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9 Best Ways to Fix Safari Closing Tabs on Its Own

Although there is no shortage of capable web browsers on the Mac ecosystem, most still prefer the built-in Safari to surf the web. Even with continuous updates and improvements, the usual niggles with Safari remain more or less the same. Sometimes, Safari doesn’t find a server on Mac , fails to play videos , and even closes the tab without your consent. The latter can be quite irritating, and here is why Safari keeps closing tabs on Mac.

Safari closing tabs on its own can irritate you during work hours. It even breaks your research, too. Multiple factors can affect your Safari experience. It can be due to a lack of memory, buggy iCloud syncing, outdated extensions, corrupt cache, etc. Let’s go through the steps to stop Safari from automatically closing tabs.

1. Disable Auto-Close Tabs

Safari offers an option to auto-close tabs after a certain period of activity. If you have enabled the option, Safari closes the tabs after a fixed time. You need to revert your decision from Safari Settings. Go through the steps below.

Step 1: Launch Safari on Mac. Click Safari at the top.

Step 2: Open Settings.

Step 3: Move to the Tabs menu. Expand the ‘Automatically close tabs’ menu and select Manually.

Restart Safari, and it shouldn’t auto-close tabs.

2. High RAM Usage in Safari

When you have dozens of tabs open in Safari, it may lead to high RAM usage on your Mac. If you have a Mac with 8GB of RAM and multiple apps open in the background, the system may kill several tabs to free up memory. You can confirm the same from the Activity Monitor menu and close unnecessary apps.

Step 1: Open the applications menu and launch Activity Monitor.

Step 2: Move to the Memory tab. Check the memory breakdown at the bottom.

Step 3: Select an app or server and hit the x mark at the top.

3. Disable iCloud Syncing in Safari

If the iCloud sync is broken, Safari may close tabs independently. Safari relies on iCloud to sync your tabs across all the devices. Here’s how you can disable iCloud syncing for Safari on Mac.

Step 1: Click the Apple icon in the Mac menu bar. Open System Settings.

Step 2: Select your account and open iCloud.

Step 3: Select Show all under ‘Apps Using iCloud.’

Step 4: Disable the toggle beside Safari.

4. Disable Private Relay on Mac

Private Relay is a part of iCloud+ that reroutes Safari traffic via Apple’s servers to shield your browsing details from advertisers. When the third-party server isn’t working as expected, it may break your Safari experience and auto-close tabs.

Step 1: Go to Apple’s system settings on Mac (check the steps above).

Step 2: Select your profile and open iCloud.

Step 3: Open Private Relay and disable the option from the following menu.

5. Bad Ads and Trackers

Some of the sketchy websites may have bad ads and trackers in them. They may interfere with your browsing setup, leading Safari to close the tabs independently. You need to avoid such websites.

Safari also has a dedicated privacy report that lets you check such a tracker in the past week. You can glance over the data and avoid the mentioned websites.  

6. Disable Safari Extensions

One of the installed extensions may be hampering your Safari experience. You need to disable unknown extensions and try again.

Step 1: Go to Safari settings on Mac (check the steps above).

Step 2: Move to the Extensions tab.

Step 3: Select an extension from the sidebar and hit Uninstall.

7. Clear Website Data

Does Safari still close tabs on its own? You need to clear the Safari cache and try again. Here’s how.

Step 1: Go to Safari settings on Mac (refer to the steps above).

Step 2: Move to the Privacy tab and click ‘Manage Website Data’.

Step 3: Remove all website cache and try again.

8. Update macOS

Apple updates Safari with macOS builds on your Mac. Here’s how you can update macOS to the latest version and try again.

Step 1: Go to Mac System Settings (check the steps above).

Step 2: Select General and click ‘Software Update’.

Download and install the latest macOS update on your Mac.

9. Ditch Safari on Mac

Do you still face issues with Safari on Mac? It’s time to ditch Safari and go with Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Brave, or Firefox.

Go Back to Your Ideal Browsing Experience

Safari closing tabs on its own is never an ideal setup. The tricks above should take care of the problem. Which trick worked for you? Share it in the comments below.

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Last updated on 04 September, 2023

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The article above may contain affiliate links which help support Guiding Tech. The content remains unbiased and authentic and will never affect our editorial integrity.

DID YOU KNOW

Parth Shah is an evergreen freelance writer covering how-tos, app guides, comparisons, listicles, and troubleshooting guides on Android, iOS, Windows, Mac, and smart TV platforms. He has over five years of experience and has covered 1,500+ articles on GuidingTech and Android Police. In his free time, you will see him binge-watching Netflix shows, reading books, and traveling.

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Why Does Safari Keep Closing My Tabs? (4 Easy Steps to Fix It)

When you open the Safari app on your iPhone and tap the tabs icon at the bottom of the screen, you will see all your Safari tabs that are currently open.

But the list of tabs open might not include ones that you know should be there.

Our tutorial below will help you find the setting that causes this to happen so that you can change it.

How to Stop Safari from Closing Tabs on an iPhone 11

• Open the Settings app.
• Scroll down and select Safari .
• Scroll down and choose the Close Tabs option.
• Tap the Manually option at the top of the list.

Our article continues below with additional information on how to stop Safari from closing your tabs in an iPhone, including pictures of these steps.

Clicking links to view a Web page is such a common activity on an iPhone that we often take it for granted. But each time you open a link it likely creates a new tab in Safari.

This results in a lot of open Web page tabs, so if you don’t see one that you need, you may be wondering “why does Safari keep closing my tabs?

There is a Safari setting that attempts to manage this by closing tabs periodically. But you may want to know how to stop Safari from closing tabs on your iPhone if you find that it is getting rid of information that you wanted to keep.

Have you ever gone to look for a tab in your iPhone’s Safari browser , only to find that the tab wasn’t there anymore? At first, you may have thought you closed it accidentally, but it’s entirely possible that Safari closed that tab on its own.

Your iPhone using the iOS 13 operating system includes a setting for Safari where it will close a tab after it has been open for a certain period of time. That amount of time can vary, but it is either one day, one week, or one month.

If you would prefer to manage your tabs on your own, without Safari intervening, then you can change a setting so that it stops closing your tabs automatically.

Related: Check out this article if you would like to see the people that can see your location on your iPhone.

How to Manually Manage Your Open Tabs in the Safari iPhone Browser (Guide with Pictures)

The steps in this article were performed on an iPhone 11 in iOS 13.1.3. By making this change Safari will no longer close any of your open tabs. This can lead to a lot of open tabs if you don’t close them out periodically, which can affect how quickly your phone runs.

Step 1: Open the Settings app.

Step 2: Scroll down and open the Safari menu.

Step 3: Scroll to the Tabs section of the menu, then choose the Close Tabs option.

Step 4: Tap the Manually button at the top of the screen.

Safari will no longer close your tabs automatically, which means that you will need to close them on your own. This can be accomplished by opening Safari, selecting the Tabs button, then either tapping the X on a tab to close it or by swiping it to the left side of the screen.

One other thing that your iPhone will do automatically is turn the screen off. If you don’t want that to happen, then the next section will show you how to fix it.

How to Keep the iPhone Screen on For Longer Periods of Time

If you have an iPhone 13, you might have observed that if you don’t touch the screen for a brief amount of time, the screen shuts off. It can be annoying if you’re trying to read or watch a movie and the screen keeps going off, but this is a default feature Apple created to help preserve battery life.

This article discusses more about how to keep the iPhone screen turned on.

Thankfully, changing your iPhone 13’s auto-lock settings is a quick and easy operation that can enable you leave the screen on for longer periods of time. This is how you do it:

Step 1: Open Settings first.

Locate the Settings app on your iPhone 13 to get started. It typically appears on the home screen and is symbolized by a gear icon. To open it, tap on it.

Step 2: Choose Display & Brightness.

Once the Settings app has been launched, scroll down until you see the Display & Brightness option. To continue, tap on it.

Step 3: Select Auto-Lock.

The Auto-Lock option may be found under the Display & Brightness settings. To view the options for how long the screen will remain on before turning off, tap on it.

Step 4: Pick a time frame.

Determine how long you want your screen to remain on before turning off.

30 seconds, 1 minute, 2 minutes, 3 minutes, 4 minutes, 5 minutes, or Never are your options.

When you select the Never option, your screen will remain on indefinitely until you physically lock your device by pressing the Power button . It’s crucial to keep in mind, though, that leaving your screen on for an extended period of time might result in unintentional pocket dialing and serious power loss if you forget to properly lock your phone.

You can change the auto-lock setting as well as adhere to a few additional recommendations to extend the battery life of your iPhone 13. Here are a few examples:

Set your phone to consume less power by activating Low Power Mode, which can help your battery last longer. Go to Settings > Battery > Low Power Mode and toggle it on to activate Low Power Mode.

Reduce Screen Brightness: A brighter screen consumes more energy. You may prolong the life of your battery by lowering the screen’s brightness. Go to Settings > Display & Brightness > Brightness and move the slider to change the brightness of your screen.

Disable Background App Refresh: A few apps keep running in the background even when you aren’t using them, which might deplete your battery. Go to Settings > General > Background App Refresh and toggle it off if you want to disable background app refresh.

Close Apps: Be sure to fully close each app when you’ve finished using it. This will lessen the chance of it running in the background and draining the battery.

By using these suggestions, you can help your iPhone 13’s battery last longer and stop getting annoyed when the screen shuts down too quickly. Keep your smartphone updated with the most recent software updates as well to make sure it is operating effectively and to address any potential faults that could result in battery depletion or other problems.

In conclusion, it’s easy to modify the auto-lock setting on your iPhone 13 so that you can use it for longer periods of time. You can help extend the battery life of your iPhone 13 and guarantee that it is operational for longer periods of time by following the instructions mentioned above and putting extra energy-saving advice into practice.

Our tutorial continues below with additional discussion about why your tabs keep closing in the iPhone’s default Web browser .

More Information on Why Safari Tabs Close on Their Own

There have been a lot of recent quality-of-life upgrades to the Safari browser, and the iPhone in general, that can take some getting used to.

Now that we have answered the question of why does Safari keep closing my tabs, you might want to look at some of the other settings on this Safari menu.

For example, the Search Engine option specifies the default search engine in the browser. if you are used to going to google.com or bing.com to make a search, then you might find it useful to know that you can skip that navigation step and simply type your search term into the address bar. That bar also serves as a search field, and the search engine that Safari elects to use is determined by the “Search Engine” setting on this menu.

While it can be tempting to never close any tabs in Safari, it can have a negative impact on Safari’s performance, as well as the iPhone’s overall performance. If you elect to manually close your tabs that it is beneficial to periodically audit your open tabs and close the ones you don’t need anymore.

Find out how to draw on a Web page in Safari if you would like to be able to markup a page or write notes on it.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does close tabs mean.

The open Safari tabs on your iPhone provide you with a quick way to view the pages that you had previously seen on the device.

But having too many browser tabs open at once can make it tough to find the tabs you really need. Plus it can have a negative impact on the overall performance of your iPhone.

The “Close tabs” option simply provides you with a way to close Safari mobile tabs in the browser automatically.

You can choose to close tabs manually, after one day, after one week, or after one month. This setting is found by going to Settings > Safari > Close Tabs .

How come Safari keeps opening old tabs?

If you find that Safari is opening recently closed tabs then you might be wondering why that is happening.

While there isn’t a specific answer to the question of why do Safari tabs reappear, it does seem to be related to a glitch on some specific devices.

Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be a fix for this problem, although people have had varying levels of success with these different options:

1. Restart the iPhone. 2. Clear browsing history and data in Safari. 3. Manually close the apps on the device. 4. Disable the Safari syncing option in iCloud.

Can I use the automatic tab closing on other Apple devices?

Yes, there is a clear tabs iPad option and a clear tabs iPhone 11 option, as well as almost any other Apple device using a modern version of iOS.

You can find it by opening the Settings menu on the device, choosing the Safari menu option there, then looking for the Close Tabs option.

You can then select the amount of time that you want your device to wait before it closes open tabs automatically.

Matthew Burleigh is the head writer at solveyourtech.com, where he covers topics like the iPhone, Microsoft Office, and Google apps. He has a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Computer Science and has over 15 years of IT experience.

He has been writing online since 2008 and has published thousands of articles that have been read millions of times.

You can read his full bio here.

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• Use the Reminders widget
• Change Reminders settings
• Browse the web
• Search for websites
• Customize your Safari settings
• Change the layout
• Use Safari profiles
• Open and close tabs
• Organize your tabs
• View your Safari tabs from another Apple device
• Share Tab Groups
• Use Siri to listen to a webpage
• Bookmark favorite webpages
• Save pages to a Reading List
• Find links shared with you
• Annotate and save a webpage as a PDF
• Automatically fill in forms
• Get extensions
• Hide ads and distractions
• Clear your cache
• Browse the web privately
• Use passkeys in Safari
• Check stocks
• Manage multiple watchlists
• Read business news
• Add earnings reports to your calendar
• Use a Stocks widget
• Translate text, voice, and conversations
• Translate text in apps
• Translate with the camera view
• Subscribe to Apple TV+, MLS Season Pass, or an Apple TV channel
• Add your TV provider
• Get shows, movies, and more
• Watch sports
• Watch Major League Soccer with MLS Season Pass
• Control playback
• Manage your library
• Change the settings
• Make a recording
• Play it back
• Edit or delete a recording
• Keep recordings up to date
• Organize recordings
• Search for or rename a recording
• Share a recording
• Duplicate a recording
• Keep cards and passes in Wallet
• Set up Apple Pay
• Use Apple Pay for contactless payments
• Use Apple Pay in apps and on the web
• Track your orders
• Use Apple Cash
• Use Apple Card
• Use Savings
• Pay for transit
• Access your home, hotel room, and vehicle
• Add identity cards
• Use COVID-19 vaccination cards
• Check your Apple Account balance
• Use Express Mode
• Organize your Wallet
• Remove cards or passes
• Check the weather
• Check the weather in other locations
• View weather maps
• Manage weather notifications
• Use Weather widgets
• Learn the weather icons
• Find out what Siri can do
• Tell Siri about yourself
• Have Siri announce calls and notifications
• Add Siri Shortcuts
• About Siri Suggestions
• Use Siri in your car
• Change Siri settings
• Contact emergency services
• Use Emergency SOS via satellite
• Request Roadside Assistance via satellite
• Set up and view your Medical ID
• Use Check In
• Manage Crash Detection
• Reset privacy and security settings in an emergency
• Set up Family Sharing
• Add Family Sharing members
• Remove Family Sharing members
• Share subscriptions
• Share purchases
• Share locations with family and locate lost devices
• Set up Apple Cash Family and Apple Card Family
• Set up parental controls
• Set up a child’s device
• Get started with Screen Time
• Protect your vision health with Screen Distance
• Set up Screen Time
• Set communication and safety limits and block inappropriate content
• Charging cable
• Power adapters
• MagSafe chargers and battery packs
• MagSafe cases and sleeves
• Qi-certified wireless chargers
• Use AirPods
• Use EarPods
• Apple Watch
• Wirelessly stream videos and photos to Apple TV or a smart TV
• Connect to a display with a cable
• HomePod and other wireless speakers
• Pair Magic Keyboard
• Enter characters with diacritical marks
• Switch between keyboards
• Use shortcuts
• Choose an alternative keyboard layout
• Change typing assistance options
• External storage devices
• Bluetooth accessories
• Share your internet connection
• Allow phone calls on your iPad and Mac
• Use iPhone as a webcam
• Hand off tasks between devices
• Cut, copy, and paste between iPhone and other devices
• Stream video or mirror the screen of your iPhone
• Start SharePlay instantly
• Use AirDrop to send items
• Connect iPhone and your computer with a cable
• Transfer files between devices
• Transfer files with email, messages, or AirDrop
• Transfer files or sync content with the Finder or iTunes
• Automatically keep files up to date with iCloud
• Use an external storage device, a file server, or a cloud storage service
• Intro to CarPlay
• Connect to CarPlay
• Use your vehicle’s built-in controls
• Get turn-by-turn directions
• Change the map view
• Make phone calls
• View your calendar
• Send and receive text messages
• Announce incoming text messages
• Play podcasts
• Play audiobooks
• Listen to news stories
• Control your home
• Use other apps with CarPlay
• Rearrange icons on CarPlay Home
• Change settings in CarPlay
• Get started with accessibility features
• Turn on accessibility features for setup
• Change Siri accessibility settings
• Open features with Accessibility Shortcut
• Change color and brightness
• Make text easier to read
• Reduce onscreen motion
• Customize per-app visual settings
• Hear what’s on the screen or typed
• Hear audio descriptions
• Turn on and practice VoiceOver
• Change your VoiceOver settings
• Use VoiceOver gestures
• Operate iPhone when VoiceOver is on
• Control VoiceOver using the rotor
• Use the onscreen keyboard
• Write with your finger
• Use VoiceOver with an Apple external keyboard
• Use a braille display
• Type braille on the screen
• Customize gestures and keyboard shortcuts
• Use VoiceOver with a pointer device
• Use VoiceOver for images and videos
• Use VoiceOver in apps
• Use AssistiveTouch
• Adjust how iPhone responds to your touch
• Use Reachability
• Auto-answer calls
• Turn off vibration
• Change Face ID and attention settings
• Use Voice Control
• Adjust the side or Home button
• Use Apple TV Remote buttons
• Adjust pointer settings
• Adjust keyboard settings
• Adjust AirPods settings
• Turn on Apple Watch Mirroring
• Control a nearby Apple device
• Intro to Switch Control
• Set up and turn on Switch Control
• Select items, perform actions, and more
• Control several devices with one switch
• Use hearing devices
• Use Live Listen
• Use sound recognition
• Set up and use RTT and TTY
• Flash the LED for alerts
• Adjust audio settings
• Play background sounds
• Display subtitles and captions
• Show transcriptions for Intercom messages
• Get Live Captions (beta)
• Type to speak
• Record a Personal Voice
• Use Guided Access
• Use built-in privacy and security protections
• Set a passcode
• Set up Face ID
• Set up Touch ID
• Control access to information on the Lock Screen
• Keep your Apple ID secure
• Use passkeys to sign in to apps and websites
• Sign in with Apple
• Share passwords
• Automatically fill in strong passwords
• Change weak or compromised passwords
• View your passwords and related information
• Share passkeys and passwords securely with AirDrop
• Make your passkeys and passwords available on all your devices
• Automatically fill in verification codes
• Automatically fill in SMS passcodes
• Sign in with fewer CAPTCHA challenges
• Use two-factor authentication
• Use security keys
• Manage information sharing with Safety Check
• Control app tracking permissions
• Control the location information you share
• Control access to information in apps
• Control how Apple delivers advertising to you
• Control access to hardware features
• Create and manage Hide My Email addresses
• Protect your web browsing with iCloud Private Relay
• Use a private network address
• Use Advanced Data Protection
• Use Lockdown Mode
• Use Stolen Device Protection
• Receive warnings about sensitive content
• Use Contact Key Verification
• Turn iPhone on or off
• Force restart iPhone
• Back up iPhone
• Return iPhone settings to their defaults
• Restore all content from a backup
• Restore purchased and deleted items
• Sell, give away, or trade in your iPhone
• Erase iPhone
• Install or remove configuration profiles
• Important safety information
• Important handling information
• Find more resources for software and service
• FCC compliance statement
• ISED Canada compliance statement
• Ultra Wideband information
• Class 1 Laser information
• Apple and the environment
• Disposal and recycling information
• Unauthorized modification of iOS

Open and close tabs in Safari on iPhone

Note: If you’re using the Single Tab layout, the menus and other items may look different from what’s described in this guide. See Change the layout of Safari .

Open a link in a new tab

Touch and hold the link, then tap Open in New Tab.

View a tab’s history

You can see which webpages you previously visited in this tab.

Tip: To close all tabs in this Tab Group at the same time, touch and hold Done, then tap Close All Tabs.

Open a recently closed tab

How to close all Safari tabs on iPhone

There's a super-simple way to close down every tab in Safari

Whether you've just picked up an iPhone 13 or have been using iOS for a while, iPhones and iPads have a whole bunch of features that you may not know about. But here's one particularly handy trick that everyone should be aware of — being able to close all of your Safari tabs at once.

Quickly racking up browser tabs and forgetting about them is something we're all guilty of. And while iOS 15 is a highly optimized and efficient operating system, it's probably not a good idea to have endless tabs sitting around in the background.

Thankfully, there's a quick and easy way to close down every tab in Safari on your iPhone or iPad . Here's how to do it.

How to close every tab in Safari on iPhone or iPad

1. To instantly close every tab in Safari on your iPhone or iPad, simply tap and hold the tab icon, then tap " Close all [X] tabs ."

2. To confirm, tap " Close all [X] tabs ."

3. Safari also has the option to automatically close unused tabs after a set period of time. To do this, tap one of the time periods that appears, or tap " Don't Close Automatically " if you don't want Safari to shut your tabs automatically.

Now you know how to shut all your tabs in Safari, you might also want to find out how to move the Safari address bar back to the top on iOS 15 . You could also check out another hidden iPhone trick that will save you a ton of time, and find out how to recover deleted messages on iPhone , how to zoom with one hand in Apple Maps or a trick that boosts your headphone volume instantly .

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Dale Fox is a freelance journalist based in the UK. He's been a tech nerd ever since childhood, when he used the money from his first job as a paperboy to buy a subscription to GamesMaster magazine. Dale was previously a presenter and editor in China, where he also worked as a copywriter for OnePlus at its Shenzhen HQ.  

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How to Close All of Your Safari Tabs at Once on iPhone or iPad

There are some iOS gestures and tricks that have been around forever, but remain relatively hidden because they're hard to find unless you know about them.

Closing all of the tabs in your Safari browser on an iOS device is one such trick -- it's simple if you know how to do it, but it's a gesture you might not know exists.

• Open up Safari.
• Long press on the "Tabs" icon denoted by two squares. On iPhones, it's at the bottom of the browser in portrait mode or at the top in landscape mode. On the iPad, it's at the top.
• Select Close All Tabs.

Alternatively, you can single tap on the Tabs icon to bring up the browser window view, and then long press on "Done" to bring up the same "Close All Tabs" interface.

That's all there is to it. Safari will let you know how many tabs are currently open, and it will close each and every one after the Close All Tabs option is tapped.

Because it's so easy to open a new tab when browsing without meaning to on an iOS device, the Close All Tabs option is super handy for getting rid of all those open browser windows in one quick go.

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Top Rated Comments

Are there really MacRumors readers that don’t know this?

Thanks for sharing the shortcut. It will be real helpful to me in the future. Especially when I am cleaning up my wife’s iPhone. She usually has 20 to 30 tabs open.

Why doesn’t this use force touch? iOS has more and more UX inconsistencies.

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Home » Tech Tips » iPhone » How to Close All Open Tabs at Once in iPhone Safari?

How to Close All Open Tabs at Once in iPhone Safari?

It is common to work with multiple tabs in iPhone Safari browser. However, most of us close the open tabs one by one by tapping on the “Tabs” icon and selecting the close icon on the tabs. If you want to close all the tabs at once, here are some options for you.

iPhone Safari Tabs

Safari has multiple options to keep your tabs open.

• Private mode
• Normal mode

Tabs are also maintained for each profile . So, you need to follow the appropriate steps for each profile if you are using multiple profiles.

1. Close All Tabs in Normal Mode

This option will close tabs only opened in a normal mode and will NOT close tabs under Private section and Tab Groups.

• Open Safari browser app and long press on the Tabs icon showing on lower right corner.
• Select “Close All x Tabs” option.
• You will see a prompt and confirm it by tapping on “Close All x Tabs” option.

2. Close Tabs Along in Normal and Private Modes

Use this option to close all tabs in normal mode as well as in Private section. However, items in Tab Groups will not be closed.

• Open Safari and tap on the Bookmarks icon at the bottom.
• Go to “History” tab and tap on “Clear” link showing on bottom right corner.

• Select the “Clear Timeframe” as “Last hour” or any other option.
• Turn on “Close All Tabs” button under “Additional Options” heading.
• Tap on “Clear History” button to close all tabs and delete history for the selected time frame.

2.1. Close Tabs from Safari Settings

This is same as previous method with the difference that you can follow the steps from Settings instead of Safari app.

• Open Settings app and go to “Safari” section.

• Scroll down and tap on “Clear History and Website Data” option.

• Select the timeframe and turn on “Close All Tabs” button.
• Tap on “ Clear History ” button.

3. Close All Tabs in a Tab Group

• Open Safari and tap on the “Tabs” icon.
• Select the “Tab Group” to view all open tabs.
• Long press on the “Done” link showing on bottom right corner.
• Select “Close All Tabs” option.
• Follow the same steps for each Tab Group.

Final Words

If you are only using normal mode of browsing, then the first option is the ideal for closing all tabs without deleting browsing history. You need to use other options for closing tabs under Private mode and Tab Groups.

About Nagasundaram Arumugham

Naga is the founder and chief content editor of WebNots. He has over 20 years of experience in technology field and published more than 2000 articles.

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This quick iPhone Safari trick will help you close all tabs and master Apple's mobile browser

Take control of tabs.

- iOS 17 tips and tricks - Speed up your typing with this neat trick - Delete Screenshots and save loads of storage - How to use swipe to reply

If you’re anything like me, Safari on your iPhone is bloated with hundreds, if not thousands, of tabs that not only slow down your web browsing but also make it difficult to find the tab you’re looking for.

This simple iPhone trick lets you close all your Safari tabs at once, allowing you to start fresh and feel like your Safari garden is nice and maintained. Here’s how to quickly close all tabs in Safari on iPhone or iPad and some other useful hidden tab management tricks.

Quickly close all tabs in Safari

Whether I’m using one of the best iPhones , my iPad, or my Mac, I constantly have far too many tabs open at once leading to slower performance and getting lost between tabs, which often leaves me feeling overwhelmed. This quick trick makes using Safari as a serial tab opener a breeze.

Simply hold down on the tab button (bottom right) in Safari and tap Close All X Tabs . In my case, I closed 229 tabs without manually scrolling through to get back to a manageable amount. 

The tab button can be used for more quick navigation tricks in Safari, too. For example, instead of tapping the button and then the + to add a new tab, you can simply hold down on the tab button and tap New Tab .

Copy all tabs as links

So you’ve got hundreds of tabs you want to close but you’ve been working on a school project and need to keep the web pages for future use? Easy, iOS 17 has a built-in way to copy all URLs to easily paste them into Notes when you want to save them for a rainy day without clogging up Safari.

• Press the tab button (bottom right)
• Hold down on X Tabs
• Tap Copy Links

Now you can paste all of the links to your tabs to a text app and close all tabs in Safari without losing access to some important URLs. It’s a really useful trick for when you’re working on a project or even for things like planning a vacation where you want to keep track of travel guides.

Master your iPhone in minutes

iMore offers spot-on advice and guidance from our team of experts, with decades of Apple device experience to lean on. Learn more with iMore!

By combining these two quick iPhone tricks, you’ll quickly keep on top of your Safari tab management without losing important information from webpages that matter. This is an easy and sure-fire way to master Apple’s mobile browser.

John-Anthony Disotto is the How To Editor of iMore, ensuring you can get the most from your Apple products and helping fix things when your technology isn’t behaving itself. Living in Scotland, where he worked for Apple as a technician focused on iOS and iPhone repairs at the Genius Bar, John-Anthony has used the Apple ecosystem for over a decade and prides himself in his ability to complete his Apple Watch activity rings. John-Anthony has previously worked in editorial for collectable TCG websites and graduated from The University of Strathclyde where he won the Scottish Student Journalism Award for Website of the Year as Editor-in-Chief of his university paper. He is also an avid film geek, having previously written film reviews and received the Edinburgh International Film Festival Student Critics award in 2019.  John-Anthony also loves to tinker with other non-Apple technology and enjoys playing around with game emulation and Linux on his Steam Deck.

In his spare time, John-Anthony can be found watching any sport under the sun from football to darts, taking the term “Lego house” far too literally as he runs out of space to display any more plastic bricks, or chilling on the couch with his French Bulldog, Kermit. 

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iOS 13 lets you automatically close tabs in the Safari browser on an iPhone after a set period of time — here's how to do it

• It's easy to automatically close tabs on your iPhone in the Safari browser, as long as you've updated to iOS 13 . 
• iOS 13 allows you to automatically close tabs in Safari after a specified period of time, which helps to keep your iPhone running smoothly. 
• In the Safari settings on your iPhone , you'll be able to set how long your tabs stay open before they automatically close — after one day, after one week, or after one month. 
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories .

Those of us that are extremely online know it's easy to get carried away, opening tab after tab in the Safari browser on an iPhone . 

Running up those browser tabs on an iPhone can be taxing to your thumbs and data, and you may want to close most of your tabs to keep your iPhone running smoothly. 

Thankfully, iOS 13 offers a clever way to help keep the iPhone's Safari browser clutter-free.

Rather than having to swipe and tap away all those sites that — let's be honest — you'll probably never end up reading, you can set Safari to automatically retire the tabs after a certain period of time. 

Here's how to set it up. 

Check out the products mentioned in this article:

Iphone 11 (from $699.99 at best buy), how to automatically close tabs on your iphone in safari with ios 13.

1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.

2. Scroll or search for Safari in Settings.

4 . Find the section labelled "Tabs" and select "Close Tabs."

5. The default will be manual. Select the period of time you'd prefer your tabs to close automatically. 

For me, I knew I'd select the month option — my brain tends to meander, so I might still want the information I clicked on and wandered away from, even after a few weeks have passed.

But generally, for the sake of the performance of your iPhone , you should keep your browser tab clutter under control as much as possible. With iOS 13, there's now a perfectly customized solution.

Related coverage from  How To Do Everything: Tech :

How to change your wi-fi network in the control center on an iphone with ios 13, ios 13 allows you to mute email threads in the mail app on your iphone — here's how to do it, ios 13 has a new feature that limits the data usage on your iphone — here's how to use low data mode, how to copy and paste using gestures on an iphone with ios 13, and edit text in an instant.

Insider Inc. receives a commission when you buy through our links.

Watch: How to use the iPhone's new voice control feature

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Looks like no one’s replied in a while. To start the conversation again, simply ask a new question.

Safari is closing tabs automatically?

Over the past week or so, Safari has been very annoying. Any time I follow a link that opens in a new tab, Safari decides it didn't want to open the tab anyway and closes it after 1 second (or so).

Any ideas on this?

MacBook Pro (13-inch, Mid 2012), OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.3), Version 6.0.3 (8536.28.10)

Posted on Jun 22, 2015 12:37 PM

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Jun 22, 2015 12:38 PM in response to jamesvernon

Might be a cookies, cache, extensions, or plug-ins issue.

From your Safari menu bar click Safari > Preferences then select the Privacy tab.

Click: Remove All Website Data

Then delete the cache.

Open a Finder window. From the Finder menu bar click Go > Go to Folder

Type or copy paste the following

~/Library/Caches/com.apple.Safari/Cache.db

Click Go then move the Cache.db file to the Trash.

Quit and relaunch Safari to test.

If that didn't help, from the Safari menu bar click Safari > Preferences then select the Extensions tab. Turn that OFF, quit and relaunch Safari to test.

If that helped, turn one extension on then quit and relaunch Safari to test until you find the incompatible extension then click uninstall.

If it's not an extensions issue, try troubleshooting third party plug-ins.

Back to Safari > Preferences. This time select the Security tab. Deselect: Allow plug-ins . Quit and relaunch Safari to test.

If that made a difference, instructions for troubleshooting plugins here.

Jun 22, 2015 4:16 PM in response to jamesvernon

Please read this whole message before doing anything.

This procedure is a test , not a solution. Don’t be disappointed when you find that nothing has changed after you complete it.

The purpose of this step is to determine whether the problem is localized to your user account.

Enable guest logins * and log in as Guest. Don't use the Safari-only “Guest User” login created by “Find My Mac.”

While logged in as Guest, you won’t have access to any of your documents or settings . Applications will behave as if you were running them for the first time. Don’t be alarmed by this behavior; it’s normal. If you need any passwords or other personal data in order to complete the test, memorize, print, or write them down before you begin.

Test while logged in as Guest. Same problem?

After testing, log out of the guest account and, in your own account, disable it if you wish. Any files you created in the guest account will be deleted automatically when you log out of it.

*Note: If you’ve activated “Find My Mac” or FileVault, then you can’t enable the Guest account. The “Guest User” login created by “Find My Mac” is not the same. Create a new account in which to test, and delete it, including its home folder, after testing.

The purpose of this step is to determine whether the problem is caused by third-party system modifications that load automatically at startup or login, by a peripheral device, by a font conflict, or by corruption of the file system or of certain system caches.

Please take this step regardless of the results of Step 1.

Disconnect all wired peripherals except those needed for the test, and remove all aftermarket expansion cards, if applicable. Start up in safe mode and log in to the account with the problem.

Note: If FileVault is enabled in OS X 10.9 or earlier, or if a firmware password is set, or if the startup volume is a software RAID, you can’t do this. Ask for further instructions.

Safe mode is much slower to start up and run than normal, with limited graphics performance , and some things won’t work at all, including sound output and Wi-Fi on certain models. The next normal startup may also be somewhat slow.

The login screen appears even if you usually log in automatically. You must know your login password in order to log in. If you’ve forgotten the password, you will need to reset it before you begin.

Test while in safe mode. Same problem?

After testing, restart as usual (not in safe mode) and verify that you still have the problem. Post the results of Steps 1 and 2.

How to Close All Open Tabs at Once in Safari on iPhone 12

Got a cluttered Safari with too many tabs open on your iPhone 12? No worries! I’ll show you the quick and easy way to close all those open tabs at once. Trust me, it’s a real game-changer for browsing efficiency.

Step by Step Tutorial to Close All Open Tabs in Safari on an iPhone 12

Before we dive into the steps, let’s talk about what we’re going to achieve here. Closing all open Safari tabs at once will help declutter your browser, making it easier and faster to navigate. Plus, it can help your iPhone run a bit smoother. So, let’s get to it!

Step 1: Open Safari

Open the Safari app on your iPhone 12. You’ll see all your open tabs displayed as mini windows in a grid or carousel, depending on your settings.

Step 2: Long-press the Tabs button

Find the Tabs button, which looks like two overlapping squares, and long-press it. This button is usually located at the bottom right corner of your screen. A long-press means to press and hold the button for a couple of seconds.

Step 3: Select ‘Close All [number] Tabs’

A menu will pop up with several options. Tap the ‘Close All [number] Tabs’ to close all your tabs. The number will vary depending on how many tabs you have open. For instance, if you have 10 tabs open, it will say ‘Close All 10 Tabs’.

Once you’ve completed the action, all the open tabs in your Safari browser will close simultaneously. You’ll be left with a fresh, single new tab to start your browsing anew.

Tips for Closing All Open Tabs in Safari on an iPhone 12

• Get into the habit of closing tabs regularly to maintain a clutter-free browser.
• Remember, closing all tabs means you’ll lose any unsaved information on those pages, so make sure to bookmark or save any necessary information.
• If you accidentally close all tabs, don’t panic! You can quickly reopen the last closed tab by pressing the Tabs button and then selecting ‘Reopen Last Closed Tab.’
• Keep in mind that closing all tabs can also log you out of websites where you were signed in.
• Use the ‘Private’ browsing feature if you want certain tabs to not be saved in your history.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can i undo closing all tabs in safari on my iphone 12.

If you’ve closed all tabs and want to recover them, you can press the Tabs button, then select ‘Reopen Last Closed Tab.’ Unfortunately, this will only reopen the last tab you were on, not all of them.

Will closing all my tabs log me out of websites?

Yes, it’s likely that you will be logged out of most websites once you close all tabs since Safari will clear your session information.

Is there a way to close all tabs automatically?

No, as of now, Safari does not have a feature to close all tabs automatically after a certain period. You have to do it manually.

Can I close all tabs on other models of iPhone?

Yes, this method works on other models of the iPhone as long as they are running a version of iOS that supports this feature.

Does closing all tabs save battery life?

It can help a bit, as having fewer tabs open can reduce the load on your iPhone’s processor, potentially saving battery life.

• Open Safari.
• Long-press the Tabs button.
• Select ‘Close All [number] Tabs’.

Closing all open tabs in Safari on your iPhone 12 is a nifty trick to master. Not only does it declutter your browser and save you the headache of flipping through countless pages, but it also helps your device run a tad smoother. Remember, though, while closing tabs can feel liberating, be sure to save any important work first!

Let’s face it, in this digital age, tab management is a real skill. By following the steps I’ve outlined, you’re on your way to becoming a pro at it. Are you ready to embrace the clean slate that comes with a tab-less Safari? Go ahead, give it a try. And next time you find yourself drowning in a sea of tabs, you’ll know exactly what to do. Happy browsing!

Matt Jacobs has been working as an IT consultant for small businesses since receiving his Master’s degree in 2003. While he still does some consulting work, his primary focus now is on creating technology support content for SupportYourTech.com.

His work can be found on many websites and focuses on topics such as Microsoft Office, Apple devices, Android devices, Photoshop, and more.

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How-To Geek

How to close multiple tabs at once in safari on iphone.

Got a huge number of tabs open in Safari? Yeah, us too.

Quick Links

How to close several similar tabs at once, how to close all tabs at once.

Browsing the web on an iPhone is a great way to kill a few minutes, and it's still the best mobile browsing experience around. If you've collected a bunch of open tabs, here's an easy way to close just the ones you want.

There are, in fact, a couple of different ways to close tabs in Safari on iPhone. Whether you want to close all of the open tabs or just a select few, we've got your back. If you're anything like us you have tabs upon tabs open right now and swiping across them all one by one is crazy making. Thankfully, the folks at Apple thought up a couple of ways to save our sanity.

To close specific tabs at once, first, open Safari and then tap the Tabs button.

Next, scroll to the top of your collection of open tabs and search for the tabs you want to close. An example may be all tabs that have Twitter open, or maybe all tabs from the Apple Store.

When the tabs are selected, press and hold "Cancel." You'll be shown an option to close tabs matching the search you just entered. Tap it.

You'll see all of the selected tabs close, leaving you with any remaining tabs open.

If you're coming out of a particularly heavy browsing session, you may need to close all your open tabs. To do that, open Safari and tap and hold the tab button.

You'll be shown a list of options, including one labeled "Close All x Tabs," where "x" is the number of tabs that you have open. To close all of your tabs, tap the button.

And that's it. You now have a clean slate, ready for your next browsing session.

6 Tips to Improve Your Safari Experience on iPhone

A ccessing the internet on an iPhone is made simple by Safari, Apple's native web browser; it does a great job of getting you started, but there are several other features that you can leverage to enhance your user experience.

Below, we'll list some valuable tips you can use to get the most out of Safari on your iPhone. So, let's get started.

1. Modify the Start Page

The start page is the first element you usually run into when launching Safari—it's the default screen if you've not used the browser before or didn't leave any tabs open after your last session. And the first step you can take in improving your Safari experience is to customize it.

Customizing the start page involves changing the background image and choosing the sections (listed below) you want the app to show. We've added descriptions to help you understand a little more about each section.

• Favorites : This section will show all your favorite websites and bookmarks which have been added to the Favorites section on your iPhone.
• Frequently Visited : This is a collection of searches and websites you've frequented in recent months. The information is said to be a mix from all your Apple devices if you've enabled iCloud.
• Shared with You : It works by finding links, images, music, and more, sent within the Messages app, and brings them up in relevant applications. For example, if someone texted you a link via iMessage, you'll find it in this section of the start page.
• Privacy Report : This section surfaces information on the trackers used by websites you've visited in the last 30 days and showcases when your iPhone—and other Apple devices—prevented them from profiling you.
• Siri Suggestions : You can find website suggestions based on your recent browsing history, bookmarks, and open tabs within this section if you choose to use them.
• Reading List : You can find the three latest additions to your Reading List in this section, with a Show All button available in case you want to view the other articles you've added to your read later list.
• iCloud Tabs : This feature showcases up to four most recent tabs open on each Apple device you own with iCloud enabled for Safari.

To begin customizing your Safari's start page, follow the steps listed below:

• Scroll down to the bottom of the Safari start page and tap Edit.
• Now, enable the desired sections using the toggles or reorder them by pressing (and dragging) the three horizontal lines.

If you want to experience Apple's Continuity feature , toggle on Use Start Page on All Devices at the top of the edit menu. This will ensure your start page is in sync across all devices connected to your iCloud account.

2. Create Tab Groups in Safari

The next step in improving Safari on iPhone is to create and use Tab Groups . The feature lets you bring order and control to tabs by allowing you to group similar ones—or those you often use together—into folders. Ideally, you can use the feature to separate search results and websites related to work from those you open during casual browsing.

To create a Tab Group, follow the steps listed below:

• View all your tabs by tapping the Tab button in the bottom-right corner.
• Now, tap the text box at the bottom of the screen—it mentions the number of tabs open.
• In the menu that appears, tap New Empty Tab Group or the second option, New Tab Group with X Tabs .
• Name the Tab Group according to your liking and hit Save .

The X in the second option will vary based on the number of tabs open when creating a Tab Group.

3. Use Safari Extensions

Like Chrome, you can install Safari extensions to improve your browsing experience. For those unaware, these are applications built for web browsers that bring additional functionality and make your life easier.

For example, you can install applications that scour the web for coupon codes and bring them up when you're making a purchase or add ones that help edit written content to ensure you aren't making silly errors.

Adding extensions to Safari on an iPhone is a bit different compared to installing and removing extensions in Safari on a Mac . To do this, follow the steps listed below:

• Go to Settings > Safari on your iOS device.
• On the next screen, find Extensions under the General subsection and tap on it.
• You'll now see a list of extensions available. In case you see no options, tap More Extensions to visit the Safari Extensions store.

You may sometimes see options without having installed an extension before; these are present due to an application—that offers Safari extensions—installed on your iPhone from before.

Once you've installed an extension, activate it in Settings using the same steps above and then do the following:

• Open Safari and tap the AA button in the address bar.
• Now, tap Manage Extensions and select the extension you want to activate.

4. Choose Websites to Automatically Use Reader

Reader in Safari is a nifty add-on that lets you read content from a website with minimal distractions and no ads. It makes the experience quite simple and offers options like changing the page color, font, and font size.

Activating Reader is quite simple; tap the AA button in the address bar when you're on a supported webpage and choose Show Reader . However, if you frequently visit a specific website, you can configure Safari to load all its webpages in Reader. Here's what you need to do:

• Open the desired website and tap the AA button.
• In the context menu that appears, tap Website Settings .
• Now, toggle on Use Reader Automatically . Each supported webpage will now open in Reader, making it easier to read the content.

5. Set Tabs to Open in Background

Despite it being easy to access AI tools like ChatGPT on mobile for learning about things, if you prefer getting deep into the weeds when doing research, you may want to view many of the following webpages in new tabs.

By default, opening a new tab via a hyperlink will leave the old tab behind and move you to the new tab. While this behavior is fine, it can feel like a chore if you'd like to open multiple results from a search page.

Fortunately, you can change this behavior. Here's what you need to do:

• Open the Settings app, and scroll down to the Safari option.
• On this page, under the Tabs subsection, tap on Open Links .
• Now, choose In Background .

6. Configure Safari to Automatically Close Tabs

Lastly, while the ability to open many tabs in Safari is a boon, knowing ways to organize your browser and keeping it clutter-free can help you focus better and increase productivity. And keeping only a few tabs open can be a part of this regime.

Safari on iPhone also helps with this, with the ability to automatically close tabs after a set period of time; we've detailed the steps to activate the feature below:

• On this page, under the Tabs subsection, tap on Close Tabs .
• Now, choose from the available options: After One Day , After One Week , or After One Month .

Become a Safari Power User With These Changes

Each customization method listed above will help improve your Safari experience, be it with a new background image that makes the app feel more personal or a setting that keeps it clutter-free.

Overall, Safari is an excellent browser that can be made even better for power users with a few changes. And some of Apple's exclusive features make a strong case for the app, especially if you're a Mac user.