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This wikiHow teaches you how to stop apps that are running in the background on a Samsung Galaxy. Though it’s easy to close apps, there’s no way to prevent them from restarting unless you uninstall or disable them.

Method 1
Method 1 of 2:

Closing Apps

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  1. 1
    Press the Recent Apps button. It’s the icon with two L-shaped lines at the bottom-right corner of the home screen. This displays a list of apps that are running on your Galaxy.
    • This method will help you close apps that are currently running. These apps will restart once you open them.
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  3. It’s at the top-right corner of the app.
    • To close all running apps at once, Tap Close All at the bottom of the screen.
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Method 2
Method 2 of 2:

Uninstalling or Disabling Problem Apps

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  1. It’s near the bottom of the menu.
  2. After the 7th tap, you’ll see a message informing you that you’re now a developer.
    • If you aren’t returned to the Settings menu, tap the back button to return now.
  3. This menu is new.
  4. This may be called Process statistics on some software versions. Now you’ll see a list of running apps and their processes and services.
    • You’ll only see apps that are currently running by default. To see cached apps, tap Show Cached Processes.
  5. Each app in the list has the current RAM usage to the right of its name (in MB). It may be possible to regain better performance on your Galaxy by removing apps that use too much RAM.
    • If an app you don't use much is using as much or more RAM as other apps, you might want to remove it.
    • Tap an app to view further RAM information, such as how much is being used by by other processes.
  6. Now that you know which apps use too much RAM, you can uninstall them.
    • Stock Samsung apps cannot be uninstalled, but you may be able to disable them.
  7. A list of apps will appear.
  8. This opens the app’s info screen.
  9. You may have to tap it again to confirm that you really want to remove the app. The app is no longer on your Galaxy.
    • If you don’t see Uninstall, tap Disable instead. This will stop the running process and prevent it from restarting.
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About This Article

Nicole Levine, MFA
Written by:
wikiHow Technology Writer
This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Nicole Levine, MFA. Nicole Levine is a Technology Writer and Editor for wikiHow. She has more than 20 years of experience creating technical documentation and leading support teams at major web hosting and software companies. Nicole also holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Portland State University and teaches composition, fiction-writing, and zine-making at various institutions. This article has been viewed 58,304 times.
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Co-authors: 2
Updated: March 10, 2025
Views: 58,304
Categories: Samsung Galaxy
Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 58,304 times.

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