automatically "kill" the background apps you haven't used in a while to make room. It does the cleaning so you don't have to.

Also, "Background App Refresh" is often confused with apps being "open." You can go to Settings > General > Background App Refresh and turn that off for specific apps. This stops them from checking for new emails or Instagram likes while you aren't using them, which actually does save battery without you needing to manually swipe them away every five minutes.

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Actionable Next Steps

If your iPad feels sluggish or you're worried about battery, don't just start swiping. Instead:

1. Check the Battery Culprits: Go to Settings > Battery. Scroll down and see which apps are actually using the most power. If you see "Background Activity" taking up 30% of your battery for an app you rarely use, that's the one you should manage.
2. Update Your Apps: Most "freezes" happen because of bugs. A quick trip to the App Store to hit "Update All" usually fixes the reason you wanted to close the app in the first place.
3. The Nuclear Option: If things feel truly broken, don't just close the app—Restart the iPad. Hold the Top button and either volume button until the power-off slider appears. This clears the system cache in a way that swiping an app card never will.

Stop micromanaging your App Switcher and let the iPad do its job. Your battery—and your thumbs—will thank you.