When it comes to fitness and health tracking, Garmin has become a household name. With upgraded features and cool design, it is no wonder many users prefer the brand compared to others.
However, Garmin also has its share of problems and technical errors. Sometimes, you can troubleshoot these issues with a quick restart or upgrade your watch’s firmware or device software.

But, if these options do not work for you, what you need to do is perform a factory reset on your Garmin watch or tracker. A hard reset will revert and restore your Garmin device to its default factory settings. It will reset all its functions, so you end up having a watch like what you had before.
How to Perform a Hard Reset and Restore your Garmin Watch to Default Factory Settings
Doing a factory reset will clear all the data on your Garmin watch or fitness tracker. It will delete all saved information, including the history and customized settings. If you agree to it, you can find the steps on how to do the hard or factory reset on your Forerunner, Instinct, Fenix, Venu, Venu SQ, Vivomove, or Vivoactive Garming watches or fitness trackers below.
Factory Reset a Garmin Forerunner, Instinct, Fenix, Venu, and Vivoactive Watch or Tracker
- Select the Menu button.
- Go to Settings.
- Navigate to System.
- Select Reset.
- Choose Restore Defaults.
- Go to Delete Data and Reset Settings.
- Select Yes.
How to Do a Hard Reset on Garmin Outdoor Watch
- First, turn off your Garmin Outdoor watch.
- Press and hold the Back/Lap button until the watch turns on.
- If you see the Clear User Data message, release the Back/Lap button.
- Select Yes.
Performing a Factory Reset on Garmin Vivomove Watch
- Press and hold the touchscreen to launch Menu.
- Select Settings.
- Choose Restore Defaults.
Hard Reset or Restore to Factory Settings a Garmin Quatix or Descent Watch
- Navigate to the Menu section.
- Select Settings.
- Go to System.
- Select Restore Defaults.
- Choose Reset Settings.
Doing a Factory Reset on Approach Gold Watch
- Press and hold the Menu button.
- Go to Settings.
- Select Reset.
- Choose Delete Data and Reset Settings.
Wrapping Up!
A factory reset is useful when your Garmin smart watch or fitness tracker starts to encounter problems. These issues may include freezing or not working at all.
Were you able to do the hard reset on your Garmin watch? How did it go? You can tell us your story in the comment section below.