To close all tabs on your iPhone, you’ll usually do it from your browser (most often Safari), and it only takes a couple of presses.

How to Close All Tabs on iPhone

Safari: Fast “Close All Tabs”

Use this when you just want everything gone at once.

  1. Open Safari.
  2. Tap the tabs button (two overlapping squares at the bottom right).
  3. In the tab view, tap and hold either:
    • the tabs button again, or
    • the word “Done” (bottom right), depending on your iOS version.
  4. Choose “Close All [X] Tabs”.
  5. Tap Close All Tabs again if you see a confirmation.

That’s it—every open Safari page disappears in one go.

Safari: “Close Other Tabs” Trick

If you want to keep just one tab and close everything else:

  1. Open Safari and go to the tab you want to keep.
  2. Go into the tab view (tabs button).
  3. Tap and hold that tab’s thumbnail.
  4. Choose “Close Other Tabs” (wording may vary slightly).
  5. All other tabs close, and the one you pressed stays open.

This is handy when you’re reading something important and just want to clean the rest.

Private Browsing Tabs

Private tabs are separate, so you may need to clear them too.

  1. Open Safari.
  2. Tap the tabs button.
  3. Switch to Private (or the private tab group) using the tabs menu at the bottom.
  4. Long-press Done or the tabs icon.
  5. Tap “Close All [X] Tabs”.

Now both normal and private sessions are cleared.

Chrome on iPhone (If You Don’t Use Safari)

If your main browser is Chrome:

  1. Open Chrome.
  2. Tap the tabs button (square with a number inside, usually at the bottom or top).
  3. In the tab overview, tap the three dots menu.
  4. Choose “Close All Tabs”.

If you don’t see that option, you may need to close multiple tabs by swiping them away, depending on your Chrome version.

Quick Scoop (Why This Matters Now)

  • In 2025–2026, a lot of people noticed they were carrying hundreds of old tabs across iOS updates, which can make Safari feel messy and slightly sluggish to navigate.
  • Newer iOS versions keep adding features like tab groups and smarter tab handling, which is great—until you realize you’ve got a different pile of tabs in each group.
  • Knowing the “Close All Tabs” and “Close Other Tabs” shortcuts is the modern equivalent of restarting your browser on desktop: it gives you a clean mental slate in a couple of seconds.

Extra Tip: Auto-Close Tabs (So You Don’t Buildup Again)

If you’re tired of doing this manually, you can set Safari to auto-clean:

  1. Go to Settings on your iPhone.
  2. Scroll down and tap Safari.
  3. Tap Close Tabs.
  4. Choose After One Day , After One Week , or After One Month.

After that, old tabs quietly disappear on their own, and you won’t wake up to 243 “I’ll read this later” pages anymore. TL;DR:

  • Safari: tabs button → long-press tabs or Done → Close All [X] Tabs.
  • To keep one: long-press that tab → Close Other Tabs.
  • Private & Chrome have separate “Close All” paths, so check each if you really want a totally clean slate.