Garmin's back-up article is the safe route to a reset. Some watches back up settings once a day, usually overnight, and you can force one: hold Up or Menu, choose Settings, System, Back Up and Restore or Restore and Reset, then Back Up Now, and the watch shows Upload Pending until it syncs. Backups keep activity and app lists, activity settings, watch faces, glances, Connect IQ content, alarms and paired sensors;
user profile, heart rate zones and sleep schedule stay in your Garmin Connect account, and Garmin Pay wallet data is not backed up. After a reset or a replacement watch, the Garmin Connect app offers to apply the stored backup during pairing. Restoring settings does not roll back software. If the watch is frozen, first hold the power button up to 30 seconds and try the 60-second forced restart before any reset.
Differential
Likely causes of “Garmin watches needs a safe reset or will not reset”, and how to tell them apart
- 1
A frozen or misbehaving watch
What separates it A restart does not fix it because the watch is frozen or misbehaving
How to confirm Back up, then restore or reset as your manual describes
- 2
A replacement watch
What separates it You need your old settings because you have a replacement watch
How to confirm Apply the backup when pairing, and check the settings
- 3
Selling the watch
What separates it You need a clean watch because you are selling the watch
How to confirm Remove it from your Garmin Connect account and reset
- 4
A corrupted setting
What separates it There is odd behavior after an update because of a corrupted setting
How to confirm Apply a backup after the reset, and check the settings
- 5
A failed pairing
What separates it Pairing never completes because of a failed earlier pairing
How to confirm Reset, then pair through Garmin Connect, and sync
Before you touch a setting
Record this first — changing settings destroys the evidence
- Whether Back Up and Restore exists in Settings, System
- When the last backup was made
- Whether activities have synced to Garmin Connect
Try in this order
0 of 7 completedTry a restart first
ReversibleTry a restart first, by holding the power button up to 30 seconds and restarting.
Sync
ReversibleSync, so that activities are safe in Garmin Connect before the reset, and then test again to see whether it helped.
Back up
ReversibleBack up, by choosing Settings, System, Back Up and Restore, Back Up Now, and then test again to see whether it helped.
Reset
ReversibleReset, by using the reset in your owner's manual for your model, and then test again to see whether it helped.
Pair again
ReversiblePair again, by pairing through Garmin Connect once the reset is complete, and then test again to see whether it helped.
Apply the backup
ReversibleApply the backup, by accepting the backup when the app offers it after pairing, and then test again to see whether it helped.
Re-add Garmin Pay
ReversibleRe add Garmin Pay, and recreate the wallet if needed after the reset, and then test again to see whether it helped.
Model-specific
What is true of this model and not of its siblings
- Where to find it
- Garmin says to search System Settings in your owner's manual to see whether your watch supports Back Up and Restore.
- Storage
- Garmin's manuals list up to 32 GB media storage on the Forerunner 965 and up to 8 GB on the Forerunner 265.
- Repair cost
- Cleaning and restarting cost nothing. Per WalkingSolar's Garmin battery guide, a battery replacement is about $50 to $80 through Garmin, $30 to $50 at a third-party shop and $10 to $20 to do yourself, and Joe's Gaming and Electronics charges a $50 diagnostic and return-shipping fee if you decline a quote. Garmin's own out-of-warranty service usually exchanges the whole watch at a model-dependent price.
- Other models this page answers
- These steps also fit models epix Pro (Gen 2), Forerunner 965, Forerunner 265, Venu 3/3S, vívoactive 5, Instinct 2X Solar, S70.
Stop boundary
When this stops being a self-service repair
- !If the watch will not reset or restart, contact Garmin Support
- !If Garmin Pay must be re-added, contact your bank or card issuer
- !If you sold it, confirm it is removed from your account
Evidence ledger
Sources behind this answer
What is backed up, how to back up and how to restore.
The power-button restart.
The 60-second forced restart.
Pairing again after a reset.
The company and its wearables line.
Exact questions
Common questions
What is not backed up?+
User profile, heart rate zones and sleep schedule stay in Garmin Connect, and Garmin Pay is not backed up.
How often does it back up?+
By default once per day, usually overnight.
Can I back up now?+
Yes, Settings, System, Back Up and Restore, Back Up Now.
Does restoring roll back software?+
No, Garmin says it will not back date software.
Will I lose activities?+
Unsynced ones may be lost; sync first.
Which watches support it?+
Select watches; search System Settings in your manual.
What does Upload Pending mean?+
Garmin says after Back Up Now the watch shows Upload Pending instead of the last backup date until it syncs with your Garmin Connect account, so sync before resetting.
Will Connect IQ apps come back?+
Garmin lists Connect IQ store content among the items a backup keeps, along with watch faces, glances, alarms and paired sensors.
Can I use the backup on a new watch?+
Yes, on a replacement of the same model.