How to Reset Your Garmin Watch: Step-by-Step Guide

By Dr. Krishna Athmakuri, Co-Founder & CEO of Clearcals

Knowing how to reset your Garmin watch can be extremely useful if you’re experiencing technical issues or simply want a fresh start.

Whether you own a Garmin Venu Sq 2, Vivoactive 6, or Instinct 3 , resetting your device can resolve performance issues, restore default settings, and prepare your watch for a new user.

In this guide, we’ll explain different reset methods, including soft reset, hard reset, and factory reset, for Garmin smartwatches.

Why You Might Need to Reset Your Garmin Watch

Resetting your Garmin watch can help with:

✅ Fixing performance issues or freezing problems

✅ Restoring default settings

✅ Preparing your watch for a new user

✅ Resolving syncing or connectivity issues

If your watch isn’t working as expected, resetting it may resolve common problems without needing technical support.

How to Soft Reset Your Garmin Watch

A soft reset (or reboot) is the easiest way to restart your Garmin watch without erasing any data. This is useful when your watch is frozen or unresponsive.

Steps to Soft Reset:

1. Press and hold the power button until the watch turns off.
2. Wait a few seconds, then press the power button again to restart the device.

🔹 Soft reset works for all Garmin models, including the Garmin Venu Sq 2, Vivoactive 5, and Instinct 2 series.

How to Hard Reset a Garmin Watch (Restore Default Settings)

A hard reset restores your watch to its default settings while keeping your user data. If you're experiencing issues with GPS, syncing, or connectivity, a hard reset may help.

Steps to Hard Reset Your Garmin Watch:

1. Open Settings on your watch.
2. Navigate to System > Reset.
3. Select Reset Settings to restore default settings while keeping personal data.
4. Confirm the reset and wait for the process to complete.

🔹 This method works for most Garmin models, including the Garmin Venu Sq 2, Vivoactive 5, and Instinct 2 series.

How to Factory Reset a Garmin Watch (Erase All Data)

A factory reset completely erases all data, including personal settings, activities, and preferences. If you plan to sell your watch or start fresh, this is the best option.

Steps to Factory Reset Your Garmin Watch:

1. Open Settings on your watch.
2. Navigate to System > Reset.
3. Select Delete Data and Reset Settings.
4. Confirm the reset. Your watch will restart as a new device.

💡 Factory resetting your watch will erase everything. Ensure you back up important data via Garmin Connect before proceeding.

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Final Thoughts: Which Reset Should You Use?

• If your watch is frozen or unresponsive, perform a soft reset.
• If you need to restore settings without losing data, choose a hard reset.
• If you want a fresh start or plan to sell your device, go for a factory reset.

No matter which Garmin model you use, knowing how to reset your Garmin watch can help you troubleshoot issues quickly and effectively.

About the Author

Dr. Krishna Athmakuri is the Co-Founder and CEO of Clearcals, where he leads the development of data-driven health technology through the Hint app.

With a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, New York, his expertise spans analytics, protein chemistry, and biotechnology.

Earlier in his career, he developed biotherapeutics for diabetes and metabolic diseases at companies like Aurobindo Pharma and Dr. Reddy's Laboratories.

At Clearcals, he now applies that scientific rigor to build personalized fitness tools, including Hint Pro Workouts, nutrition tracking, and real-time metabolic insights — helping users make smarter health decisions through technology.

🔗 Connect with Krishna on LinkedIn