How to Reset Apple Watch
Learn how to reset your Apple Watch with step-by-step instructions for soft resets, force restarts, and factory resets. Covers resetting with and without your passcode.
Your Apple Watch is stuck on a black screen, an app keeps crashing, or you are getting ready to sell it. Whatever the reason, a reset is usually the answer. But "reset" can mean very different things depending on what you actually need.
A soft reset just reboots the watch. A force restart gets you out of a freeze. A factory reset wipes everything and takes the watch back to its out-of-the-box state. Each one has its place, and picking the wrong one can mean losing data you did not need to lose.
This guide walks through every type of reset, starting with the gentlest option and working up to a full erase. Start at the top and stop when your problem is solved.
An Apple Watch (any model or generation) The paired iPhone for the recommended factory reset method The magnetic charger for resetting without a passcode
Restart your Apple Watch (soft reset)
If your watch is running slowly or an app is acting up, a simple restart is the first thing to try. No data is lost. Press and hold the side button (the oblong button below the Digital Crown) until the power options appear. Tap the power icon in the top right corner, then drag the Power Off slider to the right. Wait a few seconds for the screen to go completely dark. Then press and hold the side button again until the Apple logo appears. The watch will boot back up with everything intact. This fixes most minor glitches. If your watch is completely frozen and the screen is not responding to touch, skip to the next step.
Good to know: You cannot restart your Apple Watch while it is charging. Take it off the charger first, then press and hold the side button.
Force restart a frozen Apple Watch
When your watch is completely unresponsive and you cannot get to the power menu, a force restart is the fix. This is safe and does not erase any data. Press and hold both the side button and the Digital Crown at the same time. Keep holding both buttons for at least 10 seconds. The screen will go dark first. Keep holding. Release when you see the Apple logo. The watch will reboot normally. If it was frozen on a black screen, this works too. You might need to hold the buttons for up to 15 or 20 seconds in some cases.
Heads up: Never force restart during a watchOS update. Interrupting a software update can permanently damage the watch software. Wait for the update to finish, even if it seems stuck.
Factory reset from Settings on the watch
A factory reset erases everything on the watch and restores it to its original state. Use this when restarting did not fix the problem, or when you need to start fresh. On your Apple Watch, press the Digital Crown to go to the Home Screen. Open Settings (the gear icon), then tap General. Scroll to the bottom and tap Reset, then tap Erase All Content and Settings. Enter your watch passcode when prompted. If your watch has a cellular plan, choose whether to keep or remove the plan. Tap Erase All to confirm. The watch will take a few minutes to erase. When it finishes, you will see the initial pairing screen.
Heads up: This method does not create a backup. If you want your data saved before erasing, use the iPhone method in step 5 instead. This method also does not remove Activation Lock, which means a new owner will need your Apple Account password to set up the watch.
Factory reset without your passcode
Forgot your passcode? Or has the watch been disabled after too many wrong attempts? You can still erase it, but you need the magnetic charger. Place the Apple Watch on its magnetic charger. It must stay on the charger for the entire process. Press and hold the side button until the power menu appears. Now press and hold the Digital Crown firmly. Do not just tap it. Hold it down until you see "Erase all content and settings" on the screen. Tap Reset, then tap Reset again to confirm. The watch will erase itself and restart to the pairing screen. This method does not remove Activation Lock, and there is no guaranteed backup. If you are giving the watch away, you will need to remove Activation Lock separately through iCloud.com/find by signing in with your Apple Account, selecting the watch, and clicking Remove from Account.
Factory reset through your iPhone (recommended)
This is the best way to factory reset if you still have the paired iPhone. It automatically backs up your watch data, removes Activation Lock, and gives you control over your cellular plan. Keep both devices close together. Open the Watch app on your iPhone and tap the My Watch tab. Tap All Watches at the top, then tap the info button (i) next to the watch you want to reset. Tap Unpair Apple Watch, then tap Unpair again to confirm. For cellular models, choose whether to keep or remove your plan. Enter your Apple Account password when prompted. The iPhone will back up the watch, then erase it. The process takes a few minutes. We have a full walkthrough of this process in our How to Unpair Apple Watch guide if you want more detail on each screen.
Good to know: Always use this method before selling, giving away, or trading in your Apple Watch. It is the only method that automatically removes Activation Lock, which means the new owner can set up the watch without your password.
Restore your Apple Watch from a backup
After a factory reset, the watch shows the pairing screen. Hold it near your iPhone and tap Continue when the pairing prompt appears. Point your iPhone camera at the swirling animation on the watch to pair them. During setup, you will be asked whether to Restore from Backup or Set Up as New Apple Watch. If you used the iPhone unpairing method (step 5), a backup was created automatically and will appear in the list. Pick the most recent one. Set a new passcode when prompted, then work through the setup screens for Apple Pay, SOS, and notifications. The watch will sync your data in the background. Depending on how much data you have, this can take anywhere from a few minutes to an hour. After the restore finishes, you will need to re-add any credit or debit cards to Apple Pay and re-pair Bluetooth accessories like headphones. Those are not included in the backup.
Most Apple Watch problems are solved by step one or two. A restart clears out temporary glitches, and a force restart handles the occasional freeze. Factory resets are the bigger move, and the method you choose matters. If you are keeping the watch, any reset method works. If you are handing it to someone else, always go through the iPhone unpair method. It is the only way to cleanly remove Activation Lock, and skipping it will leave the new owner stuck at setup. For more help with your Apple devices, check out our Apple Device Tips series. And for the official details, Apple's support page on unpairing and erasing covers the process from their end.
Questions we get asked about this
Answers from experience, not a textbook.
A restart (soft reset or force restart) is like rebooting a computer. It turns the watch off and back on without touching your data, apps, or settings. A factory reset erases everything on the watch and restores it to the state it was in when you first took it out of the box. Try a restart first. Only factory reset if the problem persists or you are giving the watch away.
It depends on which method you use. If you factory reset through the Watch app on your iPhone (the unpair method), a backup is created automatically and your health data is preserved. You can restore it when you set the watch up again. If you reset directly from the watch or use the charger method, no backup is created and the data on the watch is gone. However, most of your health data also syncs to the Health app on your iPhone and to iCloud, so it will still be there on your phone even after a watch reset.
You have two options. If you know your watch passcode, go to Settings, then General, then Reset, and tap Erase All Content and Settings. If you forgot your passcode, place the watch on its magnetic charger, hold the side button until the power menu appears, then press and hold the Digital Crown until the erase prompt shows up. Both methods erase the watch but leave Activation Lock active. To remove Activation Lock afterward, sign in at iCloud.com/find, select the watch, and click Remove from Account.
Only the iPhone unpairing method removes Activation Lock automatically. If you factory reset from the watch itself (with or without your passcode), Activation Lock stays on. This means anyone who tries to set up the watch will need your Apple Account password. If you already reset the watch and need to remove Activation Lock, go to iCloud.com/find, sign in with your Apple Account, select the Apple Watch from your devices, and click Remove from Account.
Place the watch on its magnetic charger and wait at least 30 minutes. A completely drained battery can make the watch appear dead. Look for a charging icon (a green or red lightning bolt) on the screen. After 30 minutes of charging, try a force restart by holding the side button and Digital Crown together for 10 seconds. If the watch still does not respond, try a different charger or cable. If nothing works, contact Apple Support.
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