Key points to remember
A reset may be necessary if your watch is frozen.
You must erase your data before giving your watch to someone else.
Garmin offers several types and methods to reset your watch.
Resetting your Garmin watch can be helpful in many situations. Maybe you’ve upgraded your device and are selling or giving away your old Garmin watch. Or maybe you just want to reset it to factory defaults. Or maybe your watch is frozen or unresponsive and a hard reset is needed to get it working again. Whatever your reason, Garmin offers a few different reset options to suit each of the scenarios mentioned above.

Related
Is your Garmin watch damaged? It may be under warranty
You have some protection if your new Garmin watch breaks.
How to Factory Reset Your Garmin Watch
Return your watch to its original settings
To reset your watch to its default settings, you need 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, measurements, and other data.
Make sure your watch is turned off.
Press and hold Back (usually the bottom right button).
Turn on the watch while continuing to hold Back.
Release Back once the “Reset to default settings?The message ” appears on the screen.
Select YesThe reset is successful if the watch turns on and follows the initial setup steps.
After a successful reset, place the watch outdoors with a clear view of the sky for at least 20 minutes to acquire satellite data.
How to Hard Reset Your Garmin Watch
A solution for frozen watches
If your watch is completely frozen or has lost connection with your smartphone, Garmin recommends performing a hard reset. Fortunately, a hard reset will not delete any of your user data.
Hold it Power (usually top left). You may need to hold it for 30 seconds.
When the watch face goes blank, release Power.
Press Power to turn the watch back on.
How to Delete Data and Reset Settings on a Garmin Watch
The Best Way to Pass a Watch on to a New Person
If you want to start fresh with your Garmin or give it to someone else, you’ll need to erase all data and reset the settings. This type of reset will erase all settings, your user profile, recordings, activity history, Connect IQ content, and other data. It’s basically a completely clean slate.
Socket Menu (usually the middle left button).
Scroll down and select System.
Scroll down and select Reset.
Scroll down and select Delete data and reset settings.
Select YesThe reset is successful if the watch turns on and follows the initial setup steps.
After a successful reset, place the watch outdoors with a clear view of the sky for at least 20 minutes to acquire satellite data.
How to Perform an Unsolicited Reset on Your Garmin Watch
Reset using buttons only
If you need to erase settings and data without accessing the menus, you have another option to reset your Garmin watch. Be sure to read the steps below carefully before beginning the reset process.
Turn off the watch. This can be done by holding the button Light button (top left) for up to 30 seconds.
Press and hold Back (the button at the bottom right) And Start Stop (the button at the top right).
Press Light to turn on the watch while holding the Back And Start Stop buttons.
After the first beep, release Start Stop.
After the second beep, release the remaining buttons. The reset is successful if the watch powers on and follows the initial setup steps.
After a successful reset, place the watch outdoors 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 unless necessary. If your watch is frozen or unresponsive, a reset may be necessary to get it working again. If your watch is not 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 fix the problem. Finally, if you are passing your watch on to someone else, a reset to erase all your data will be beneficial.