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Safari tabs on iPad totally disappeared

My iPad software is up to date (iPadOS 13.3), and all my Safari tabs have suddenly disappeared today! I have never had this problem before, nor have I done anything different whilst using Safari. I normally use Private browsing mode. It is as though there has been a total reset of Safari. (I have also restarted my iPad since discovering this problem.) Can anyone explain what has happened? And how I can restore all my tabs? Thanks.

iPad Air 2, iOS 13

Posted on Jan 22, 2020 6:31 AM

Posted on Jan 22, 2020 9:43 AM

Hi again. I haven’t checked everything exhaustively yet, but will try and look later.

I have to say that I find all this extremely frustrating, as I am not a computer numpty! I have a degree in Computer Science and have worked in software development all my working life so am not easily beaten by technical problems! The fact that I seemingly was, unwittingly, able to destroy all this information is rather worrying - I had always thought that Apple software was extremely robust. Nobody dies as a result of losing all this information, but it is extremely annoying given that many of the tabs were created as aide memoires - and I have still no idea what I did to suddenly generate a 2nd version of Safari!

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Jan 22, 2020 9:43 AM in response to LotusPilot

Jan 22, 2020 10:05 AM in response to IzzzyWizzzy

Hi. I certainly appreciate the frustration that you have experienced - I’ve been there - hence my efforts to try to document the known common causes and remedies for many of these situations. In writing the guide, I hope to have documented both “features” and pitfalls of iPadOS Safari that I and others have encountered - sometimes more than once!

The real problem, for many (if we are honest about this) is that iOS used to be a rather simple affair - without the more complex features of other platforms. Safari, Mail and other native Apps were really simple - with a very simple and intuitive UI. However, with the increasing power and shear untapped capabilities of iPad, with iPadOS, Apple have finally given us something significantly more complex. Attempting this within a “touch” UI is a challenge - and some of the necessary changes can catch us out. We, the end-user, can and do make errors; if there’s a tripwire, we’ll find it sooner or later!

Having spent considerable time with iPadOS, I now believe it to be a long-awaited improvement that genuinely makes the environment so much more useful - with great flexibility. It takes a little more time to learn (and reading the User Guide is, I suggest, absolutely essential) - and sharing the known pitfalls and knowledge amongst the community can only help to make it even better.

Anyhow, I hope the linked guide proves to be useful. If you have the time, any feedback would be appreciated.

Jan 22, 2020 7:19 AM in response to LotusPilot

Thanks, but even following the instructions about finding and recovering lost Safari windows did not help - there were no “recently closed” windows to recover.

Having read the article, I do now remember that I suddenly had a split Safari screen appear yesterday, and somehow managed to get rid of it! I suspect that might now have something to do with it, but, even following the instructions in the article, the old Safari window does not seem to manifest itself. Is there anything else I can do?

Jan 22, 2020 7:31 AM in response to IzzzyWizzzy

Did you look to see if you have more than one instance of Safari running? As outlined therein, this is a frequent area of confusion; seemingly lost tabs are often found “intact” within another Safari Window.

The list of Recently Closed windows does not persist indefinitely. If the window was closed yesterday, then it’s likely gone for good. If so, you should still be able to recover tabs from your Safari History.

Jan 22, 2020 9:10 AM in response to LotusPilot

Hi. Yes, I did look for other Safari windows but it only brought up today’s new “empty” Safari windows.

I did close the Safari window yesterday (I rarely leave the window open), but the tabs are not in my Safari history. Looks like they’ve all gone... unless there’s something else I can try?

Jan 22, 2020 9:31 AM in response to IzzzyWizzzy

Sorry - if you’ve followed my linked-guide on this subject, then you’ve already explored all the available options and known workarounds. If you have been using Safari (or any browser) in “Private” mode, then no history will be saved for anything accessed in this mode.

If you can offer any constructive feedback on the guide (which took considerable time to create), on its own page, assuming that it was liked/helpful or otherwise - it would be most appreciated. Any feedback received will help me to make it better still.

Jan 22, 2020 6:40 AM in response to IzzzyWizzzy

This help article might be helpful to you in understanding possible causes and solutions:

https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-250002077

Please let us know if this helps you.

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Disappearing Safari Tabs on iPhone or iPad? How to Find Them

Every so often, a seemingly small bug in Apple's operating systems survives the company's annual OS launches and continues to cause users huge frustration from one software update to the next.

While there isn't an accepted solution to the problem of disappearing tabs, there are cases where it might seem that your tabs are gone, when in fact they are just hidden from view. Here are some ways that you may be able to get them back or stop them from disappearing in the first place.

Reveal Hidden Tabs

On iPadOS, for example, if you press and hold the Show Tab Overview button (four squares in a quadrant) in the top-right corner of the Safari window, this will reveal a dropdown menu that includes an option to Merge All Windows .

Reveal the Shelf

Another action worth trying on iPadOS is pressing and holding the Safari icon in the Dock or on the Home Screen and selecting Show All Windows from the popup menu that appears.

Recently Closed Tabs

If you have an inkling that some of the tabs you're missing have been inadvertently closed, you can always use the Recently Closed Tabs option to re-open them. All you have to do is open up the tab view in Safari and long press on the "+" icon to get a look at all of the tabs that you've recently closed.

play Even if you're aware of the gesture, it's worth a reminder that this feature exists in case someone gets ahold of your phone and checks your browser. Even if you've closed out a tab, it's still going to be visible in Safari, unless you were using a private browser window or have cleared your browsing history.

Turn Off Auto-Close Tabs

If you still haven't been able to find some of your tabs, make sure that Safari isn't closing them after a certain duration on your behalf: Open Settings , tap through to Safari -> Close Tabs and ensure that Manually is selected.

Bookmark All Open Tabs

If the above suggestions haven't worked for you, there is a workaround: Consider bookmarking your open tabs after each browsing session. This might sound like more hassle than it's worth, but since iOS 13 Apple has included a one-tap option to just that.

A popup menu will appear at the on the screen from which you can select Add Bookmarks for X Tabs , the X being the number of tabs open.

Once you've tapped this option, you'll be asked to save the tabs in a new bookmarks folder (remember to give it a recognizable name). Alternately, you can choose a location from the existing folder list in which to save the tabs.

To access your bookmarks in Safari at any time, simply tap the Bookmarks icon in the main browsing interface or the sidebar to reveal all of your saved favorites and folders. Press and hold on the folder of bookmarks and select Open in New Tabs , or alternatively, Open in Tab Group if you want them grouped.

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How to Use Safari's Split Screen

Use Split View Mode to open two Safari windows side by side on iPad

In This Article

Jump to a Section

• Step-by-Step: Open a Link in Split Screen
• Open a Blank Page in Split Screen
• Exit Split Screen Mode
• Add a Third App Window to Split Screen

The Split View feature on certain iPad models can display two Safari browser windows side by side. Use this feature for multitasking or comparing web page content without switching between windows or tabs. There are multiple ways to initiate a Safari split-screen session on your iPad, depending on your needs.

Split View is only available on the following models with the latest version of iOS : iPad Pro, iPad (5th generation and later), iPad Air 2 and later, and iPad mini 4 and later.

How to Open a Link in Safari Split Screen

When you want to open a specific web page so that it appears beside an open web page, follow these steps:

Open the Safari browser on your iPad to one of the web pages you want to show in split-screen view.

Split View works best when the iPad is positioned in landscape mode. If you follow these steps while your device is vertically oriented, the pages won't be evenly sized (the first website you open appears larger).

Locate the link you want to open in Split View. Tap and hold it until a pop-up menu appears.

Tap Open in New Window .

Two Safari windows appear side by side, one containing the original page and the other a second Safari window open to your desired destination.

How to Open a Blank Page in Safari Split Screen

When you want to open a blank page in a new window beside a web page you already have open, follow these steps:

Open Safari and tap and hold the Tab icon in the upper-right corner. Select Open New Window from the menu options.

Two Safari windows now appear beside each other, one containing the original page and the other a blank page, which may contain shortcuts to your saved Favorites.

How to Exit Safari Split Screen Mode

To exit Split View, use the Tabs menu to combine windows into one.

Tap and hold the Tab icon in the upper-right corner of either Safari window.

Select Merge All Windows to combine both open browser windows and exit Split View.

If you opened multiple tabs within each Safari window, use the Close This Tab option from the Tab menu to close each tab individually or all at once. This doesn't turn off Split View.

How to Add a Third App Window to Safari Split Screen

If side-by-side Safari windows aren't enough, you can add a third app to the mix with the iPad Slide Over feature. This additional window can be from any app available from the Dock.

Slide Over functionality is available in iOS 11 and above. Only certain iPad models support Split View and Slide Over simultaneously, including iPad Pro 10.5- to 12-inch models, third-generation and later iPad Air models, sixth-generation and newer iPads, and the fifth-generation iPad mini.

Open two Safari windows in Split View using the instructions above.

Slowly swipe up from the bottom of the screen so that the Dock appears, overlaying the bottom portion of the Safari windows.

Tap and drag the icon for the app you want to open. Release the icon when it's in the middle of the screen.

A third app window appears, partially overlaying one of the Safari windows. 

To reposition this window on the left or right side of the screen, tap and hold the horizontal gray bar at the top of it and slide the window to the desired location. 

If you want the app you chose to open in Slide Over to take the place of one of the Safari windows, drag the horizontal gray bar at the top of the app and place it over the target browser window. The browser window you replaced with the app is still active, but it is on a separate screen.

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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.

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!

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

Joseph Keller is the former Editor in Chief of iMore. An Apple user for almost 20 years, he spends his time learning the ins and outs of iOS and macOS, always finding ways of getting the most out of his iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Mac.

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iPhone   Why do all safari tabs just sometimes disappear and are gone?

• Thread starter tivoboy
• Start date Feb 15, 2020
• Sort by reaction score
• iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch
• iOS and iPadOS
• Older iOS Versions

macrumors newbie

• Aug 1, 2020

I have had this problem too. My work around is that I use history to find & restore most tabs (yes it’s tedious) then I make a ‘save all tabs’ bookmark. I try to remember to redo that occasionally As a backup & I name the folder with the date. If you tap & hold on the multi bookmark icon there is an option to open them all. It’s not perfect but it gets me back most of what I’ve Lost.  

• Oct 3, 2020

Still happening on IOS14, not only on my iPad Pro 12,9 2nd gen but also on mother’s-in-law ipad 5th gen so she is loosing 20-30 tabs worth of recipes each time... iPhone X with 300+ tabs open for 12+ months now as a test, rock steady, never lost a single tab... Firefox now selected as the default browser, thank you Apple...  

• Oct 25, 2020

I was reading down the answers, a few weeks late for many, trying various things having frustratingly again found several tens of pages have disappeared when they were showing just a minute before. Thanks for the Show all windows tip someone gave but for me that’s only part A. Part B was to note the titles above the various windows displayed - one said that seven widows were included then opening that window, pressed and held the copy symbol (top right) and clicked merge all windows to find my lost windows appeared. In passing, I think the maximum number of open windows allowed is 36.  

macrumors 65816

• Oct 26, 2020

I have had many tabs spontaneously disappear over the past few versions of iOS. Not temporarily or invisible glitch but completely disappear with no way to get them back. For me this started back in iOS 11. Thankfully this does not occur anywhere near as much since updating to 13. However, as well as spontaneously disappearing tabs for no apparent reason, I have found that shortly after merging all safari windows in iPadOS 13 that all the tabs from every window except the current one disappear - again with no way of getting them back. So now I never use the merge all windows feature which is a big shame!  

macrumors member

• Nov 13, 2020

Looks like Apple is not going to fix this. What browser is the most compatible with Safari and will open web sites as desktop not Mobile and does not have this problem. I too have the disappearing tabs issue on my iPad Pro. Firefox? Chrome? Edge? ...  

macrumors 68040

• Nov 16, 2020

JESUS f...!..... I CAN’T believe this is STILL happening... I’ve been reading the posts Here and been SOOO careful when clsoing windows and swiping up when closing arbitrarily opened safari windows and yet, AND YET, now with more Thant 400+ open tabs that I’ve been KEEPING and READINg through having done NOTHING unusual, just opening a tab, opening a couple more, realizing that it was a NEW WINDOW, NOT HAVING CLOSED THAT WINDOW or ANY WINDOW at all, ALL WINDOWS and TABS from the last 3-4 months ARE GONE!!!!! Just GONE... this is so f...in ANNOYING APPLE!.. as if i didn’t have ENOUGH in my life to worry and think about now... WTF. Just FIX THIS S..T! Apple, either create some way to create a snapshot or save tabs this ISNT add all to reading list (who even USES that!) or don’t call this a browser.  

tivoboy said: JESUS f...!..... I CAN’T believe this is STILL happening... I’ve been reading the posts Here and been SOOO careful when clsoing windows and swiping up when closing arbitrarily opened safari windows and yet, AND YET, now with more Thant 400+ open tabs that I’ve been KEEPING and READINg through having done NOTHING unusual, just opening a tab, opening a couple more, realizing that it was a NEW WINDOW, NOT HAVING CLOSED THAT WINDOW or ANY WINDOW at all, ALL WINDOWS and TABS from the last 3-4 months ARE GONE!!!!! Just GONE... this is so f...in ANNOYING APPLE!.. as if i didn’t have ENOUGH in my life to worry and think about now... WTF. Just FIX THIS S..T! Apple, either create some way to create a snapshot or save tabs this ISNT add all to reading list (who even USES that!) or don’t call this a browser. Click to expand...

bmac89 said: It sure is incredibly frustrating! It is almost like Apple doesn’t even care and providing third party default apps is there ‘do nothing’ solution. What ever you do... do NOT “merge all windows” as this always causes my tabs in all my windows except one to disappear. I know it isn’t the only cause of disappearing tabs, but it is the only one that I know has a particular trigger. Really not satisfactory, but when I remember... I do a bookmark all tabs and add them to folders. Sometimes I do a quick screen recording if I can easily distinguish what tabs are open. It can be hard to believe Apple is the most valuable company in the world and yet they seem to make a habit of breaking apps which work and then seemingly not capable of acknowledging or fixing these major bugs. I really hope this will be fixed before iPadOS 20 but I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if it isn’t. Click to expand...

tivoboy said: Thanks, but I NEVER merge all windows and in ios safari there is really no place to bookmark all tabs? I really wish there was, but until apple adds that feature, we’re SOL Click to expand...

bmac89 said: Actually you can bookmark all tabs in iOS and iPadOS. Simply long press on the bookmark button and it gives you the option to add bookmark, add bookmarks for x tabs, add to reading list. Click to expand...

tivoboy said: Holy mother of OGD when did THAT appear? Click to expand...

• Dec 30, 2020

Just sayin...

Macrumors 6502.

• Jan 7, 2021

Just found this thread after having at least 20 tabs wiped out for the nth time on my 2nd gen 12.9” iPad Pro running iOS 14.3. Finally got sick enough of this repetitive occurrence that I took the time to search - and found out that: 1). Others have been experiencing this issue, and 2). There is no fix other than switching to another browser (i.e. Firefox or Chrome) I’ve just downloaded Firefox.  

• Jan 19, 2021

You can find them again by holding the ‘+’ and all the tabs are there, if you click on them they all open up as individual tabs. So they’re not lost completely...  

imaphysicist

• Jan 27, 2021

I am afraid the problem is worse than reported on this thread. Safari can keep multiple sets of hidden tabs, and they cannot always be accessed by double-clicking the home button. I discovered this when I hit the limit of 500 tabs when my window only showed about 20. I found that I could switch to a different set of tabs by starting to type the site of one of the missing tabs; Safari will offer "Top Hits" and below this "Switch to Tab". Switch to the missing tab and now I have one of the missing sets of tabs. Currently on my iPad when I double-click the home button I can see three Safari windows, each with a different set of tabs. There must be more hidden if the total is near 500.  

• Jan 29, 2021

this does continue to be a problem, but with some of the added functionality in Safari I can manage it better.. saving all tabs as a bookmark folder works well, so I freqeunctly save a backup. Then, often what I do now is close ALL tabs, after saving a backup and purge Safari cached data.. reboot, and then go to the folder where I saved all the tabs and open ALL tabs Anew.. you’ll get a pop up that says, “are you sure you want to open all 398 tabs”.. but go ahead. I’ve tried this with up to about 425, but 453 has failed, so I don’t know where the limit is. It might also NOT be a tab limit but what is IN the tabs that somehow overwhelms RAM. Any, the availability of these functions makes it LESS annoying that yes it can still just crack the bed unexpectedly. And it works in Private tabs as well, although whatever is saved is in the open in the bookmarks folder so user beware.  

macrumors regular

• Feb 1, 2021

This seems to happen several times a year. To great frustration, when you,leave some tabs open for reference later on. I have lost all my tabs a few times with an OS update and then randomly for no apparent reason. It just happened to my wife, after she tried to closed an accidental split screen. Closed Safari. All tabs gone. Latest iOS 14.x Shame on Apple for not fixing whatever bug(s) in this regard.  

• Feb 9, 2021

My wife had the same issue on her iPad running 14.4. All of her tabs disappeared after an accidental split screen session. After a lot tinkering here is what I learned: Only one window would occupy the screen at once. No previous tabs were visible and they were not in the tab history. When I tried to open a new tab, the current tab would slide off the screen to the left and the new screen would open with no evidence of the previous screen showing on the open screen (aka, no tab). A quick check of the Safari settings showed that SHOW TABS BAR was selected as was CLOSE TABS MANUALLY. So I used my solution to every computer problem I ever have, I turned the iPad off for 3-4 minutes and restarted it. Still no tabs. So I checked the settings again only to learn the show tabs bar was now deselected . I turned it back on and was able to add tabs again. Not sure what happened to the previously open tabs but at least we can rebuild! I hope this works for others. Good luck.  

• Apr 17, 2021
• Have a few tabs open.
• Hold down on a link and tap on Open in New Window.
• Immediately close the new window (drag it off to the side).
• Force quit Safari.
• Reopen Safari... and all your tabs except the frontmost one are now gone.
• Apr 29, 2021

tivoboy said: I’ve had this issue a couple times, and can’t figure out what the common element is, but sometimes (often after for some reason I have either opened in split screen, or put a safari window inadvertently in the side slide out), but then a window with MANY tabs will just be done. Can’t find it anywhere, all I have left is the one window with one tab, useless. I can’t figure out anyway to get BACK the window I had open with what is often 100+ tabs that I WANTED to save. Is there A) any way to find these again (other than going through all history) B) any way to stop this behavior from happening? Click to expand...

I may have solved my problem with Safari crashes on the iPad. I went to Settings -> Safari, then scrolled down to near the bottom and selected "Clear History and Website Data". Ever since I did this over a week ago, I haven't had a single Safari crash, where previously, it crashed every couple days. Cautiously optimistic here... 2021-05-02 update: Nope. Safari just crashed again and I lost all my tabs…again.  

• May 2, 2021

Tumen said: I just stumbled upon a possible solution for when this happens. I held down the double sheet of paper icon in the top right corner of the safari screen. Several options appeared. One is to “merge all tabs” or merge all something. When I selected that option all 125 tabs reappeared. Now when I hold the icon down I don’t receive that option and can’t say for sure what it said other than ‘merge all.....” Up until now, once I lost all tabs they were gone forever. I hope this helps. Click to expand...

• Nov 30, 2021

Hi I usually suffered from this problem in the past multiple times. I had nearly maxed tabs, and then suddenly gone. Normally all I had to do was close the Safari window and wait a minute or two. It normally worked in the past. There was this one instance it didn't seem to work, as in the safari homepage twice in a row, but I just waited longer, and my tabs came back. And now I'm facing a similar problem. I suffered a second blank page, and just like last time, I waited much longer, but my tabs are still gone. So I closed the window, and waited half an hour. Still no result. Can someone here explain how I work these methods for any attempt at getting my tabs back?  

Safari Tabs Disappeared on iPhone? How to Get Them Back!

What to know.

• You can re-open recently closed tabs in Safari by tapping and holding the plus icon.
• Lastly, check if your missing tab is hidden in another tab group or within a separate Safari profile.
• If your Safari tabs disappeared on iPad, you can try merging windows or revealing the iPad shelf.

Why do your tabs keep closing on iPhone or iPad? Maybe you wanted to retrieve a few interesting recipes you saw online, but now the tabs for those recipes are nowhere to be seen in Safari. But don't panic! We'll show you how to retrieve those lost tabs on your iPhone or iPad.

• iPad-Specific Fixes
• Re-Opening Closed Tabs
• Frequently Asked Questions

Why Do My Tabs Disappear in Safari on iPad?

Safari closing tabs on its own seems to happen somewhat frequently to iPad users. We'll start with some iPad-specific fixes for how to get tabs back. Has your Safari app completely disappeared from your Home Screen? Find out how to get Safari back on your iPhone or iPad . For more iPhone and iPad troubleshooting pointers, be sure to sign up for our free Tip of the Day newsletter.

How to Get Tabs Back on iPad

If you're browsing the web on an iPad and you have multiple Safari windows open, then you may not be able to see all your tabs. These steps will allow all your open tabs to appear in the current window. This potentially includes some tabs that weren’t visible in the Tab Overview screen. For a more in-depth tutorial, check out our article on re-opening closed tabs in Safari .

Reveal the Shelf on iPad

This method will show any open windows directly above the Dock. As a result, you will be able to switch between windows and potentially reveal any Safari tabs that disappeared on your iPad.

How to Open a Closed Tab on iPhone & iPad

The purpose of this method is to find and reopen tabs you may have accidentally closed. This works on both iPhone and iPad (although the placement of the buttons in the below screenshots will look different depending on your device).

Disable Auto-Close Tabs

Another cause of Safari tabs disappearing is a setting that automatically closes open Safari tabs after a set amount of time. This can prevent the problem of too many open tabs but can also lead to tabs you still want open getting closed. Here's how to solve this issue on your iPhone or iPad.

Bookmark Open Tabs

Once a tab is bookmarked, you will always be able to find it, even if it's closed or your browser history is closed

Check Tab Groups & Safari Profiles

In Safari, you can create tab groups to separate all of your different tabs into specific groups. For example, if you have several recipe tabs open, you could place these tabs into a group called "Dinners." Additionally, iOS 17 and newer include a feature called Safari Profiles, allowing you to separate your browsing sessions into different profiles.

If you are still having trouble opening closed tabs or locating a missing tab, it may, unfortunately, be lost forever. Next, find out the best ways to manage your Safari tabs .

Why do my tabs keep closing on iPhone? You might have your Safari tabs set to automatically close. You can change this by going into Settings, tapping Safari, and then selecting Close Tabs. Check out the above section on how to set your Safari tabs to manually close  for more information.

How to close all tabs in Safari? You can close all your open tabs at once. If you've become too overwhelmed by all your open tabs, simply tap and hold the tabs button, then select Close All Tabs. Check out this tip on how to close all tabs at once  for a more detailed view.

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Tips & Tricks

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
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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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• Buying Guides

3 Ways to Close or Manage Safari Tabs on iPad

• November 15, 2021

If you are an iPhone or iPad user and use Safari for your browsing requirements, then you must be aware of how bad is safari when it comes to managing tabs. Things turn even worse when you use multiwindow or split-screen, as managing all the tabs becomes more difficult. That’s why today I’ll be sharing a few tips to help you manage tabs when using multiwindow on your iPhone or iPad.

Also, Read | 8 Best iOS 15 Safari Tips and Tricks and New Features You Should Know

Ways to Manage Multiple Windows in Safari on iPad

iPadOS allows you to arrange or group multiple safari tabs, for easy and faster surfing, and there are two ways to do so.

2 Ways to Open Safari Tab in Multi Window on iPadOS

If you want to open a safari tab in a multiwindow tab, then can do so by following these steps:

If for some reason, this method doesn’t work, as generally, Safari does experience random glitches, then you use the second method to open multiple tabs in different windows.

• If you chose Split View, the second app appears side-by-side with the current app.

Note: Method 2 works with any app combination on your iPad.

Also, Read | 3 Ways To Make Your iPad Air Fast Like iPad Pro In User Interface

3 Ways to Close Safari Tabs in MultiWindow

There are a few ways to close Safari Tabs when using multiwindow on your iPad. Let’s have a look at them.

Close Any Safari Tab From the Multi Window Screen

Close All Safari Tabs From the Multi Window Screen

Merge All the Safari Tabs Windows Into One Window

You can merge all the Safari Tabs Window into one main window, killing the split or slide window if any.

Also, Read | How to Get Free Unlimited iCloud Storage on iPhone, iPad Temporarily

Wrapping Up

This is how you can manage and close the safari tabs on your iPad. I hope this article cleared the confusion around managing safari tabs and making your browsing experience on Safari a pleasant one.

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Gaurav Sharma

As an editor, Gaurav ensures the delivery of quality-rich, detailed, and accurate content tailored to the right audience. His three years of experience as a reviewer allow him to provide comprehensive evaluations of various consumer gadgets. On the video front, Gaurav serves as a video production manager for both long and short formats and anchors short videos at GadgetsToUse. View Author posts

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Brenda Stolyar

Review: Apple iPad Air (M2, 13-Inch)

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I used to think the iPad wasn’t for me. For the longest time, I couldn’t justify spending hundreds of dollars on a tablet for entertainment. I don't draw or sketch, and I don't use fancy editing software for photos or videos. I prefer traditional pen and paper, and I already use a Kindle to read books. I knew if I bought an iPad, it would inevitably end up in a drawer collecting dust.

That outlook changed when the TV in my room broke. As someone with ADHD, I constantly need background noise to stay focused. This wasn't an issue when I worked in an office, pre-pandemic—the open floor plan made for a noisy environment that stimulated me throughout the day. When I started working from home, alone in my room, I filled the quiet space with podcasts. Once that was no longer stimulating enough, I moved on to playing my comfort shows and movies on the TV. When the big screen broke, I reluctantly pulled out the 5th-gen iPad Air I had in a drawer thinking it'd be a temporary solution.

But over the past year, I've grown attached to it. It's larger than my iPhone and more convenient to carry around than my MacBook . (The smaller footprint also makes it easier to place anywhere.) When it's not at my desk while I'm working, I use it in the kitchen while cooking dinner or washing the dishes, in the bathroom while doing my hair and makeup, and in my bedroom while folding laundry. It's also an excellent travel companion while flying or taking the train.

So when Apple announced new iPads and noted that the iPad Air now comes with a larger, 13-inch display option (alongside the standard 11-inch model ), I was ecstatic. A bigger screen means more expansive movies and a bigger workspace. It's otherwise an incremental update —the only other noteworthy change is the M2 chip for faster performance—but the new screen size on Apple's midrange tablet means you no longer have to pick between a small display within budget or shell out for an expensive iPad Pro .

Updated June 4, 2024: An earlier version of this review stated the M2 powering the iPad Air had a 10-core GPU and that it was three times faster than the A12 Bionic chip. The company has since updated its site, stating it has a 9-core GPU and that it's faster than the A14 Bionic chip. We've updated this article to reflect this.

Bigger and a Bit Brighter

The new iPad Air feels stale in its design—especially following the redesigned iPad Pro , with its razor-thin and lightweight chassis. Ironically, this tablet is a few grams heavier and a full millimeter thicker than the Pro—there's not much meaning to the word “Air” anymore in Apple's lineup. It doesn't help that the color options continue to dwindle. In 2022, Apple removed the green iPad Air, and now we've lost the pink. You're left with purple, blue, starlight, and space gray.

The only aesthetic change on the iPad Air is the front-facing camera placement. As with the 10th-gen base iPad and M4-powered iPad Pro, Apple moved the 12-megapixel sensor to the center in landscape orientation. It's far more natural for video calls, because you don't have to awkwardly stare at the side of the tablet to make eye contact. There's still Center Stage support, which pans and zooms to ensure your face is always in the frame while on video calls.

The major upgrade with this tablet is the bigger display. The 13-inch LCD screen is slightly brighter than its predecessor and 11-inch counterpart, with a 2,732 x 2,048-pixel resolution and the ability to hit 600 nits of peak brightness in Standard Dynamic Range (which is the same amount as the previous iPad Pro with M2).

This display does get bright for the most part. When I wasn't working, I usually kept the brightness at about 20 to 30 percent—especially while watching TV before going to sleep. Since my desk is near the edge of a window, I usually keep it at 50 percent or slightly above that on sunnier days. But it struggles under direct sunlight. I realized this on a recent trip to Seattle. I was sitting on my bed in my hotel room catching up on an episode of Vanderpump Rules and, as the light was shining fully through the window, I had to crank the brightness up to see the content comfortably.

In these moments, I wish Apple would’ve swapped the Liquid Retina panel for a mini-LED panel from the previous iPad Pro generation. The backlighting technology would allow for a brighter screen. And, when coupled with the deeper, and crisper tones, it'd make for a far better viewing experience overall. I'd like to remind you that this is a $800 tablet with an LCD screen and 60-Hz refresh rate —most other high-end tablets feature OLED with 120-Hz screens. An upgraded screen technology would help justify the extra $200 on the 13-inch iPad Air over the smaller size.

Regardless, it's still far more enjoyable to use than the 10.9-inch screen I relied on every day. The 13-inch size is more convenient as a secondary display alongside my MacBook . Between browser windows, tabs, and apps, I didn't feel like I was cramming stuff onto the screen. The same applies to entertainment—if I'm bingeing a show, I carry the iPad all over the house to keep watching. I never got tired of staring at this screen.

Reliable and Versatile

Powering the iPad Air is the M2 chip (the same silicon featured in the MacBook Air from 2022 ), which packs an 8-core CPU and a 9-core GPU (it's worth noting Apple originally announced it had a 10-core GPU but has since updated its site ). The chip is two years old, but Apple claims it's nearly 50 percent faster than the M1 and three times faster than the iPad Air with the A14 Bionic chip. Apple also doubled the base storage option from 64 gigabytes to 128 gigabytes.

Coming from the M1 iPad Air, I didn’t notice much of a difference in performance. If you’re coming from an older A-series chip, it’ll likely be easier to pick up on. Regardless, the M2 felt quick and smooth. On a typical workday, I’d have about 10 to 15 tabs open across several windows (on both Chrome and Safari), not to mention additional apps like Gmail, iMessage, Slack, Telegram, YouTube, and Zoom running simultaneously. The iPad Air never once felt sluggish.

Battery life remains the same, despite the bigger size. Apple claims 10 hours of web browsing or watching video on Wi-Fi. I never hit the claimed amount, but battery life varied depending on how I used it. On a busy workday—using Chrome, Safari, Slack, and Zoom (for two back-to-back video calls)—I hit 5 percent after about six hours. On a random Sunday night after binge-watching Broad City , I was at 82 percent after three and a half hours. Either way, it shouldn't give you trouble.

The iPad Air is also compatible with accessories like the new Apple Pencil Pro ($129) and Apple Pencil USB-C ($79) . It's sadly not backward-compatible with the second-generation Pencil. I didn't use the Pro stylus for much other than note-taking here and there, but I appreciate the new “squeeze” feature, which triggers the tool palette when you squeeze the lower half of the stylus. It's more natural than double tap (which is included with the Pencil Pro too). I don't recommend the USB-C model though. It's hard to justify the lack of features for the price.

And, while the iPad Air works with the new Apple Pencil Pro, it's not compatible with the new Magic Keyboard case—which has a row of function keys and a larger trackpad. It only works with the original Magic Keyboard case ($349) instead. I didn't think I'd notice a difference, but using the original version reminded me how frustratingly small the trackpad is and how convenient it is to be able to adjust the brightness and volume by pushing a button.

Apple's keyboard case isn't worth the high price anyway. You're better off buying third-party accessories (from companies like Logitech or Zagg) which make similar, more affordable options. I do like the Smart Folio ($99) though, which made it easy to prop the tablet up on surfaces so I could watch TV while doing chores around the house.

While adding a keyboard and trackpad to the iPad Air makes it more like a laptop, iPadOS is still unintuitive for my workflow. I wrote most of this review on the iPad Air, but couldn't wait for it to reach low battery so I could switch back to my 15-inch MacBook Air . Apple's Stage Manager makes it slightly more bearable since it allows me to have group apps and adjust windows, rather than use split screen mode. However, it's not conducive to my day-to-day tasks, like working in Condé Nast’s custom content management system. It's perfectly great for basic things like word processing, answering emails, taking video calls, and light photo or video editing.

It's important to weigh your options depending on your budget. The most expensive iPad Air configuration (13-inch, 1 TB of storage, and 5G connectivity) with accessories like the Magic Keyboard Case and Apple Pencil Pro comes out to $1,927. You can get an M2-powered MacBook Air with 1 TB of storage for $1,799. It's only about $130 less, but the latter is a full-blown computer with macOS. Please don't feel the need to upgrade if you have an M1-powered iPad Air.

If you're looking to buy your first iPad or want to upgrade from a much older model, I'd first suggest you hunt for the 5th-gen iPad Air. It's two years old but not much different from the latest version, and you can probably find it on sale . Since the M2-powered 11-inch model starts at $599, I suggest waiting until the base model's price is down to $450 or less.

As someone who watches probably too much TV and is constantly working on the go, I'd buy the 13-inch iPad Air with M2 solely for its larger display. It's a great option for students or content creators who don't need to harness the power of the iPad Pro but want a bigger screen. The only thing that would make this tablet better is if the Air continued to live up to its name as the lightest iPad of them all. Hopefully, Apple is saving that for the next generation.

How to split the screen on a Mac

If you like to multitask or make full use of your screen's real-estate, splitting the screen on your new Mac is an easy thing to do. Your iPad can already be used as an additional display through Sidecar. However, sometimes that can be a hassle. So, instead, you can open up multiple browser windows or apps on your Mac screen by using Split View. This handy offering was introduced with the El Capitan version of macOS several years ago. It certainly is simpler than using Sidecar on macOS Sonoma in some cases.

Can I use an iMac as an external monitor?

Why should you split your mac screen.

When you use Split View, the Menu Bar and the Dock get tucked out of sight. You can then open two windows or apps and push them side by side. This way you do not have to click back and forth between windows anymore. If you're comparing two documents or doing price comparisons on two web pages, Split View will certainly come in handy.

How to enable Split View on a Mac

Let's say you are planning a trip and want to have Apple Maps open on the left of the screen, and Safari open on the right.

• First, launch Maps and Safari individually.
• Then, in the Maps app, simply hover over the green circle near the top left-hand corner of the window (without clicking it).
• When the dropdown menu appears, click Tile Window to Left of Screen .
• The top Menu Bar and Dock will now jump away, and the window will bounce to the left side of the split Mac screen, taking up half of the space.
• On the right side, macOS will show you all the other app windows. Tap on Safari , and it'll occupy the right half of the screen.

Now you can use the apps side-by-side, and you can also swipe up with three fingers on the trackpad or hit the Mission Control button on your keyboard to switch between different windows or working spaces. You can alternatively use the above instructions to lock the first app to the right side of the screen — just click "Tile Window to Right of screen" on step 3 in this case.

Changing the window width in Split View

You'll notice in the middle of the screen a black bar with a smaller gray dash in the middle. You can use this to resize one window or the other. This way, you can decide how much space you want that window to take up, it doesn't have to be a fifty-fifty split.

Maybe the map doesn't need to take up half the screen, so you can use your cursor and drag the gray dash to resize the window accordingly. This allows you to customize the split Mac screen as needed.

How to exit Split View on a Mac

When you're done with Split View, there are a couple of ways to close it down and put things back to normal. The easiest is simply to close the windows by clicking on the red circle button on the top of the window (the one with the "X"). Once you close one of the windows, the other window will immediately go back to its original size. If you want to exit Split View without closing either of the apps or windows, just click on the green circle button you used to enter Split View in the first place. This will revert both windows back to their normal sizes and still keep them open too.

Split View requirements

Although it is doubtful that any Mac users are now using anything older than El Capitan, it is worth mentioning that you need at least El Capitan to take advantage of Split View. If splitting the screen is not working, that's the first troubleshooting step. Try upgrading your operating system if it may be out of date.

Assuming you do have at least El Capitan installed on your Mac, it's also worth pointing out that only certain apps are supported in Split View. These (for obvious reasons) tend to be Apple programs, such as Safari, Pages, TextEdit, and so on. If an app you want to use in Split View doesn't work, it's probably best to contact the developer. Ask them if they have any plans to support the Split View function on macOS.

Splitting screens for a more productive workspace

The uses for Mac's Split View feature are potentially limitless. You can compare two items side-by-side while shopping, watch your favorite podcast or Twitch streamer while working, or take down notes while researching. Since the technology is baked into the macOS workspace, it's easy to use. All it takes is the literal press of a button — technically two, but that's just semantics. If you're not using Split View, you're not making the most of what your Mac can offer.

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 edge of your screen.

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 edge of your screen.

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