If your Garmin watch face is not working, the cause is almost always one of a few simple things: a failed sync, an incompatible design, full storage or an outdated app. Work through the steps below in order and stop as soon as it works.
1. Restart the watch and the phone
Hold the light button on the watch, choose Power off and turn it on again. Restart your phone too. This clears most temporary glitches.
2. Check that your watch model is compatible
Every watch face lists the devices it supports on its store page. A design made for a round 260 px screen can look wrong or fail on a different size. Pick a design that lists your exact model.
3. Sync again through Garmin Connect IQ
- Open the Connect IQ app and make sure your watch is connected by Bluetooth.
- Open My Device, find the watch face and check that it shows as installed.
- Pull down to sync, then wait until the sync finishes before you open the watch.
4. Reinstall the watch face
Remove the watch face from the watch (Watch face settings, Delete), sync, then install it again from the store page. A fresh install fixes many corrupted downloads.
5. Free up storage
Watches have limited space. Delete watch faces, apps and widgets you no longer use, then sync again.
6. Update the watch software and the apps
Update Garmin Connect and Connect IQ on your phone, then install the latest firmware for your watch. Older software is a common reason for crashes.
7. Check premium unlock codes
For paid designs, a short code appears on the watch while the unlock completes. Keep the watch connected until it finishes. If it was interrupted, start the unlock again from the store page.
8. Simplify the settings
Some designs break when a data field is not available on your model (for example a sensor your watch does not have). Open the watch face settings and switch complications back to defaults.
9. Contact support
If nothing works, tell us your exact watch model and the watch face name using the contact page, and we will help you find a design that works on it.
Looking for a replacement? Browse the full watch face catalog or save money with a bundle.
