Do you find yourself wanting to give your Garmin smartwatch a fresh start? If you're looking to restore default settings on your Instinct, or even if you're trying to find a way to Clear User Data on your Fenix watch without deleting the history, a reset is what you need.

Before we start, you must understand that there are different ways to reset a Garmin watch, each serving another purpose. Read well before taking these tips into practice as some reset options are irreversible and could wipe everything from the smartwatch.

Today we will cover all methods to achieve every kind of reset possible with your Garmin watches, from a simple reboot to fix bugs to a master reset.

How to reboot a Garmin watch

If your smartwatch presents some issues during usage, it could be easily fixed with a soft reset or reboot. Maybe you're not receiving a GPS signal, or perhaps some features aren't working; a simple reboot will fix that for you!

The easiest way to soft reset your Garmin watch is to press and hold the power button (also labeled as Light button or CRTL on some watches) for 15 seconds. Once it is off, press the same button to power it back on.

Watch out for your data when performing a reboot, as powering off without syncing may lead to losing some data.

How to reset device settings on a Garmin watch

If you have a recent Forerunner or Instinct model, then you most likely have the option to reset your watch's settings without losing your activity, personal data, and music. This feature is not available in all Garmin smartwatches, but you can always check if you find the Reset Default Settings option.

To do this, access your watch's menu and go down the list until you find the Settings menu. Select this option and go to System Settings. Inside this submenu, you will find the Reset option that will lead you to Reset Default Settings. After selecting, your screen will show a message that reads, "This restores all default settings. Activities and music will not be deleted.", if so, confirm and wait for your smartwatch to reset.

When doing this, pay close attention to the option you select, as you're looking for "Reset Default Settings" and not "Restore Defaults." This latter option will perform a hard reset, explained down below.

How to hard (master) reset your Garmin watch

If what you're looking for is to factory reset your Garmin device, this is it. With this option, you will be able to wipe all the contents of your watch, as well as the activity history, user-entered information, and all personal data.

This hard reset is irreversible, so think well about your decision before taking action. A master reset ranges between watch models; find the variations here:

• Recent Garmin Forerunner, Fenix, Instinct, and Vivoactive watches: Settings > System > Reset > Restore Defaults / Delete Data and Reset Settings.
• Vivomove touchscreen watch: bring up the menu by holding the touchscreen. Then select Settings > Restore Defaults.
• Approach golf watches: Settings > Reset > Delete Data and Reset Settings.
• Quatix and Descent watches: Menu Settings > System > Restore Defaults > Reset Settings.
• Earlier Forerunner (like 235): Menu > Settings > System > Restore Defaults > Yes.

We hope you have found the resetting options you were looking for and that now your problems have been solved! And if you're looking for new Garmin equipment, here you'll find everything you need.