How to Get Rid of Split Screen on an iPad

Getting out of split screen can be confusing at first

by
Jerri Ledford
Jerri Ledford
Writer, Editor
Jerri L. Ledford has been writing about technology since 1994. Her work has appeared in Computerworld, PC Magazine, Information Today, and many others.
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Jerri Ledford
Updated on October 07, 2020
reviewed by
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Jerrick Leger
Lifewire Tech Review Board Member
Jerrick Leger is a CompTIA-certified IT Specialist with more than 10 years' experience in technical support and IT fields. He is also a systems administrator for an IT firm in Texas serving small businesses.
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Article reviewed on Jan 18, 2021
Jerrick Leger

What to Know

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

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

How to Close Split Screen on iPad

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

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

    The split screen divider on an iPad.

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

    Sliding the iPad split screen divider to the right.

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

    Releasing the split screen divider at the edge of the screen to close one app.

How to Close a Floating Window on iPad

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

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

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

    The center button on a floating window on the iPad.

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

    Release the floating window when it tries to merge into a split screen.

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

    Drag the center bra in a split screen on iPad to close one of the windows.

How to Disable Split Screen on iPad

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

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

    The Home Screen & Dock option on iPad.

  2. On the Home Screen & Dock page, tap multitasking.

    The Multitasking option on iPad.

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

    Toggle off Allow Multiple Apps to prevent accidently ending up in split screen mode on the iPad.

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

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