Apple's unpair-and-erase article is the reset guide. With your iPhone, unpair: Watch app, My Watch, All Watches, the info button, Unpair; this erases the watch to factory settings and removes Activation Lock, and you choose whether to keep or remove the cellular plan. Without the iPhone, erase the watch itself from Settings, General, Reset, Erase All Content and Settings; this restores factory settings but does not remove Activation Lock, so you need the Apple Account and password to set it up again, and if you are selling it you should unpair with the iPhone instead.
Apple stresses there is no SIM slot or reset button on a watch; the holes in the case are for sound and, on the Ultra, depth measurement, and nothing should be pushed into them. If you forgot the passcode, the charger, side button and Digital Crown reset is in the pairing article. A reset is a last step after a force restart.
Differential
Likely causes of “Apple Watch needs a safe reset or will not reset”, and how to tell them apart
- 1
The watch is frozen or misbehaving
What separates it A force restart does not fix it because the watch is frozen or misbehaving
How to confirm Unpair with the iPhone, which backs up first
- 2
You are selling or giving the watch away
What separates it The buyer needs a clean watch because you are selling or giving the watch away
How to confirm Unpair with the iPhone so Activation Lock is removed
- 3
You forgot the passcode
What separates it You cannot reach Settings because you forgot the passcode
How to confirm Use the charger, side button and Digital Crown reset
- 4
The iPhone is not with you
What separates it You cannot unpair because the iPhone is not with you
How to confirm Erase from Settings, General, Reset; Activation Lock stays
- 5
A stalled pairing
What separates it The animation hangs for a long time because of a stalled pairing
How to confirm Reset in pairing mode, and then pair again
Before you touch a setting
Record this first — changing settings destroys the evidence
- The model number and watchOS version
- Whether you still have the paired iPhone and the Apple Account password
- Whether the watch has a cellular plan
- Why you are resetting: a fault, a sale or a forgotten passcode
Try in this order
0 of 7 completedTry a force restart first
ReversibleTry a force restart first, by holding the side button and the Digital Crown for at least 10 seconds.
Keep them together
ReversibleKeep them together, by keeping the watch and the iPhone close during the reset, and then test again to see whether it helped.
Unpair from the iPhone
ReversibleWatch app, My Watch, All Watches, the info button, Unpair; keep the plan if you will pair again.
Enter your Apple Account password
ReversibleEnter your Apple Account password, since this removes Activation Lock from the watch, and then test again to see whether it helped.
Or erase from the watch
ReversibleSettings, General, Reset, Erase All Content and Settings, if the iPhone is not with you.
Set up again
ReversibleSet up again, by pairing with the iPhone, and restoring from backup if you want your data.
Sign out if selling
ReversibleSign out if selling, by unpairing with the iPhone and removing the cellular plan, and then test again to see whether it helped.
Model-specific
What is true of this model and not of its siblings
- Where the model number is
- The model number, for example A2986 on an Ultra 2, is engraved on the case back, and the serial number is in Settings, General, About.
- Cellular models reset the same way
- Apple's steps are the same on every model, with the extra keep-or-remove plan choice on GPS + Cellular watches.
- Repair cost
- Unpairing, erasing and pairing again cost nothing. If the watch will not erase or pair afterwards it is a hardware fault; Apple's out-of-warranty battery service is $99 and repair fees ran from $199 for an SE 2 to $499 for an Ultra at launch, per MacRumors.
- Other models this page answers
- These steps also fit the Apple Watch Ultra, Apple Watch Series 8, Apple Watch Series 7.
Stop boundary
When this stops being a self-service repair
- !If Activation Lock blocks you and you cannot sign in, use Apple's account recovery
- !If the watch will not erase, book Apple service
- !If you are selling it, always unpair with the iPhone first
Evidence ledger
Sources behind this answer
Unpair with the iPhone, erase without it, Activation Lock and the cellular plan choice.
Reset without a passcode and reset if pairing stalls.
The force restart to try first.
Model numbers.
The Apple Watch line and its generations.
Exact questions
Common questions
What does unpairing do?+
It erases the watch, restores factory settings and removes Activation Lock, per Apple.
What does erasing do without the iPhone?+
It restores factory settings but Activation Lock stays.
Is there a reset pinhole?+
No. Apple says a watch has no SIM slot or reset button, and the holes are for sound and depth.
Do I lose my data?+
Unpairing makes a backup first. An erase without the iPhone does not.
I forgot my passcode.+
Use the charger, side button and Digital Crown reset described in Apple's pairing article.
How do I reset a stalled pairing?+
Reset the watch while it is in pairing mode.
Will a reset fix a battery problem?+
Rarely. It fixes software faults; a worn battery needs service.
Can I reset a used watch I bought?+
Only if the previous owner removed Activation Lock; otherwise it stays locked.