Computers, Laptops & Tablets > Apple 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 Senior News Editor, Fact Checker Western Kentucky University Gulf Coast Community College Jerri L. Ledford has been writing, editing, and fact-checking tech stories since 1994. Her work has appeared in Computerworld, PC Magazine, Information Today, and many others. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on January 18, 2021 Reviewed by Jerrick Leger Reviewed by Jerrick Leger 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. lifewire's editorial guidelines Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email Apple iPad Macs What to Know Drag the divider to the left or right to easily get out of split screen.Hide floating apps by converting them to split screen and dragging the divider left or right.Split screen can also be completely disabled in Settings. This article covers how to get out of split screen on an iPad, how to close and hide floating windows, and how to disable the split screen feature altogether. How to Close Split Screen on iPad It can be frustrating if you've started using split-screen on your iPad or you've accidently gotten into split screen, and can't figure out how to get out of it. Don't stress. Here's how to get back to using your iPad normally. With two apps open on the screen, you should see a black divider bar. Tap and hold that bar and slide it left or right, depending on whether you want to close the left or right app. In the example below, Chrome will take over the additional half of the screen where the app Nebo is active. At the edge of the screen, release the bar and you'll be returned to fuel screen view. How to Close a Floating Window on iPad If you pull an app out of the dock and place it on top of the window you already have open, rather than opening in split screen, it will open as a floating window. The easiest way to get rid of the floating window is to convert it to split screen and then close it. If you try to drag a floating window to the right or left side of the iPad, rather than closing, the window will just be hidden. If you truly want to close the app, you'll need to follow the instructions below. Tap and hold the center button on the floating screen, then drag it down toward the bottom of the screen. When the floating screen tries to merge into a split screen view, release it. Then drag the split screen divider to the right or left to close the desired screen. How to Disable Split Screen on iPad If you don't use split screen on your iPad and you ended up there accidentally, you may find the feature a bit frustrating. Or if split screen just isn't something you see yourself using all that often and you don't see the need to leave it enabled, you can disable split screen completely so you don't end up getting into split screen (or a floating window) accidentally.. Open Settings and tap Home Screen & Dock. You'll find it in the General settings group. On the Home Screen & Dock page, tap multitasking. Then on the Multitasking page, toggle Allow Multiple Apps off (the toggle will turn gray). Now you don't have to worry about getting stuck in split screen mode again. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit