How To Close Apps on Samsung TV? [5 Easy Ways]

Most of us press the home button and quickly switch to the next app on all our devices, including TVs. Samsung TV users are a little spoiled in this regard. The home button is quick, convenient and very well placed on all the remotes.

However, keeping multiple apps open in the background can impact your overall TV viewing experience. It is very important to keep the memory free from underutilized programs like background apps.

There are different ways to close an app on a Samsung TV. Let me explain each with detailed steps and necessary information.

Method 1: Using Remote Control

The first and the most idealistic method is to exit the app with the remote control buttons. It not only takes you to the previous screen but it prompts an exit from the app. Here are the steps to follow:

1. Find and press the “Return” or “Back” button on your remote control.
2. Keep pressing it till you go back to the home screen of the app.
3. Now, press the “Return” or “Back” button again from the home screen, and a pop-up will come up asking you to confirm the exit from the app.
4. Click on “OK” or “Yes” to confirm the action.

That is it. You have successfully closed an application on your TV. Upon opening the app again, it will load the app from fresh.

Method 2: Using a Shortcut

Just as we have a multitasking screen on our mobile devices, open apps on Samsung TV can also be accessed using the multitasking screen.

Follow the steps below:

1. Press the “Home” button from the app to return to the home screen.
2. Press and hold the “Enter” or “Select” button on your remote control.
3. Wait till a pop-up appears with the preview or thumbnails of the apps that are open in the background.
4. When the pop-up of thumbnails or previews appears, scroll horizontally to find the app you want to close.
5. Press the down arrow to get out of the app. On some models of the Samsung TV, you will find the X button as well which can be navigated and selected through the navigation and enter/select keys.

That is it. You have closed the app using the multitasking view. This is quite an effective way when you are on the home screen.

Some may say it is quicker than the “Return” or “Back” button method because you don’t have to endlessly press the buttons till the pop-up appears.

Method 3: Using Force-Stop Option

A troubleshooting method to close an app from the settings is to force-stop the app. This is exactly how we do it on our mobile phones.

Here are the steps:

1. Press the “Home” button from the app to return to the home screen.
2. Go to the “Settings” menu from the main menu on the home screen.
3. Go to “Apps”.
4. Select the app that you want to stop.
5. Select “Force stop”.
6. Confirm the selection from the pop-up.

Method 4: Using Task Manager

This one is for the nerds out there. If you want to close the app from the system then you can do so from the “Task Manager” from settings.

Here is how:

1. Press the “Home” button from the app to return to the home screen.
2. Go to the “Settings” menu from the main menu on the home screen.
3. Go to “General”.
4. Go to “System manager”.
5. Go to “Task Manager”.
6. Choose the app you want to close from the open apps in the pop-up.
7. Select “Close” and confirm the selection.

Method 5: Using Soft Reset

The last retort is to soft reset your Samsung TV. It takes a while and may also reset your preferences from settings or the home screen but it will surely close all the apps in case you could not do it through the aforementioned methods.

Here are the steps:

1. Open an app that you want to close on your Samsung TV.
2. Press the “Home” button from the app to return to the home screen.
3. Go to the “Settings” menu from the main menu on the home screen.
4. Go to “General”.
5. Scroll down and select “Reset”.
6. Enter the 4-digit PIN you were provided at the time of purchase. If you were not provided any PIN or if you did not alter it then it is likely that the PIN is still “0000”.
7. Confirm your selection after entering your PIN.
8. Wait till the TV restarts.

That is it. Resetting the TV not only closes all the running apps but also resets your system back to how it was from the factory.

Wrap Up!

Closing a TV app is fairly simple. The relentless pressing of the “Return” or the “Back” button on the remote can be a little annoying but it is somehow the most convenient. A close second in terms of convenience could be the multitasking window by pressing and holding the “Enter” or “Select” key.