Metro apps are applications that reside on your Windows 8 desktop. Similar to widgets on a smart phone, they update in real time, giving you useful information without having to look any further than your desktop screen. But what if you want to close one of these apps?
There is no obvious way to close a Metro app, in part because Windows 8 has been designed so that you don’t need to close these apps. When not in use, Windows 8 will ‘suspend’ a Metro app. In effect, this keeps the app in memory, but doesn’t use any of your computer resource. If you need the app again, you can go back to it, picking up where you left off without worry that it will pull from your computer’s memory when not in use.
But you may still want to close one of these apps, and while the process isn’t as obvious as it could be, there are four different ways to do that:
1. Close an app using touch gestures
With
the app open, place your finger at the top edge of the screen and pull
down. The app will minimize, displaying in a small window instead of
taking up the full screen. Now simply pull the app down to the bottom of
your screen and it will slid out of view and you will be returned to
your desktop. The app is now closed.2. Close an app using the mouse
If you do not have a touch screen, you can still use this option. Simply place your mouse at the top of the screen. Your cursor icon will change to a small hand. Then, as before, pull the cursor downward on the screen. The app will minimize and you can drag it off the bottom of the screen.3. Close an app using keyboard shortcut
You can use the keyboard shortcut : CTRL + F4 to close an app. This method will also work with traditional Windows programs. (Note, however, that some users have reported this method does not always work with Metro apps.)
If you love working with keyboard shortcuts, check out our Windows 8 keyboard shortcut cheat-sheet.
Press CTRL+ALT+DEL to launch the Windows Task Manager and kill the app by selecting it and hitting
End Task
at the bottom of the window.One more thing – these instructions are only for Metro apps. Traditional Windows apps, such as Microsoft Word, will still have minimize and close buttons, as they have in past versions of Windows.