[Quick Guide] How to Delete Safari Tabs on iPhone 14/13/12

This guide will tell you how to delete tabs on iPhone, including the ways to delete all open tabs.

Lena by Lena Updated July 18, 2023
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When you do a lot of searching with Safari on your iPhone, it is common to accumulate a multitude of open tabs. Oftentimes, you may not even realize the extent of tabs you have open until you find yourself overwhelmed and your phone starts to slow down. At this point, you will definitely want to know how to delete tabs on iPhone. Fortunately, there are several ways to erase tabs on iPhone. You can choose to delete the unwanted tabs or delete all tabs. Just keep reading to learn more.

Delete tabs on iPhone

How to delete tabs on iPhone

To close a tab, you can simply click on the 'x' symbol or drag it towards the left. This feature is convenient when you only want to have a few tabs open. If you want to know how to delete all Safari tabs on iPhone, please move on to the next part.

Delete one tab

How to delete all tabs on iPhone

Having multiple Safari tabs open can be a common occurrence for many people. However, manually closing each tab individually can be very time-consuming, especially if you have a large number of tabs open.

Of course, if there are specific tabs you wish to keep open, you will still need to close them one by one or take note of them to reopen later. But if you want to quickly close all your tabs at once, there are 3 methods to help you do it. Let’s see how to delete all tabs on iPhone.

How to delete all Safari tabs on iPhone

1. Open Safari app. You can swipe downwards from the center of the home screen > Locate the search bar and type in "Safari" to easily find the app.

2. Once you have opened Safari, look for the tab switcher icon, which can be found in the bottom-right corner of your screen.

3. To select this icon, tap and hold it. A convenient option will then appear, allowing you to close all the tabs you currently have open.

4. Confirm your choice by tapping "Close All XX Tabs".

Close all tabs

How to delete all Safari tabs on iPhone

1. Begin by launching the Safari app on your device and locate the Tabs switcher icon positioned in the bottom-right corner of your screen.

2. Tap and hold the "Done" button, and a pop-up window will appear.

From there, select the option to "Close All XX Tabs" to quickly remove all existing tabs. This efficient method allows for a streamlined and organized browsing session.

Close all tabs

How to delete all Safari tabs on iPhone via Settings app

There is a convenient method to quickly close all open Safari tabs on your device without even launching the Safari app.

1. To begin, access the Settings app on your iPhone.

2. From there, locate and tap on the Safari option. This might require you to scroll down a bit in order to find it.

3. Proceed to select Clear History and Website Data. This particular option is situated towards the bottom of the Safari settings page.

4. Lastly, complete the process by tapping on Clear History and Data. By doing this, when you open Safari again, all of your tabs will be automatically closed.

Clear history and data

How to delete Safari tabs on iPhone in iOS 15 and later

With the launch of iOS 15, the Safari browser on the iPhone and iPad has undergone major changes. In iOS 15, users have two new options for closing all Safari tabs.

Delete all associated tabs

One of these options is the tab group feature, which allows for an improved organization by creating a folder of tabs. By deleting the tab group, you can effectively close all of its associated tabs.

1. To start, launch Safari on your device and locate the two-square icon.

2. Upon tapping it, you will be taken to a new screen. To access the search bar, simply swipe down on the tab thumbnails.

3.  Now, let's say you're looking for information on Rajasthan. Type the word "Rajasthan" into the search bar. Safari will then display all the open tabs containing this word.

4. If you want to close all tabs that match your search word, long-press on the word "Cancel" and select the option "Close [number] Tabs Matching 'search-word'."

Close group tabs

Delete all other tabs on iPhone

In addition to tab groups, you can also enter tab thumbnail mode and easily close all other tabs, leaving only the desired one open. We will now provide a step-by-step explanation of how to achieve this.

1. Locate the two-square icon at the bottom right corner of the Safari browser.

2. Press and hold one of the tab thumbnails.

3. A menu will appear, select "Close Other Tabs".

Close other tabs

How to reopen a closed tab on iPhone

Accidentally closing a tab that you still need can be quite frustrating. However, there is a simple solution to recover it. Safari has a useful feature that allows you to access your recently closed tabs. This means that even if you need to go back a few steps, there's a good chance you'll be able to find the missing page.

1. To begin, launch Safari on your device.

2. Next, locate the tabs icon positioned on the lower-right side of the screen.

3. Then you can press and hold the 'plus' icon in the lower left corner. This will prompt a display of recently closed applications.

Plus button

4. Simply scroll through the list until you locate the specific page you were previously viewing. Once found, tap on it, and it will automatically reopen in a new tab.

Bonus tip: how to erase all Safari bookmarks and history

When you want to delete all Safari bookmarks and history, let FoneTool help you achieve the goal. This tool is able to clear all Safari data in one click and ensure they are not recovered. You can click the download button to get FoneTool and give it a try.

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Erase Safari history

💡 Related guides:

[3 Ways] How to Delete Browsing History on iPhone 

How to Delete Bookmarks on iPhone 14/13/12 (iOS 16/15/14) 

Final words

That’s all about how to delete tabs on iPhone. To prevent your iPhone from experiencing a significant slowdown and to avoid the tedium of closing multiple tabs individually, you can choose to close all open tabs. If you accidentally close a tab, you have the option to reopen it. We hope you find this guide helpful.

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