How to reset a Garmin Watch

Resetting your Garmin watch may be helpful in a number of situations. Maybe you’ve upgraded your device and are selling or giving away your old Garmin watch. Or perhaps you just want to reset the settings back to the default settings. It could also be that your watch is frozen or unresponsive, and a hard reset is necessary to get it back to functioning. No matter your reasoning, Garmin offers a few different reset options suitable to each of the scenarios just mentioned.

How to reset your Garmin watch’s default settings

Bring your watch back to its original settings

To reset your watch to its default settings, you’ll want to perform the following reset. This process will restore the watch to its original factory settings. It will also delete some information, such as your user profile, personal records, metrics, and other data.

1. Ensure your watch is powered off.
2. Press and hold Back (typically the lower right button).
3. Power on the watch while continuing to hold Back.
4. Release Back once the “Reset default settings?” message appears on the display.
5. Select Yes. The reset is successful if the watch powers up and goes through the initial setup steps.
6. After a successful reset, place the watch outside with a clear view of the sky for at least 20 minutes to acquire satellite data.

How to perform a hard reset of your Garmin watch

A fix for frozen watches

If your watch is fully frozen or has lost connection with your smartphone, Garmin recommends a hard reset. Luckily, a hard reset won’t delete any of your user data.

1. Hold the Power button (typically the top left). You may need to hold it for up to 30 seconds.
2. When the watch face goes blank, release Power.
3. Press Power to turn the watch back on.

How to delete data and reset settings on a Garmin watch

The best way to hand off a watch to a new person

If you want to start from scratch with your Garmin or are giving it to someone else, you’ll want to clear all data and reset the settings. This type of reset will clear all settings, your user profile, records, activity history, Connect IQ content, and other data. It’s essentially a fully clean slate.

1. Hold Menu (typically the middle left button).
2. Scroll to and select System.
3. Scroll to and select Reset.
4. Scroll to and select Delete Data and Reset Settings.
5. Select Yes. The reset is successful if the watch powers up and goes through the initial setup steps.
6. After a successful reset, place the watch outside with a clear view of the sky for at least 20 minutes to acquire satellite data.

How to perform an Unprompted Reset of your Garmin watch

Reset only using buttons

If you need to clear settings and data without going into menus, you have yet another option for resetting your Garmin watch. Be sure to read the steps below carefully prior to starting the reset process.

1. Power off the watch. This can be done by holding the Light button (top left) for up to 30 seconds.
2. Press and hold Back (the bottom right button) and Start/Stop (the top right button).
3. Press Light to power the watch on while holding the Back and Start/Stop buttons.
4. After the first beep, release Start/Stop.
5. After the second beep, release the remaining buttons. The reset is successful if the watch powers up and goes through the initial setup steps.
6. After a successful reset, place the watch outside with a clear view of the sky for at least 20 minutes to acquire satellite data.

FAQ

Q: When should you reset your Garmin watch?

Garmin recommends avoiding resets except when necessary. If your watch is frozen or unresponsive, a reset may be necessary to restore its functioning. If your watch isn’t receiving a satellite signal, you should also try a reset. Or, if your watch is in the wrong language, a reset may be the only way to correct it. Finally, if you’re passing your watch off to someone else, a reset to clear all your data will be beneficial.