Different methods of closing apps on your samsung smart tv

You might be getting used to your new Samsung Smart TV and tried downloading a few apps on it — but do you know how to close those apps? Well, there are a few ways to do that, and this guide will share various methods to close apps, remove apps, force quit apps and even clear cache data. 

So, continue reading till the end and learn the different ways to close apps on a Samsung Smart TV! 

Samsung TV Apps
Samsung TV Apps

How to close apps on Samsung smart TV 

Apps on a Samsung Smart TV can be closed through user interaction. When the user long-presses the remote control “Return/Exit” key, a pop-up will appear asking you to confirm that you want to kill apps on your Samsung TV. You can close Smart Hub applications on your TV using this method. It’s the easiest way of closing apps on your Samsung Smart TV.

Here are three step-by-step techniques to close the apps that are open on your Samsung Smart TV.

With the help of remote keys

With the following steps, you can quickly and easily close apps on your Samsung TV using that EXIT/RETURN key on your remote. 

  • Find the EXIT/RETURN button on your Samsung Smart TV remote and press it
  • As soon as you press the key, a pop-up will appear on your screen, asking if you want to close the current app
  • If you are ready to close the app, press the OK button on your remote to confirm the action. 
  • The current running app will close on your Samsung TV.

With the help of the power button

These are the steps you need to take if you are looking to force quit applications running on the Samsung TV with the help of the Power Button on your remote control. 

  • Locate the Power Button on your remote control, which is usually a red-colored button present right at the top left or right corner of your remote control. 
  • Press and hold this button for at least five to six seconds. 
  • Your Samsung Smart TV will shut down and close all running apps with it. 
  • You can wait for a few minutes and then press the Power Button to turn your Smart TV back on
  • As soon as your TV turns on, you can launch an application, and it will boot up. You will have new settings to work with on your screen. 
man holding tv remote
Man holding tv remote

With the help of TV settings

Another method is to use the following steps to force quit a running application on the Samsung TV using the Settings menu.

  • Locate the SMART HUB/HOME/MENU button on your TV’s remote control. 
  • Press it and go to Settings from your Samsung TV screen. 
  • Choose Apps and then select the application you want to force quit. 
  • The next step is to force quit the app from the screen using your remote control. 
  • Finally, locate the OK button and press confirmation. 

How to quit Samsung TV background apps

To check which applications are running in the background on your Samsung TV, here are the steps that you must follow: 

  • Press the Home button on your Samsung Smart TV remote control.
  • Then go to the TV’s primary Settings menu. 
  • Scroll down the menu and look for Support and select it. 
  • You will have to choose the Self-Diagnosis option from the menu. 
  • A sub-menu will appear, and you can look for the TV Device Manager option by scrolling down. 
  • Some statistics will appear on your screen, and you can see the space taken up by the running apps in the background on your Smart TV.
  • You will be able to see what apps are running and can quit those apps too. 
  • You will have to press the Clean Now option located under the Clean – Running Apps option, and you will be able to free up space in the background on your Samsung Smart TV. 

Hard reset Samsung smart tv 

Sometimes, the applications on your Samsung TV stop responding. When that happens, there is no other option but to hard reset the TV. Here is a video to guide you, or you can check out our in-depth guide here.

How to clear apps cache on Samsung smart TV

At times, the applications on your Samsung Smart TV may malfunction or freeze for various reasons. You can eradicate this problem if you try to clear your apps’ cache using the following steps: 

  • Locate the Smart Hub/Home/Menu button on your Samsung Smart TV remote control.
  • Press it and choose Settings from your TV screen. 
  • From there, you need to go to Apps and then choose System Apps
  • The next step is to choose the application you want to clear the cache for. 
  • After that, choose Clear Cache on the screen. 
  • Once you have done that, you need to press OK for confirmation and wait for the entire process to complete. 

Remember that this process might take time if you’re doing it for the first time on your Samsung Smart TV. But once complete, your TV will instantly complete the task whenever you clear your apps’ cache. 

How to remove apps from Samsung TV 

From time to time, specific applications on your Samsung Smart TV stop responding. They will continue to do so until you force-quit them. 

In such a scenario, you must remove them from your TV by following these steps and cleaning up your storage to install new applications: 

  • Locate the Smart Hub/Home/Menu button on your Smart TV’s remote control. 
  • Press it and go to Settings on your screen.
  • Once in the Settings menu, select Apps and choose the one you want to delete from your TV. 
  • A pop-up menu will appear, asking you to delete the app, and you will have to select Delete on your TV screen to confirm the action. 
Samsung Smart TV Apps
Samsung Smart TV Apps

Remember that you can’t remove this application from your Samsung Smart TV if the Delete option in the pop-up is gray. Another way of uninstalling apps from your Smart TV is using your Apps Screen. Here are the steps that you must follow:

  • Select Apps from your TV screen. 
  • The next step is to scroll down to the Downloaded Apps section on your screen. 
  • You must scroll through the list and choose the application you want to remove
  • With the help of directional keys, navigate to the app. Then long press the Select Button on the application that you want to delete. Hold it until the screen shows a pop-up menu.
  • Choose Delete from the pop-up menu and confirm the action to proceed. 

If you are looking to remove multiple applications from your Samsung Smart TV, these are the steps that you can use:

  • Choose the Settings option on your Samsung TV screen.
  • The next step is to go to Support in the menu and select Device Care.
  • After that, you will have to wait for a few seconds and then choose Manage Storage, located at the bottom of your screen. 
  • The screen will show you a list of all installed applications on your TV. This is where you can manage these apps and delete them. Go to the application you want to uninstall and press Select on the remote. 
  • You can select other apps and remove them all at once. After selecting all the apps, you want to remove, press the Delete button on your remote and confirm the action by pressing OK
Remote control app buttons
App buttons on a remote control

How to restart apps on a Samsung smart tv

Sometimes, you cannot use an app on your Samsung Smart TV. Now you might wonder if there is a way to restart the app. Yes, there is a way to continue using an app that is not working on your TV.

Samsung Smart TVs keep apps in standby mode when you turn them off. Therefore, the applications continue running in the background.

So, if an application is stuck, you might have to restart it to make it work again. And to make that happen, you must sign out of all apps from your Samsung Smart TV. Here are the steps that you need to follow, 

  • Before you try this, you can do a cold boot if you think your app is causing the trouble. Doing so will reload the software and all the apps, and this process will only take about 10 seconds to complete. Unplugging your TV from the outlet and plugging it back in can also work. 
  • Go to the Settings menu of your Samsung Smart television. 
  • Then you can try to force close the application by pressing the Power Button on your TV’s remote control by keeping it pressed for about 5 to 6 seconds. A pop-up will appear on your screen, asking you to exit the application
  • You can clear the app’s cache if you are still dealing with the issue, or you can restart the TV.

If none of these methods work, you should reinstall the app from the store and then try running it again. Be sure to find the latest version of the application you want to install on your Samsung Smart TV. 

How to reinstall an app after an accidental deletion

Is there a way to reinstall an app after an accidental deletion? Yes, you can reinstall an app that you have just deleted — perhaps you deleted it by mistake and now want it back on your Samsung TV. 

Reinstalling an application can also work if it is running slow or you have uninstalled some other app mistakenly. 

Here are the steps that you need to undertake:

  • Go to Apps on the home screen of your Samsung Smart TV. 
  • After that, you must select the Search icon at the top right corner of your TV screen. 
  • Now, enter the name of the application you want to install on your TV. Your screen will show a list of apps that matches the name. 
  • Select the app you want to install on your TV and then choose Install.
  • If your TV has enough memory and a stable internet connection, you can reinstall the app within a few moments.

You can press the Home button and check if the newly installed app appears on the list. With the help of the directional keys on your remote control, you can navigate the screen and open the app. If you don’t have your desired reinstall app on your home screen, it will be in the Apps section of your Samsung Smart TV.

Samsung TV
Samsung TV

Frequently Asked Questions

How Do I Refresh an App on My Samsung?

You need to navigate to your Samsung Smart Hub and navigate the APPS area. Then, you can navigate to More Apps from the bottom of your screen. Finally, choose Apps To Update from the top center on your screen, and you will be able to refresh your application on your Samsung TV. 

Where Is the Apps button on Samsung Smart TV?

From your Home Screen, you need to go to Apps, select it, and then show Search, located at the top-right concern of your screen. 

The Apps button is not on your remote control; you must navigate the screen to find it. You need to press the Home/Menu/Smart Hub button on your remote control, and the Apps button will appear on the bottom-right concern of your TV screen.

Conclusion

There are different ways to close apps on your Samsung Smart TV. You need to be familiar with all those techniques to make sure you can tackle the situation of having frozen apps on your Samsung TV. 

We hope this guide on how to close apps on Samsung Smart TV was of help to you! If you have any more questions, feel free to drop us a comment below.

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About Melissa

Hey! I'm Mel, I write the occasional article for Spacehop, amongst other things. I love meeting new people and chatting, so if you have any questions don't hesitate to ask.

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