Find, open, and close apps on your Pixel Tablet

You'll find some apps on your Pixel Tablet's Home screens, and all your apps in All Apps. You can open, close, and switch between apps.

Important: Some of these steps work only on Android 14 and up. Learn how to update your Android version.

Find and open apps

Find and open apps from the Home screen

1. Swipe up from the middle of your screen to the top.
2. Scroll or search to find an app.
3. Tap the app that you want to open.

Tip: If you're using a Google Account for work or school, you’ll find your apps in a "Work" tab.

Find and open apps from anywhere

1. To open Overview, swipe up from the bottom of your screen, hold, then let go.
   • 3-button navigation: Tap Recent apps .
2. Scroll to find an open app or choose one from the Taskbar.
3. Tap the app you want to open.

Note: Only apps that are already open will appear in Overview.

Tip: You can also add a shortcut to your Home screen for quicker access to content within apps. Learn how to add a shortcut.

Choose an aspect ratio for your apps

Some apps aren't designed to fit your device's screen. To make an app fit your screen better, you can change its aspect ratio. You can only change one app's aspect ratio at a time.

1. Open your device's Settings app .
2. Tap Apps Aspect ratio (experimental).
3. Tap Suggested apps All apps to view all of the apps on your device.
4. Tap the app you want to change the aspect ratio for.
5. Choose an aspect ratio:
   • App default: Open the app in its default size.
   • Full screen: Stretch the app so it fills your screen.
   • Half screen: The app only takes up half the screen.
   • 16:9: Change the app's dimensions to a 16:9 ratio.

Tip: The app restarts when you change its aspect ratio, so make sure to save any changes first. Some apps may not be optimized for certain aspect ratios.

Switch between apps

Switch between open apps in Overview

1. Swipe up from the bottom of your screen, hold, then let go.

   • 3-button navigation: Tap Recent apps .

2. Scroll to find an open app or choose one from the Taskbar.

3. Tap the app that you want to open.

Switch between apps on your Taskbar

1. With an app open, slowly swipe up from the bottom of the screen to open the Taskbar.

2. Choose an app from your Taskbar or tap All Apps to browse all of your apps.

Tip: You can pin apps to your Taskbar when editing your Home screen. If you don’t pin any apps, Taskbar will show suggested apps.

Close apps

Important: Some apps, like Google Play services or system apps, can’t be stopped. Learn more about Google Play services.

• Close one app: Swipe up from the bottom, hold, then let go. Swipe up on the app.

• Close all apps: Swipe up from the bottom, hold, then let go. Swipe all the way to the left and tap Clear all.

• Find your Home screen: Swipe up from the bottom of the screen.

  • 3-button navigation: Tap Home .

• Stop apps working in the background:

  • To open Quick Settings, swipe down from the top of the screen.

  • To check the number of active apps running in the background, tap # active apps.

  • To close each active app, tap Stop.

Tip: Even if you don't close apps manually, you won't run out of memory or battery. Android manages these automatically.

Get new apps

You can get more apps in the Play Store app . Learn how to download apps.

Related resources

• Add apps, shortcuts, and widgets to your Home screens on your Pixel Tablet
• Transfer files between your computer and Pixel Tablet
• Use split screen on your Pixel Tablet