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You can reset a Garmin watch and restore many of its settings, but the available reset choices and backup support depend on the model. Before resetting, sync the watch with Garmin Connect, check the owner’s manual for Back Up & Restore support, and choose deliberately between a settings reset and deleting data. Afterward, pair the watch again and follow the model’s restore prompts.
Before you reset: sync and check backup support
- Sync with Garmin Connect. This uploads activity data that has not yet synced. Garmin explicitly recommends syncing before resetting a D2 Air X15; for other models, follow the precautions in the model’s instructions. Syncing is not a complete backup of the watch’s settings.
- Check whether your model supports Back Up & Restore. Search “System Settings” in your watch’s owner’s manual, as Garmin recommends. If the feature is available, find the backup controls on the watch under Settings > System > Back Up & Restore or Restore & Reset. Check the last backup date or choose Back Up Now.
- Allow a pending backup to upload. Supported watches generally make automatic backups daily while idle, with automatic backups enabled by default. A manual backup may show Upload Pending until the watch syncs with Garmin Connect.
- Decide what you want to erase. Read the reset descriptions on the watch and in its manual. A settings-only reset may preserve user-entered information and activity history; a delete-data option can erase them. The exact choices vary by model.
Choose the reset option that matches your goal
Garmin uses different labels and menu paths across models. These examples apply only to the named watches; use your own model’s owner’s manual rather than treating either sequence as universal.
| Model | Menu path | What the documented choices do |
|---|---|---|
| D2 Air X15 | Settings > System > Restore & Reset > Reset | Choices include resetting settings while saving user-entered information and activity history; deleting activities; resetting totals; or deleting data and resetting settings. The delete-data choice also deletes Garmin Pay wallet information and stored music. |
| Venu 2 Series | Settings > System > Reset | Reset Default Settings is distinct from Delete Data and Reset Settings. The latter deletes user-entered information and activity history, as well as Garmin Pay wallet information and stored music if present. |
For Garmin’s instructions on these exact models, see D2 Air X15 Troubleshooting and Venu 2 Series – Restoring All Default Settings.
Pair the watch and restore a saved backup
After resetting, pair the watch with Garmin Connect. A compatible watch may offer the account-stored backup during pairing. Garmin’s documented app flow varies depending on whether the watch has Real Time Settings, so use the path that applies to your device:
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#1 Best Overall
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Garmin vívoactive® 5, Health & Fitness GPS Smartwatch, 42mm, Ivory
- Designed with a bright, colorful AMOLED display, get a more complete picture of your health, thanks to battery life of up to 11 days in smartwatch mode (5 days display always-on)
- Body Battery energy monitoring helps you understand when you’re charged up or need to rest, with even more personalized insights based on sleep, naps, stress levels, workouts and more (data presented is intended to be a close estimation of metrics tracked)
- Get a sleep score and personalized sleep coaching for how much sleep you need — and get tips on how to improve plus key metrics such as HRV status to better understand your health (data presented is intended to be a close estimation of metrics tracked)
- Find new ways to keep your body moving with more than 30 built-in indoor and GPS sports apps, including walking, running, cycling, HIIT, swimming, golf and more
- Wheelchair mode tracks pushes — rather than steps — and includes push and handcycle activities with preloaded workouts for strength, cardio, HIIT, Pilates and yoga, challenges specific to wheelchair users and more (data presented is intended to be a close estimation of metrics tracked)
- Watch with Real Time Settings: in Garmin Connect, open System > Back Up & Restore or Restore & Reset > Device Backups.
- Watch without Real Time Settings: in Garmin Connect, open General > Device Backups.
Select an available backup and choose Restore. Sync the watch, confirm Backup Found on the watch when prompted, reconnect it to the phone, and leave Garmin Connect open while the restore applies. Follow the prompts shown by your model and app version. Garmin says only the most recent backup for a device is saved, so do not expect a list of older restore points.
Restore with Garmin Express on a computer
If using a computer, Garmin documents this route in Garmin Express:
Rank #2
Sale
Garmin vívoactive® 5, Health & Fitness GPS Smartwatch, 42mm, Black
- Designed with a bright, colorful AMOLED display, get a more complete picture of your health, thanks to battery life of up to 11 days in smartwatch mode
- Body Battery energy monitoring helps you understand when you’re charged up or need to rest, with even more personalized insights based on sleep, naps, stress levels, workouts and more (data presented is intended to be a close estimation of metrics tracked)
- Get a sleep score and personalized sleep coaching for how much sleep you need — and get tips on how to improve plus key metrics such as HRV status to better understand your health (data presented is intended to be a close estimation of metrics tracked)
- Find new ways to keep your body moving with more than 30 built-in indoor and GPS sports apps, including walking, running, cycling, HIIT, swimming, golf and more
- Wheelchair mode tracks pushes — rather than steps — and includes push and handcycle activities with preloaded workouts for strength, cardio, HIIT, Pilates and yoga, challenges specific to wheelchair users and more (data presented is intended to be a close estimation of metrics tracked)
- Connect the watch to the computer and open Garmin Express.
- Choose Tools & Content > Utilities > Choose Backup.
- Select the backup, restore it, and sync the watch.
- Safely eject the watch, then confirm the restore on the watch when prompted.
What a Garmin backup restores—and what it does not
On supported watches, a device backup can include many settings and customizations, but it is not a complete image of the old watch.
Items Garmin says a device backup can include
- Activity and app list, activity settings, watch-face customization, and glances.
- Connect IQ content, saved alarms and timers, and paired sensors.
- On some models, workouts, courses, and saved locations through a Backup Contents option.
If the watch has been paired with Garmin Explore, Garmin says courses and saved locations may need to be managed there.
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Rank #3
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Garmin Forerunner 55, GPS Running Watch with Daily Suggested Workouts, Up to 2 Weeks of Battery Life, Black - 010-02562-00
- Easy-to-use running watch monitors heart rate (this is not a medical device) at the wrist and uses GPS to track how far, how fast and where you’ve run.Special Feature:Bluetooth.
- Battery life: up to 2 weeks in smartwatch mode; up to 20 hours in GPS mode
- Plan your race day strategy with the PacePro feature (not compatible with on-device courses), which offers GPS-based pace guidance for a selected course or distance
- Run your best with helpful training tools, including race time predictions and finish time estimates
- Track all the ways you move with built-in activity profiles for running, cycling, track run, virtual run, pool swim, Pilates, HIIT, breathwork and more
Items handled outside the device backup
- User profile information, heart-rate and power zones, and sleep schedule data are saved in your Garmin Connect account rather than included in the device backup. Syncing applies profile information, while Physio TrueUp transfers training data.
- Garmin Pay wallet information is not backed up. If the watch has been removed from your account during reset, recreate the wallet setup.
- Restoring a settings backup does not back-date software; it does not return the watch to an earlier software version.
Garmin explains supported models, backup contents, and restore procedures in Using the Back Up and Restore Feature on Select Garmin Watches. For the manual-based compatibility check, see Can I Copy or Back Up My Information and Settings on My Garmin Device?.
Quick Recap
SaleBestseller No. 3
Best Value
Sale
Garmin Instinct® 3 AMOLED, Rugged GPS Smartwatch, 45mm, Black
- Make a bold statement with this rugged GPS smartwatch, featuring a vibrant 1.2” AMOLED display and up to 18 days of battery life
- Engineered with a supertough 45 mm fiber-reinforced polymer case and metal-reinforced bezel
- Built-in LED flashlight with variable intensities and strobe modes gives you greater visibility in the outdoors and provides convenient illumination when you need it
- Know your body better with health monitoring features, including wrist-based heart rate, advanced sleep monitoring, Pulse Ox and more (this is not a medical device, and data presented is intended to be a close estimation of metrics tracked; Pulse Ox not available in all countries)
- Navigate confidently with a 3-axis compass, barometric altimeter and multi-band GPS with SatIQ technology, which delivers superior positioning while also optimizing battery life
Rank #4
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Garmin Forerunner® 165, Running Smartwatch, 43mm, Black
- Easy-to-use running smartwatch with built-in GPS for pace/distance and wrist-based heart rate; brilliant AMOLED touchscreen display with traditional button controls; lightweight design in 43 mm size
- Up to 11 days of battery life in smartwatch mode and up to 19 hours in GPS mode
- Reach your goals with personalized daily suggested workouts that adapt based on performance and recovery; use Garmin Coach and race adaptive training plans to get workout suggestions for specific events
- 25+ built-in activity profiles include running, cycling, HIIT, strength and more
- As soon as you wake up, get your morning report with an overview of your sleep, recovery and training outlook alongside weather and HRV status (data presented is intended to be a close estimation of metrics tracked)
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