Oct 1 2012 2:04PM GMT

Closing Store Apps in Win8 Manually

Ed Tittel Profile: Ed Tittel

Although Windows 8 does a pretty good job of managing memory, and will close open Store Apps (using TIFKAM, or “The Interface Formerly Known As Metro”) when memory starts to get in short supply, there may be time you’ll want to close apps yourself directly. Though Windows 8 apps lack a close button, you can close them pretty easily using one of two hands-on methods:

Method 1: Use the Switch List

The Switch list appears when you drag from the upper left corner of the screen using finger (touchscreen) or mouse cursor. Once the list is open you can press and hold (touch) or right click (mouse) to provoke a control menu. Among its options you will see a Close option. Select that entry, and the app is closed.

Right click or press-and-hold to bring up the right-click menu, then select Close.

Method 2: Close the App While It’s in the Foreground On-Screen

OTOH, if you’re in the App you’d like to close you can either press the Alt+F4 key combination to close it, or click or press at the top of the app and hold until the Apps closes. On a touchscreen, you can also drag the app to the bottom of the screen and hold until the app shrinks and makes an animated move to vanish.

For real Windows 8 fans, there’s another option, too. Click the Settings charm, then click Change PC Settings, then select General from the PC Settings menu. Then, click the Delete history button that appears under the App switching heading: in addition to deleting your App switching history, it will also close all open Store apps as well.

The Delete history button under App Switching closes open apps too.

These maneuvers remind me a little of IOS, where a quick double-tap on the control button pulls up the list of open apps, and a press and hold on any entry provokes a minus sign to shut things down. My son’s always playing games on my phone, so about once a week, I have to go in and shut down all the stuff that won’t be used until the next time he “plays” on that device.