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How to Get Rid of Split Screen on an iPad

Getting out of split screen can be confusing at first

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What to Know

• Drag the divider to the left or right to easily get out of split screen.
• Hide floating apps by converting them to split screen and dragging the divider left or right.
• Split screen can also be completely disabled in Settings .

This article covers how to get out of split screen on an iPad, how to close and hide floating windows, and how to disable the split screen feature altogether.

How to Close Split Screen on iPad

It can be frustrating if you've started using split-screen on your iPad or you've accidently gotten into split screen, and can't figure out how to get out of it. Don't stress. Here's how to get back to using your iPad normally.

With two apps open on the screen, you should see a black divider bar.

Tap and hold that bar and slide it left or right, depending on whether you want to close the left or right app. In the example below, Chrome will take over the additional half of the screen where the app Nebo is active.

At the edge of the screen, release the bar and you'll be returned to fuel screen view.

How to Close a Floating Window on iPad

If you pull an app out of the dock and place it on top of the window you already have open, rather than opening in split screen, it will open as a floating window. The easiest way to get rid of the floating window is to convert it to split screen and then close it.

If you try to drag a floating window to the right or left side of the iPad, rather than closing, the window will just be hidden. If you truly want to close the app, you'll need to follow the instructions below.

Tap and hold the center button on the floating screen, then drag it down toward the bottom of the screen.

When the floating screen tries to merge into a split screen view, release it.

Then drag the split screen divider to the right or left to close the desired screen.

How to Disable Split Screen on iPad

If you don't use split screen on your iPad and you ended up there accidentally, you may find the feature a bit frustrating. Or if split screen just isn't something you see yourself using all that often and you don't see the need to leave it enabled, you can disable split screen completely so you don't end up getting into split screen (or a floating window) accidentally..

Open Settings and tap Home Screen & Dock . You'll find it in the General settings group.

On the Home Screen & Dock page, tap multitasking .

Then on the Multitasking page, toggle Allow Multiple Apps off (the toggle will turn gray).

Now you don't have to worry about getting stuck in split screen mode again.

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How to Enable and Disable Split Screen on an iPad

Last Updated: June 2, 2022 Tested

This article was co-authored by wikiHow Staff . Our trained team of editors and researchers validate articles for accuracy and comprehensiveness. wikiHow's Content Management Team carefully monitors the work from our editorial staff to ensure that each article is backed by trusted research and meets our high quality standards. The wikiHow Tech Team also followed the article's instructions and verified that they work. This article has been viewed 372,723 times. Learn more...

This wikiHow teaches you how to open two apps or two Safari tabs, side by side, on an iPad. This feature, known as "Split View," only works on iPad Air 2, Pro, Mini 4 (or newer) running iOS 10 (or newer). [1] X Research source

Opening Two Apps Side by Side

• If another app automatically opens into the right pane, swipe down from the top of the right pane to close the app and see the display of app options.

• Not all apps are compatible with "Multiple Apps." Only compatible apps will appear in the scrolling display.

• To change the app in the right pane, swipe down from the top, then select a new app from the scrolling display.
• To close the "Multiple Apps" display, tap and hold the gray slider between the two panes, and drag it in the direction of the app you'd like to close.

Viewing Two Tabs in Safari at the Same Time

• Alternatively, drag an open browser tab from the top of the Safari window to the right side of the screen. Doing so will launch "Split View" and open the tab in its own pane.
• To close "Split View", tap and hold the tab manager button in the lower-right corner of either browser pane. Then tap Merge All Tabs to open the tabs in both panes in a single window, or tap Close Tabs to close the pane entirely and expand the remaining window to full screen.

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Troubleshooting, how to turn off split screen in safari for ipad exiting safari split screen in ipados.

Safari for iPad offers a nice Split Screen View feature that allows you to view and read two websites side-by-side in the Safari browser, visible when the iPad is oriented in horizontal landscape mode. While entering into Safari Split Screen view on iPad is pretty easy, many users find that exiting and closing Split Screen View in Safari on iPad is less than obvious. This leads some iPad users to be thoroughly confused by Safari split screen mode on their tablet and think it’s either stuck enabled or can’t be escaped from, but rest assured you can close Safari Split View and leave the split web browsing mode fairly easily.

This tutorial will show you how to exit out of Safari split screen view on the iPad, which effectively turns it off. We’ll also show you how to close out of tabs that are in Safari Split View, and also discuss how to stop the iPad screen from splitting into two screens in Safari when it the device is rotated from portrait to landscape orientation.

How to Exit Safari Split View on iPad by Merging Safari Split Screen

Assuming you’re currently in Safari Split Screen View mode with two Safari panels open side by side on the iPad, here is how you can merge the two Safari split screens into a single Safari screen again. This effectively leaves Safari Split View and turns it back into a single browsing panel:

• From Safari Split Screen view on iPad, tap near the top of Safari or pull down to reveal the URL bar and Safari navigation buttons *
• Tap and hold on the Safari Tabs button, it looks like two overlapping squares and will be in the corner of the Safari window (in Safari Split View you will see two of these, you can tap and hold on either)

• From the pop-up menu, choose “Merge All Tabs” to merge the Split Screen View windows in Safari into a single screen

Once you merge the tabs, the Safari Split Screen window will be closed and you’ll be back to a regular single Safari browsing view on iPad.

You can also choose “Close All Tabs” if you don’t want to keep the tabs open in Safari split screen, which will also exit out of Safari Split View on iPad by closing the tabs in the split panel you chose.

This is the simplest way to exit Safari Split Screen mode, which is also about as close as iOS gets to turning off Safari Split Screen and disabling the feature (until it’s used again anyway).

Nonetheless there are other way stop escape out of Safari Split Screen by closing the tabbed windows in a Safari split screen panel.

* Note all approaches to exiting Safari Split Screen mode on iPad rely on showing the Safari back and forward navigation buttons first, as they must be visible on screen to access the other options.

How to Close Safari Split Screen View on iPad by Closing Tabs

If you want to close the tabs that open in Safari Split View as well, you can also exit and leave Safari Split View by specifically closing all the tabs that are open in the Split View panel of Safari.

• From Safari Split View on iPad, tap the URL / address bar at the top of the screen to reveal Safari navigation buttons and the tab bar
• Tap on the tiny faint grey “(X)” button in Safari to close that Safari tab

• If multiple tabs are open in the Safari split screen view, repeat and tap on the other tiny light grey “(X)” buttons until all tabs are closed on the split panel you want to close

The close tab button in Safari Split View can be difficult to find, not only because it’s quite small and being a light faint grey color, but also because it’s not visible unless the broader Safari navigation options are visible as well.

How to Stop Safari Screen Splitting in Two on iPad When Rotated

The only way to stop Safari from splitting into two screens when the iPad is rotated is to exit and leave Safari Split View mode on the iPad.

To accomplish that, you can use either set of instructions detailed here on this page, either by merging the tabs and closing Safari Split Screen View on iPad, or by manually closing the Safari Tabs that are open in one of the split view panels.

After you have closed and exited out of Safari Split Screen, if you rotate the iPad from vertical portrait to horizontal landscape orientation when in Safari, Safari will no longer split the screen on iPad.

How to Turn Off Split Screen Safari on iPad?

You might be asking yourself how to turn off and disable the Safari split screen feature in iOS for iPad. There is currently no way to disable Safari Split View feature on iPad.

Because you can not turn off Safari Split Screen on iPad, you’ll instead find that the only way to disable Safari Split View on iPad is to close out of it as outlined on this page, and then not use or enter into the Safari Split Screen feature again.

The inability to disable Safari Split Screen View mode differs from the broader ability to disable multitasking on iPad in general, but note that if you disable iPad Multitasking you will find that turning that feature off has no impact on Safari Split View mode, and the Safari Split Screen feature persists. So again, if you don’t like Safari Split Screen mode, exit out of it and don’t use it again.

Undoubtedly some of the confusion about exiting and leaving Safari Split Screen View could be alleviated by at least making the exit process similar to when using Split Screen View multi-tasking on iPad in general where you can simply grab the vertical separating line and drag it to the edge of the screen to close out. But for now, that’s not the case, perhaps down the road iOS Safari will have a more obvious approach to using split screen web browsing, but until then (if ever) just use the tips outlined above to close out of split browsing mode on Safari for iPad, or to avoid it in the first place. And maybe down the road Safari Settings will have an option to disable and turn off Safari Split Screen on iPad as well, time will tell!

Did the steps above help you to close and exit out of Safari Split View on the iPad? Do you have any helpful tips or tricks for exiting Safari Split Screen on iPad? Do you know of any secret trick to disable and turn off Safari Split Screen View on iPad? Share with us in the comments below!

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Related articles:

• How to Split Screen on iPad to Run Two Apps Side-by-Side
• How to Use Split View in Full Screen with Mac OS
• How to Use Split View Multitasking on iPad with iOS 10 & iOS 9
• How to Split Screen on Mac

40 Comments

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This is an example of why I can’t stand Apple products. The user design is absolutely terrible. As others have said, it should not take an article like this to explain, and even after reading it, I still can’t get my 85 year old father’s split screen exited because the controls this article shows in their screen shots do not appear on his ipad. Good riddance Apple I’m sticking with Ubuntu.

Apple has sucked worse every year since Jobs died. Why TF does Safari open every time I touch an image too long? I hold an image in Amazon so it will zoom in but this POS ipad thinks I want to open a new safari window that will delete all my other open safari tabs. Who wants this shitty feature? I can’t imagine when I would ever want that to happen. If I want to open something in Safari, I could cut and paste it.

All I do is double click on the home button. This will take you to a screen that shows everything open on your iPad. Slide finger up on the offensive split screen and it disappears. Then click on the web page you were last on and it comes up without the split screen.

If safari was so obvious to use it wouldn’t take a 5 page article to explain how to remove the split screen. Safari is garbage. Not designed for people who want a simple tool without obtuse, inexplicable features. I got rid of the split screen by f’ing around and swiping up. I can’t explain it. Somehow I got the second screen to float somehow, sort of like when all open apps are displayed when the home button is double-tapped. Then I swiped it up like an app I want to close and IT’S GONE. I was so pissed I thought I’d have a stroke

Didnt work. Step 1 to step 2 doesn’t bring up the symbols you are showing on my ipad. I hate ipads. I can’t even get step one to work: “From Safari Split Screen view on iPad, tap near the top of Safari or pull down to reveal the URL bar and Safari navigation buttons” does nothing even close to this on our ipad.

I have never entered into this view intentionally and am not actually sure how to enter it intentionally. But every time I managed to get out of it, the very next time I started up safari, all my previously opened tabs are gone. This is an extremely irritating feature especially when I was working with numerous open tabs and then suddenly, unexpectedly …

However, I never realized that holding that icon opened up a context menu.

The solution is stop using Safari. The bonus is you don’t have a “share” button filled with garbage you don’t use, get rid of previews and get a far more streamlined and intuitive interface.

Apple Marketing is beyond hope. Not using the installed apps gets rid of a lot of the insanity.

This is really pissing me off. Third time it’s happened and I can’t remember how to get it off. What would you do this?!

P, here is an article telling you exactly how to escape out of Safari Split Screen mode on iPad and how to turn it off:

https://osxdaily.com/2018/08/18/how-exit-safari-split-screen-ipad/

My wife was scrolling through Safari pages and this split view randomly happened. Took ages to find what was causing this.

Totally unbelievable that this option cannot be set off.

Time to dump Safari and use a different browser.

If only if it were that simple. You don’t even have to be I Safari. I don’t use it and still get a floating window that is hard to get rid of popping up randomly

I know right? Stupidest most annoying feature ever

Brave works great. I HATE when the “geniuses” at apple mess with stuff like this and say “oh, you only need to do this, then this, and this, this too, and one more thing to get out of the ignorantly installed, unwanted feature you can’t modify, turn off or otherwise control.”

I keep opening these damned little 1/4 windows with stray touches on the screen on ads, or hyperlinks – my DOG even opened one by sniffing the screen.

I’ve been using Safari for over 15 years, I’m done.

Using Brave on my desktop for several years, I’m done with Safari.

This last, newest, greatest feature” was the LAST iteration I’m going to deal with.

Linux isn’t far beyond this…

Thank you! So much more effective than saying rude words about the device.

iOS is getting more and more confusing when these cumbersome functions like split screens and even more new stuff like floating popup windows that are not even covered by this article keep being implemented.

Maybe it is about time Apple introduces a Setting, like the first one in General, Steve Jobs mode on/off.

This way the legacy of Jobs will remain respected: an interface that do not need a user manual for most of us!

The small percentage of geeks can turn this setting off and have fun with all those wonky new stuff that they so much enjoyed creating and prevent to bother the majority of the users that just want a clutter-free interface that they can rely on.

OMGFG. I found my tribe. Thannk you for flagging this. who the **** asked for this split screen thing. It’s not even intuitive to close out of it – I’ve been searching for the last 30 mins lookoing for a soln

Thanks! I had a lot of trouble finding how to do this, and this worked! However, there was a lot of fluff to get to the actual instructions (I already knew I had a split screen and didn’t need an explanation of why I wanted to turn it off.). But a very helpful article.

Many thanks to Apple for adding “features” that no one asked for, and then making us jump through no end of convoluted hoops to turn this stuff off.

Thank you!!!!! Been going nuts here! And no other site has been helpful, glad to be back in single screen again. This happens periodically, and how i get in and out of split screen has historically been a mystery. And Evan Huang is correct. Miss Steve Jobs and his oversight.

Yes! Teddy M said it well. Thanks to osxdaily for a clear, effective explanation and fix. Walt Raleigh

I need help activating the feature to get 4 screens on my iPhone….or is this scheduled for the next iOS update.

Thank you, Thank you, Thank You! On various solutions to my problem, no one was as informative and thorough as you were with your perfect solution. Their solutions failed (by not providing a thorough explanation) and yours worked simply and beautifully. Osxdaily.com is the best! Thanks Again, Teddy M

I use split screen 5-6 days a week to update spreadsheet data on my Pro 10.5”. I have no issues using it. My biggest gripe is that it seems only Apple apps work in split screen mode, where 3rd party apps all want the full screen. Why doesn’t Apple make this a requirement? It would greatly enhance the user experience. Just one of a bunch of things I’d like to b*tch about with Cupertino.

The article is useful, but leaves out one basic detail. This is not a feature for all devices. I found the Apple guide and it clarified which devices the split screen feature works on. I have an older iPad Air and the feature does not work.

There is an easy way to handle split screens: just move the tabs around. This way, you can change the order of the tabs in one window or you can move them to a second window or back into the first:

If you have several tabs open in Safari on iPad and want one of them appear in a split window, just hold the tab and drag it to the right or left side of your screen until it appears in its own window.

And if you want the tab to reappear in the first window, hold the tab again and drag it back. If it is the only tab in the second window, this window will close automatically.

I don’t even have the option to split the screen and my software is up to date!

Rotate iPad into sideways mode.

Then hold a link in Safari, then choose “Open in Split View”.

That’s how you open in Split Screen Safari on iPad. Hidden, like many other iOS features.

There’s another easy way to use split view: simply move the tabs! If you have several tabs open, you can change their order by just holding a tab and moving it to its new position. If you move it tho the far right or far left, it goes into a new split window. To close the split window, just drag the tab (or all tabs) back into the other window.

I never use unless it’s by mistake. I close it promptly.

I don’t see any use for it.

What would be useful would split screens for the apps.

Either Safari and an app, or two apps or a single app appearing twice. I could see real value there.

But the third party people have no interest in doing it. Just a costly venture.

Last time I used split screen it took me 5 minutes to look up how to enable it and 15 on how to turn it off. That was around Christmas time last year. It’s now August.

Agree with above, it shouldn’t require a multi step tutorial to use.

Absolutely right on! Who was the stupid idiot who came up with this split manure on mobile devices. Probably the same un- genius that created the character counter when sending character limited message that required a microscope or the vision of Superman. I don’t want or need a split screen anything on my iPhone or iPad. If I wanted to view more than one screen I would go to my desktop MacPro and its 27” screen. I don’t want any such crap on my iOS DEVICES!!! I pity the poor soul who inadvertently triggers this on an iPhone or small/mini iPad. Take that un-genious out of the building, stand them against a wall and have them shot!

So very well said! I fully agree, totally 100%! My suggestion is to overload Apple with a feature request: Settings > Safari > Split screens on/off (off by default)

Couldn’t agree more! Rant on. Maybe Apple is listening, though I doubt it.

Well that sure makes sense… to leave Safari split browser, you have to rotate the iPad to the sideways mode, then do a magic tap swipe type gesture on just the right part of the screen so that you can see some buttons that don’t look like buttons, then long tap and hold on some thing that doesn’t even look like a button, to reveal a hidden menu that nobody would know was there if they didn’t know to leave their finger stuck on a couple of squares for a few seconds. Good grief! It just works!

I appreciate learning how to do this, but this should not need a tutorial. It’s a web browser. Web browsing should be easy. iOS is supposed to be easy. None of this is easy, because guesswork is not easy.

Think about how much easier it is to close a web browser window, or put two side to side on Mac. Think about how easy that is on Windows. Then think about that experience on iPad.

And don’t even get me started on iPad multitasking, the most confusing experience ever imagined on any computer platform. There is nothing intuitive about iOS anymore, it’s all a guessing game. Things don’t look like buttons. Some text is a button some text isn’t. Things are hidden behind Magic Gestures and pulls and swipes and hard pushes and long presses. The entire iOS experience is confusing, nothing like what iOS was under Steve Jobs and Scott Forstall when it was obvious and intuitive.

Gosh Golly, that’s a rant!

The whole iOS interface is confusing. Try and explore general multitasking like slide over, split screen, video hover, the dock, the new paneled screen of tiled apps for app switching, it is all so confusing that me, someone who has been an advanced computer user for 30 years needs to look up how to do stuff. There is no discovery in iOS, there is no obvious indicator about what does what in iOS, or where, or how. Everything is a mystery behind a mystery.

I will go ahead and say that I think iOS is the most confusing GUI OS ever made, from a GUI standpoint. NOTHING is intuitive anymore.

Steve Jobs was the ultimate UX/UI champion, always pushing for simplicity and making things obvious. If it wasn’t obvious it was not good enough for Steve Jobs. If it needed an explanation it was too complicated. Compare that approach to nowadays… you have to read a multi-page long treatise just to learn how to close two web browser windows!!!!

Knowledge is power! It just takes time to gain the knowledge. 😝

And as soon as you gain it, they switch to another system

couldn’t agree more..someone at apple worked way to long on this ..apple ought to smarten up

Finally a coherent explanation and description. Had to look through way too many! And I agree, it should not be that complicated! Thank you!

Yep, I’ve had my iPad for a year and tonight for the first time, I did something accidentally that created the side-by side windows and couldn’t for the life of me figure out how to get rid of it. (and I’ve been on a Mac for 25 years) I totally agree with the Steve Jobs comment above and having to read 3 or 4 different pages before finding one that was straightforward, to the point and not geek speak is nuts. Where’s the intuitive thinking that made Apple famous???

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How to Get Rid of Split Screen on iPad

How to Exit Split Screen on Your iPad

3. Alternatively, tap the  “three dots”  icon at the top of the app you want to keep. Then, select the  “Full Screen”  option.

How to Exit Split Screen in Safari Browser on iPad

Method 1: using grey slider icon, method 2: using the multitasking icon.

Method 3: Merging All Tabs or Windows

1. Tap and hold the  “tabs”  button at the top right corner of your current tab.

How to Remove the Slide Over Window on iPad

Method 1: hide slide over window.

1. Swipe along the outer edge of the Slide Over window to the nearest side of the iPad screen.

Method 2: Remove Slide Over Window Permanently

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Bringing the latest in technology, gaming, and entertainment is our superhero team of staff writers. They have a keen eye for latest stories, happenings, and even memes for tech enthusiasts.

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How to Remove Split Screen on the iPad

Lee Stanton Lee Stanton is a versatile writer with a concentration on the software landscape, covering both mobile and desktop applications as well as online technologies. Read more July 2, 2022

Split View is an iPad feature that allows you to split your screen and use two apps at the same time. Even though it’s convenient for multitasking, having two windows share one screen can be confusing and distracting. Therefore, you have two options – you can remove Split View in a couple of motions or permanently deactivate this feature.

In this article, we will show you how to deactivate or remove the split-screen feature on an iPad, how to set it up, and use it efficiently. We’ll also address some common questions regarding this iPad screen-viewing tool.

How to Remove Split Screen on an iPad?

Having two apps open one beside the other can be extremely useful. It’s especially handy when you’re doing research, working on a presentation, or writing a project, since it minimizes the time-consuming process of going back and forth all the time.

Once you have finished and you don’t need the additional view, you can easily turn off the split screen on your iPad. You can return to the single screen mode by following these steps:

Once you swipe to the edge of the screen and get rid of the unwanted tab, the other app will expand to full-screen mode.

Make sure that you don’t swipe to either side of the screen too fast and that you swipe to the edge. Otherwise, the tab you wanted to close will float above the other window – this type of view is called Slide Over. We’ll show you how to remove it in the following section.

How to Get Rid of a Small Floating Window on iPad (Slide Over)?

If you want to view multiple apps at the same time, Slide Over is a great way to do it. Slide Over refers to small window panes that hover over other apps, which are in full-screen mode. They can either be positioned on the left or right side of your iPad screen, depending on which direction you move them from the Dock bar. You can create as many Slide Over panes as you like.

If you want to get rid of the small windows, or if you were planning to remove split-screen apps and they were, instead, converted to a Slide Over window, this is how to get rid of them:

• Long-press the control bar of the Slide Over tab.
• Slowly drag it to the edge of the screen (not all the way through).
• Stop dragging when the tab expands. That means that you are using Split View again.
• Hold the divider and swipe to the edge of the screen.

What you’ve done is returned the tab into Split View and then removed it just like you would with any other split-screen tab.

• The direction of your gesture should depend on the tab’s placement – if it’s on the right side of the screen, swipe to the right.
• On the other hand, if it’s on the left side of the screen, long-press the tab and gently move it to the left.
• When you want to take another look, touch the edge of the screen (where it disappeared) and swipe your finger in the opposite direction. The Slide Over tab will immediately appear on the side of the screen, and you will be able to view it once again.

How to Use Split Screen on iPad?

Before we go into the details about the split-screen feature and how to activate it, there are a few things you should keep in mind. First, split-screen doesn’t work with all apps on your iPad. For example, apps such as Instagram, Facebook, and Google Assistant tend to crash once you open them in Split View.

Secondly, split-screen may not be available on all iPads. These are the iPads that have the split-screen feature:

• iPad 5th generation (or newer)
• iPad Air 2 (or newer)
• iPad mini 4 (or newer)

To view a particular app in Split View, it must be in the Dock bar. This means that it has to be one of your recently used apps or one of your favorites. Once you make sure it’s on the Dock bar, follow these steps:

If you don’t drag the app icon all the way to the edge, it will turn into a small window, and it will float over the first app (Slide Over).

When you first place both apps in split-screen, the screen won’t be divided equally. The second app will take up much less space than the first one. To adjust the dimensions and make the two tabs equal, drag the divider to either side of the screen.

Additional FAQs

How do you fix a split screen on an ipad.

We’ve already shown you how to remove split-screen from your iPad. However, if you don’t intend to use this iPad tool at all, you can disable it permanently. This is how it’s done:

1. Unlock your iPad.

2. Go to Settings .

3. Navigate to General .

4. Tap Home Screen & Dock .

5. Go to Multitasking .

6. Toggle the Allow Multiple Apps switch off.

This not only disables Split View from your iPad but Slide Over, too. Once you have disabled this feature, you can only open your apps in single-app view in full screen.

How Do I Get My iPad Back to Full Screen?

Once you turn off the split-screen feature, your screen will go back to normal. Make sure to tap and hold the window that you no longer need and swipe it to the edge of the screen. The app that you wish to remain will be transferred to full-screen mode.

How Do I Get Rid of Split Screen in Safari on iPad?

Split View isn’t only possible for apps on your iPad, you can also use it to view two web pages simultaneously, although it’s only available in landscape mode. First, we’ll show you how to activate this feature and then how to turn it off.

To use split-screen on Safari, follow these steps:

1. Position your iPad in landscape mode.

2. Open Safari on your iPad.

3. Open the first website.

4. In a separate tab, open the second website and go to the link.

5. Long-press the link until a menu opens and select Open in New Window .

6. Drag the new window to the left or right side of the screen.

Another way you can use split-screen with Safari is with a blank page. This is how it’s done:

1. Launch Safari.

2. Long-press Tab in the top right corner of your screen.

3. Tap Open New Window .

The two tabs will be displayed in Split View. If you want to turn off split-screen on Safari, here’s how you can do it:

1. Open the web page that you want to remove from split mode and long-press the Tab icon in the top right corner.

2. Tap Merge All Windows .

You can also select the Close This Tab option. That’s all there is to it. You’ve successfully returned your web page to full-screen mode.

How Do I Unsplit My iPad Screen?

If you are wondering how to turn off the split-screen mode and go back to full screen, go back to the beginning of the article and follow our instructions.

Manage All Your Windows on Your iPad Effectively

Now you have learned how to remove Split View, turn off Slide Over and activate the split-screen feature on your iPad. Screen-viewing tools help you multitask, stay organized, and do your work more efficiently. Once you figure out which gestures to use, you’ll be able to take advantage of all iPad screen-viewing tools.

Have you ever removed split-screen on your iPad? Did you use any of the methods outlined in this article? Let us know in the comments section below.

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How to Remove Split Screen on iPad (and iPhone)

Do you want to remove the split-screen on the iPad? If Yes, this is the right place where you’ll find all the answers. Not only will we share how to remove split-screen on iPad, but you’ll also learn about getting rid of split screens on the iPhone.

Split-screen on iPad or iPhone is a handy way to multitask. However, there are times when you don’t need this feature on your iOS supported devices. In this article, we’ll show you how to use split-screen on iPad and get rid of it (when you don’t need it) by simply disabling the feature in the Settings in your iPadOS .

Those of you looking for tips on turning off split view on iPhone, this post has got answers. But before that, here are some considerations.

Table of Contents

iPads that Support Split View on iPad iOS 13

Do you have a 5th generation iPad? Or is it an iPad Pro, iPad mini 4, iPad Air 2, or any other 5th-gen or later model? That’s because iPad models earlier than the 5th generation don’t support a split-screen view. Also, if you have iPadOS13 on your tablet, it’ll support split view; otherwise, check whether you can upgrade it to get that feature.

iPhones that Support Split View on iOS 13

iPhone 11 Pro Max is the only model that offers a split-screen view. The split view only works in the landscape mode.

Difference Between iPad Screen Split and iPhone Split View

iPad and iPhone have different functionality, and so as the split-screen operations on these devices. If you’re using an iPhone, you need to turn your phone to its side. That’ll automatically activate the landscape mode, which will enable you to allow the device to display more content on a single screen.

Apps like Calendar, Mail, Stocks, Messages, Reminders, Contacts, Clock, Settings, and Voice Memos use the split-screen feature, providing more information in one place. However, you can’t use it to work on two different apps as the iPhone doesn’t support multiple apps on one screen.

On the other hand, iPadOS allows you to open more than one apps and work between them simultaneously. Here, the Spit View feature can be more than handy. You can open multiple apps and run them using the Split view. For example: running the Safari app on one side and taking notes in the Notes app on the other side will make you work efficiently.

Anyhow, in both the devices, you can turn off the split-screen feature.

How to Turn Off Split Screen iPad

On the iPad, the split view is enabled by default. How can you utilize this feature? Simply drag and drop any app available on your dock to the vertical edges (right or left edge) of your screen. It’ll automatically open the on that portion.

If you have multiple apps running and you want to close one, simply drag the app divider over the app you want to close, to the edge. This way, you’ll get a full-screen view of one app, while the other one’s turned off. This trick is handy when you don’t want to turn your Split View off or close the multitasking functions (in the Settings app).

However, if you want to turn off the split view feature completely, you can do so by going to Settings:

• Go to  Settings on your iPad.
• Tap on  General .
• Choose  Multitasking & Dock .
• Toggle off  Allow Multiple Apps .

Remember, when you turn off this setting, you can’t Slide Over or open the Split View on the iPad automatically. To use the feature again, you need to repeat the above steps and turn the Allow Multiple Apps option on.

How to Get Rid of Split Screen on iPad While Using Safari

Do you know? In iOS 10 and iPadOS, a new multitasking feature called Split View in Safari was introduced. This allows the iPad user to open two Safari pages separately and simultaneously. Have you tried this feature? here’s a trick.

On your iPad, launch Safari and then switch to landscape orientation. This way, you’ll be able to open another Safari tab in split-screen. Here are four ways to do it:

Ways to Open Safari Split Screen on iPad

• If you’re using an external hardware keyboard, press Command + N to open Split View
• Tap on the Safari tab icon and hold it. You’ll see two squares overlapping each other. Upon tapping and holding, you’ll get some options popping up. Choose the option saying Open New Window .
• With your iPad, tap on a link in the original webpage and hold it, till you see the message Open in New Window
• You can also open the Split View by dragging a tab from its position to the right or left edge of the screen.

Getting rid of Safari’s Split View

When you want to get rid of Safari’s Split View or want to close one of the two windows, here are two options to do just that:

Option 1: You can drag the tab(s) in one screen to another screen. As soon as you dragged the last tab to the opposite edge, you’ll see your Safari going full screen. That simply means your split view has turned off.

Don’t only drag the link though. You have to move the entire tab to another screen so that it covers another tab. By dragging the link, you’ll be copy/pasting it on the other side of the split-screen.

Option 2: Alternatively, you can follow the process mentioned above – tapping and holding the tab icon that seems like overlapping squares. The difference is, you have to choose the Merge All Windows when you see options popping up. This way, your Safari Split View will change back to a single window.

How to Get Rid of Split Screen on the iPhone

As mentioned earlier, the iPad split-screen lets you open and work with multiple apps simultaneously, but things are different in iPhone’s Split View. It’ll only give you extra space for more information provided by the same app. Although it’s a good way, you can always choose to turn this feature off.

Let’s quickly find out how you can get rid of the split screen on the iPhone.

While Using Mail

Mail’s Split View lets you read the emails while scrolling down your inbox at the same time. And when you’re done reading and searching, you can easily turn it off. Here’s how you do it:

• Want to see the open email only? Mail offers a full-screen icon on the upper right side of the email. Once you tap on it, the split view will disappear.
• Alternatively, you can tap on the Inbox name, right there at the top left corner. And your split-screen will turn off.

Split View in Calendar

Calendar app’s Split Screen shows monthly, weekly and daily schedules and upcoming events to prepare for. Split-screen is a must-have for this one. So, use it rather than turning it off. There’s no way you can turn it off.

Split Screen in Messages 

This one’s pretty similar to Mail’s split-screen, displaying your messages and the one you’ve just opened. As said, Split View activates in landscape mode, but it doesn’t turn off as the Message app hasn’t provided any solution for this.

To Turn Off Split Screen on the iPhone

If you want to turn off the split-screen on your iPhone, which includes all the instances, you can follow the steps mentioned below. But remember; you’ll lose some other handy features as well – landscape orientation, extra buttons on keyboards, etc.

• Go to Settings and choose Display and Brightness
• Choose View
• Select Zoomed and then Set. You’ll be asked for confirmation.
• Confirm Use Zoomed

You’ll get a message saying that the iPhone wants to restart as you’ve made changes in the display.

Doing this will get rid of the split view in all the apps open whether you use your iPhone normally or in the landscape mode.

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How to use Split Screen in Safari on iPad

• Use split screen
• Open a link
• Turn a tab into split screen
• Open in the opposite screen
• Merge split screens
• More multitasking

Back when iPad multitasking was a brand new feature, not many apps made use of it. Using split screen in Safari was one of the first ways to multitask from your iPad. Now, thanks to iPadOS 14, and if you have the right iPad keyboard , your iPad can become a good laptop replacement. Still, you need to learn the best practices when you're using it to multitask. Here's how you can use split screen in Safari right on your iPad.

How to use split screen in Safari on iPad

• Launch Safari on your iPad.
• Touch and hold the Tabs button at the top right.
• Tap on Open New Window .

If you're using a keyboard with your iPad, you can also use a keyboard shortcut.

• Type CMD+N .

How to open a link in split screen

• Touch and hold on the link . (Long press.)
• Tap Open in New Window from the pop-up menu.

How to turn a tab into a split screen view

• Touch and hold the tab you want to open.
• Drag the tab all the way to the right or left until it splits off into a new window.

How to move a tab to the other split screen

Each split view can contain multiple tabs, and you can switch tabs between split views at any time.

• Open the Safari app.
• Touch and hold on the tab .
• Drag the tab to the opposite split screen.

How to open links in the opposite screen

You can also open links on the opposite screen. You can do it like when we told you how to use a split screen in Safari , but that would erase all the tabs you had on the other screen. If you just want to add another link to the other screen, then do this:

• Open the Safari app on iPad.
• Touch and hold on the link you want to open.
• Drag the link to the opposite screen and let go of it where the other tabs are.

How to merge both screens

If you no longer want Safari Split View open, but you want to keep all your tabs, you can collapse everything back down.

• Touch and hold on the tabs button at the top right corner.
• Tap Merge All Windows .

If you don't want to keep all your tabs, you can simply tab the close icon (looks like an X) to close them. When you've closed all the tabs in a split view, that side of the view will also close.

How to use Split View and Slide Over

You can also use your iPad to view two different apps on a split-screen mode, or you can have an app floating in a smaller window. This is called Split View and Slide Over, respectively. Both are really easy to use, and it takes no time to learn.

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How to use Slide Over and Split View on the iPad

Questions about split screen in Safari?

Having trouble using split screen in Safari, or have any additional questions? Drop them in the comments!

Updated December 2020: Updated for iPadOS 14

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Use split screen in Safari on your iPad

You can use Split View in Safari to see two websites at the same time, side by side.

How to view two Safari windows on your iPad

Open Safari.

Do one of the following:

Open a link in Split View: Touch and hold the link, then drag it to the left- or right-hand edge of your screen.

Use the Multitasking menu

You can also open a new Safari window in Split View with the Multitasking button:

Tap the Safari icon in the Dock or on your Home Screen.

Find out more about using multitasking on your iPad .

Open a link in Split View from another app

With some apps, you can open a link in Safari in Split View instead of opening the link within the app. To do this, touch and hold the link, then drag it to the right- or left-hand edge of your screen.

Close Split View

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How-To Geek

How to split screen on ipad.

Use more than one app at a time by splitting your screen in two.

Quick Links

Enable multitasking on ipad, open apps in split view, open apps in slide over, move between split view and slide over.

When you work on your computer, you probably use more than one application at a time . If you use an iPad as well, you can do the same. We'll show you how to do split screen on iPad with two features.

By using Split View and Slide Over on your iPad, you can use more than one app at a time. There's no opening and minimizing to see what you need at the time. Place the apps side-by-side and multitask like a pro.

These instructions are for iPads running iPadOS 15. If you have an older iPad that doesn't support that version, take a look at our article on  using Split View and Slide Over on iPad , as the feature has evolved over time.

If you've used Multitasking on your iPad before, know that the old setting is no more. You used to be able to enable or disable the Multitasking toggle in Settings > Home Screen & Dock. This allowed you to turn off features like Split View and Slide Over. If you have an older version of iPadOS, you'll still see the setting.

However, with iPadOS 15 and newer, the setting has vanished. Now, you simply use the Multitasking icon and menu when you want to use one of these features. This icon displays as three dots at the top of the app and expands with the options.

With your iPad in landscape view and an app open, tap the Multitasking icon at the top. If you don't see the three dots, then the app doesn't support Multitasking.

Select the icon in the center to activate  Split View .

You'll then see the app move to the side of the screen with the remainder of your Home screen and Dock in view. This allows you to pick the second app you'd like to display on the other half of the screen.

When you open the next app, each displays equally in a split screen view. You can drag the divider down the center of the screen to the right or left to increase the view of one app and decrease the other.

With both apps on your screen at once, you can use them at the same time. Scroll through Safari on the left while you read a text message on the right. Or, view the Calendar on one side while you browse the App Store on the other.

You can also drag items between the two apps which is one of the handiest features of Split View. For example, you may see a picture in the Photos app that you want to add to your email. Simply drag the photo from its side of the screen to the email in the other.

Replace an App in Split View

As you use Split View, you may want to swap the apps you're using. You can replace one of the apps in this view with another.

Swipe down from the top of the app you want to remove.

You'll then see that app removed from view and the other app shrink to the other side of the screen, just like when you initially invoked Split View. Simply locate and open the app you want to fill the spot for the app you removed.

Turn Off Split View

When you want one of the two apps in full view again, you can easily get rid of the split screen view. Tap the Multitasking icon for the app you want to keep open and select the solid box icon on the far left for Full Screen.

Alternatively, drag the divider in the center to cover one of the apps you want to remove. This places the other app in fullscreen mode.

You can then head back to your Home screen as you normally would.

Slide Over is similar to Split View in that you can divide your iPad's screen between a couple of apps. The difference is that Slide Over keeps the second app on top of the other and to the side as shown below.

Related: How to Use Floating Apps (Slide Over) on an iPad

With your iPad in landscape view and an app open, tap the Multitasking icon at the top. Select the icon on the far right for Slide Over.

You'll then see the app move off the right side of the screen.

Pick the next app you'd like to display. This app then opens in full screen with the Slide Over app on top of it to the side.

To move the Slide Over app, use the Multitasking icon to drag it left or right. To hide the app, which is like closing it, slide it to the side of the screen. You'll then see a gray tab that you can drag to unhide it when you like.

Like with Split View, you can move items between the apps in Slide Over. Copy a file or photo from one Slide Over app to another by tapping, holding, and dragging it.

Close Slide Over

To stop using Slide Over, follow the same process as closing Split View. Put an app in Full Screen with the Multitasking icon and then return to your Home screen as usual.

If you're using Split View and want one app in Slide Over instead, tap the Multitasking icon for app you want to change and select the Slide Over icon.

If you're using Slide Over and want both apps in Split View, tap the Multitasking icon for the app in Slide Over and select the Split View icon.

Then, choose the icon for putting the app on the left or right side.

Take advantage of these handy built-in features to use split screens on your iPad. For more ways to multitask on iPad , consider using the Center Window and Picture-in-Picture features too!

Related: How to Use Split Screen on a Mac

How to Get Rid of Split Screen on iPad

What to know.

• You can't disable the Split Screen feature, but it's easy to close it. 
• To exit Split Screen, tap the gray controller on the divider line and drag it to the left or right edge of your screen. 
• If you have Stage Manager enabled, you will not have the option to use Split View.

Wondering how you get rid of split screen on iPad? Split View is the split screen feature that allows two apps to be open at once on your iPad's screen, but many people end up with a split screen on their iPads by mistake, especially in the Safari app. While there are many useful ways to use split screen on the iPad, some users simply don't like the iPad split screen. Here's how to remove split screen on iPad.

• How to Close Split Screen on Your iPad

How to Stop Split Screen on an iPad from Happening Accidentally

Ipad safari split screen—how to exit split screen on the ipad in safari.

• Frequently Asked Questions

How to Close Split Screen on Your iPad

Split View, Slide Over, and Stage Manager are all multitasking solutions for the iPad that can help you navigate multiple apps and activities at once, as well as boost your productivity. Before iPadOS 15, there was an option to disable Split View in Settings.  These days, you can no longer turn off split screen on the iPad by disabling it altogether, making closing split screen the only solution.

Dragging the Bar to Close Split Screen

If you've accidentally entered Split View and you can't seem to stop split screen on your iPad from interfering with your layout and from making your app windows small, you can undo the split screen by dragging the divider bar in the direction of the app you want to close . Now, let's dive into these easy solutions so that you can go back to seeing your apps in their normal size.

This solution to close split screen on the iPad is simple and quick! But there is another solution, so keep reading to find out!

Tapping the Three Dots to Close Split Screen

The other way to close Split Screen is by tapping the three dots at the top of the screen.

And those are the most common ways to close Split Screen on an iPad. Next, check out how to use the App Switcher to make multi-tasking on your iPad and switching between windows easier. If you're still having trouble, you might want to do a hard restart of your iPad to get it out of Split Screen.

To avoid accidental iPad split screen in the future, you can watch out for the three dots at the top of your app windows! Accidentally dragging this icon will cause all kinds of variations in window size and placement, so it's a good tip to know going forward.  For now, if you've found yourself on an iPad only showing a half-screen app view, you'll need to know how to exit split screen on iPad. The next section will show you how.

Important Note

For iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd generation and later), iPad Pro 11-inch (1st generation and later), and iPad Air (5th generation) running iPadOS 17 and later, you can enable Stage Manager, which will eliminate the Split View option. However, you will have to learn how to switch between windows and group apps in Stage Manager .

Split View in Safari on the iPad was a new iPad multitasking feature for iOS 10 that continues in iPadOS 17. Split View allows you to open two separate Safari web pages simultaneously on your iPad, which can have many benefits! The method for how to go back to full screen on iPad from the Safari split screen is the same as before—simply tap and drag the black divider bar to one side of the screen or the other. If you like learning tips and tricks about your iPad, be sure to sign up for our free Tip of the Day !

• How do I turn off split screen on iPad? You cannot disable split screen completely on your iPad, but you can exit split screen by either tapping the button at the top with the three dots and tapping Close, or you can drag the bar all the way to one side of your iPad's screen or the other.
• What to do if my iPad is stuck on split screen? Open the App Switcher and close all frozen apps. If that's not possible, do a hard restart: Press and quickly release the volume up button. Then press and quickly release the volume down button. Then press and keep holding the power button (keep holding past the swipe to power off) until the Apple Logo appears, then let go.
• Why is my iPad opening small windows? You may have Slide Over enabled, or you may have Stage Manager enabled, depending on your iPad. You can close any small windows by tapping the button at the top with the three dots and tapping Close. You can disable Stage Manager in the Control Center and tap the Stage Manager button to turn it off. 

I hope you've enjoyed this little trip down iPad split screen lane! Now you're equipped to tackle Split View next time it accidentally makes your iPad Safari window small, or squishes two apps together inconveniently. Next, take your iPad split screen knowledge further in our complete iPad multitasking guide.

Author Details

Jim Karpen holds a Ph.D. in literature and writing, and has a love of gizmos. His doctoral dissertation focused on the revolutionary consequences of digital technologies and anticipated some of the developments taking place in the industry today. Jim has been writing about the Internet and technology since 1994 and has been using Apple's visionary products for decades.

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How to close all your Safari tabs at once on iPhone

There are two types of iPhone users: those that religiously close out their Safari tabs and those that have hundreds of tabs open at any given moment. At some point, there comes a time when you need to clear out all of your open Safari tabs and declutter your browsing experience. It can be a pain to close out every single tab individually, but luckily you don't have to. In iOS 17, there's a hidden button that'll let you close out all the tabs in a given Tab Group simultaneously. If you've been manually closing out tabs, you need to learn this crucial iPhone trick for Safari.

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How to close tabs in safari on iphone.

Recent versions of Safari split up tabs into Tab Groups , and this is something to keep in mind when trying to clear all your tabs. All iPhone users will have at least two Tab Groups: Start Page and Private . If you've created custom Tab Groups — either on your iPhone or on a device synced with iCloud — you'll have to repeat the steps below for each Tab Group.

• Open Safari on your iPhone.
• Tap the Tabs button in the bottom right corner of the toolbar (it looks like two squares stacked on one another).
• Press the X button to close an individual tab.
• Hold the Done button and press Close all tabs to clear all your tabs simultaneously.
• Repeat the process as needed throughout your Tab Groups in Safari on iOS. Close

Why you should clear Safari tabs regularly

Safari won't let you open more than 500 tabs in a single Tab Group, so all iPhone users will have to close out old tabs eventually. However, there's a case to be made for closing Safari tabs far more frequently than that. Having minimal Safari tabs in a Tab Group can make it easier to go back and forth between the ones you really need. Plus, you may notice a slight performance benefit to running Safari with fewer tabs, although it isn't as big of a deal on the newest iPhones . Still, it's a pain to close out Safari tabs on iPhone individually, so using the hidden Close all tabs button is incredibly helpful.

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