How to Restart or Factory Reset a Garmin Watch

Restart vs Factory Reset: Which One Do You Need?

A restart (a soft reset) turns the watch off and on. A factory reset, or master reset, has two options, and only one erases your data:

Option	How	What it does	Keeps your data?	Use it when
Restart	Power button	Turns the watch off and on	Not guaranteed: several manuals say it "may erase your data or settings"	The watch stops responding
Reset Default Settings	Reset menu on the watch	Factory default settings	Yes: keeps activity history (vívoactive 5, Venu 3 and Instinct 3 Solar reset profile data)	You want default settings back
Delete Data and Reset Settings	Reset menu on the watch	Factory defaults, and erases what you added	No: deletes activity history and the Garmin Pay wallet	You're passing the watch on, or nothing else worked

How to Restart a Garmin Watch

The power button changes by family. Each row comes from that watch's owner's manual:

Watch	Power button	Restart
Forerunner 265, Forerunner 55	LIGHT	Hold 15 seconds until it turns off, then hold one second to turn it on
Venu 3, vívoactive 5	Button A	Hold 15 seconds until it turns off, then hold one second to turn it on
fēnix 8	Upper-left button	Hold until it turns off, then hold to turn it on
fēnix 7	LIGHT	Hold until it turns off, then hold to turn it on
Instinct 3 Solar, Instinct 3 AMOLED	CTRL	Hold until it turns off, then hold to turn it on

For other models, Garmin's rule is to hold the upper-left button (5-button watches) or upper-right button (2-button watches), then select Power Off.

How to Force Restart a Frozen Garmin Watch

Garmin's steps for a locked-up watch:

1. Press and hold the power button until the watch powers off (up to 30 seconds).
2. Release the power button.
3. Press the power button again to turn the watch back on.

A fēnix 8 can also be forced to restart by plugging it into a USB-C charging port for at least 30 seconds, unplugging the cable and plugging it in again. If the screen stays black, go to Garmin watch won't turn on.

How to Factory Reset a Garmin Watch

A factory reset runs on the watch itself; the Garmin pages we read show no reset command in the Garmin Connect app, where Remove Device only unpairs the watch.

Factory Reset on the Watch

1. Sync the watch with Garmin Connect so your activity data uploads.
2. Open the Reset menu for your model (table below).
3. Select Delete Data and Reset Settings to erase everything, or Reset Default Settings to keep your history.

Reset Menu by Model

Watch	How to open the Reset menu
Forerunner 265	From the watch face, hold UP › System › Reset
Forerunner 55	From the watch face, hold UP › menu icon › System › Reset
Venu 3, vívoactive 5	Hold Button B › Settings › System › Reset
fēnix 8	From the watch face, hold the middle-left button › Watch Settings › System › Restore & Reset › Reset
fēnix 7	Hold MENU › System › Reset
Instinct 3 Solar, Instinct 3 AMOLED	Hold MENU › System › Reset

Extra options vary by model: the fēnix 8 adds Delete All Messages, Reset Dive Computer and Delete Temporary Files.

How to Check the Reset Worked and Pair Again

Then reconnect the watch to your phone:

1. If Garmin Connect still lists the watch, remove it: More › Garmin Devices › your watch › three-dot menu › Remove Device.
2. Forget the watch in the phone's Bluetooth settings (iPhone: Forget This Device; Android: Unpair).
3. Pair it again from Add Device, as in how to pair a Garmin watch with your iPhone or Android phone. On watches with Back Up & Restore, Garmin Connect asks whether to apply the backup stored in your account.