How To Restore Garmin Watch Face | Get Your Default Face Back

Most missing faces return by selecting a built-in face again, recreating it with the on-watch builder, or reinstalling it from Connect IQ.

A Garmin watch face can disappear in a few ordinary ways: you applied a new one and can’t find the old one, a face failed after an update, a Connect IQ install got stuck, or your settings got scrambled after a crash.

The good news: most “lost” faces aren’t truly gone. They’re either still on the watch, hidden in a list you haven’t scrolled far enough, or replaced by a custom layout that looks different than you remember.

This walkthrough starts with the safest fixes and climbs only as far as you need. You’ll end up with a working face, your preferred layout, and a clear plan if the watch is acting up.

How To Restore Garmin Watch Face On Any Model

Start here. This path covers most Garmin lines, even though button names and menus vary a bit.

Step 1: Switch back to a built-in face from the watch

If the face is “missing,” it might just be unselected. On many models, you can scroll through preloaded faces right on the watch.

1. Go to the watch face screen.
2. Open the Watch Face list (often by pressing and holding a button, then choosing Watch Face).
3. Swipe or scroll left and right until you see the face you want.
4. Select it to apply.

Garmin documents this Watch Face selection flow in its owner’s manuals. The exact button icon varies by model, yet the idea stays the same: open Watch Face, scroll, tap/select to apply. “Changing the Watch Face”

Step 2: Recreate a stock-style face with the on-watch builder

Some Garmin watches let you build a face that looks a lot like the preloaded ones: pick analog or digital, choose a background, then set data fields and colors. If your exact original layout isn’t listed, this is often the fastest way to “restore” the look you miss.

1. Open Watch Face settings again.
2. Choose the add/new option (often shown as a plus icon).
3. Select analog or digital.
4. Pick a background and dial style.
5. Set the data fields you want (steps, date, battery, heart rate, and so on).
6. Save/apply the new face.

This is also a clean workaround when a face exists but is bugged: you end up with a fresh layout file instead of a corrupted one.

Step 3: If it was a Connect IQ face, reinstall it the clean way

Connect IQ faces can fail in three common spots: during download, during install to the watch, or during a post-update migration. A reinstall fixes all three.

1. On your watch, switch to a different face first.
2. On your phone, open Garmin Connect IQ (or the Connect IQ section inside Garmin Connect, depending on your app version).
3. Find the face in your installed items list, uninstall it, then install it again.
4. Sync the watch and wait for the install to finish before changing faces again.

If the face has a settings page, open it once after reinstall and set your data fields again. Some faces reset their display choices on reinstall.

Step 4: Restart the watch before you go deeper

If menus feel slow, the face list loads oddly, or the face flashes then reverts, do a simple restart. It clears stuck processes and often restores normal behavior.

• Power the watch off.
• Wait 10–15 seconds.
• Power it back on and try selecting the face again.

If the face was “there but unusable,” a restart can be the difference between a working selection and a loop back to the prior face.

Restoring A Garmin Watch Face After Deletion Or Glitches

This section is for the tricky cases: the face list is shorter than you expect, the watch rebuilt its layout after an update, or your “default” look vanished after you edited it.

Know what “default” means on Garmin

On many Garmin watches, the preloaded faces are more like templates than fixed designs. If you edited the face (data fields, colors, markers), your result may be stored as a customized version. After updates or resets, you might see the template again, not your personal layout.

So “restore” can mean one of two things:

• Bring back the template from the preloaded list.
• Bring back your personal layout by recreating it (often using the builder and your old preferences).

Check these two places people miss

Before assuming the face is gone, check:

• Watch Face list on the watch: scroll all the way. Some lists wrap or place custom items at the end.
• Installed watch faces in Connect IQ: a face can show as installed even if it failed to apply on the watch.

If you find it on the phone but it won’t show on the watch, reinstall and sync again.

Spot the “edited face looks new” problem

Sometimes the face is there, yet it looks nothing like you remember. That’s usually a layout change, not a missing file. Fix it by editing the face settings:

1. Select the face you want (even if it looks wrong).
2. Open the edit screen for that face.
3. Switch the dial style, markers, and data fields back to your normal setup.
4. Save and return to the watch face screen.

If your model blocks edits for that face, recreate a new face using the builder and set it up to match your old look.

When the face keeps reverting back

If you pick your preferred face and the watch jumps back to another one, that usually points to one of these:

• A face install that never finished
• A watch face file that’s corrupted
• A sync loop that overwrites your selection

Try this sequence:

1. Restart the watch.
2. Switch to a built-in face.
3. Uninstall the problem face (if it’s Connect IQ), then reinstall it.
4. Sync once, then leave the watch alone for a minute so it can finish writing files.

Common Symptoms And The Fix That Usually Works

Use this table to match what you see with the most likely fix. Start with the earliest step listed for your symptom.

What You See	What It Often Means	Best First Fix
Old face not in the list	It was a custom layout or a Connect IQ face	Recreate with the builder, or reinstall from Connect IQ
Face is listed but won’t apply	Face file is stuck or partially installed	Restart, then reinstall the face
Face applies, then reverts back	Install never finished or a sync overwrite loop	Restart, set a built-in face, reinstall, then sync once
Face looks “wrong” after an update	Settings reset to template defaults	Edit the face settings or rebuild a new one
Blank screen or frozen face	Watch UI crashed on the face screen	Restart, then switch to a simpler built-in face
Connect IQ faces vanished	Sync issue or storage cleanup after update	Open Connect IQ, reinstall the ones you want, sync again
Face list is shorter than before	Faces removed, or you’re in a limited mode	Exit battery saver/low power modes, then recheck the face list
Only one face shows, no scrolling	Menu path is different on your model	Open Watch Face settings from System/Appearance menu and retry

Clean-Up Steps That Prevent The Same Problem Next Week

Once your face is back, take two minutes to make the watch less likely to repeat the mess. These are small moves that reduce glitches and sync confusion.

Sync once, then stop tapping for a minute

Watch face installs and edits write files in the background. If you rapidly change faces, open menus, and start another sync, you can interrupt the write process. A single sync, then a short pause, gives the watch time to finish.

Keep one simple face installed as a fallback

Some heavy faces use more memory and can crash on older firmware or during a shaky install. Keeping a basic digital face available makes it easy to switch away from a problem face before uninstalling it.

Limit “test installs” when you’re in a hurry

If you install five faces at once and dislike four, your watch face list grows messy, and uninstalling can get tedious. Install one or two, try them, then decide.

Reset Options When Nothing Else Works

If you’ve tried selecting, recreating, reinstalling, and restarting, yet your watch face menu still behaves oddly, you may be dealing with a settings issue rather than a missing face. Garmin provides reset choices that can restore normal menus without wiping your activity history.

Try a settings reset before a full wipe

Many Garmin watches include a reset option that restores default settings while keeping stored activity history. The menu labels differ by model, yet the idea is consistent: reset settings, not your whole life.

Garmin’s manuals outline a “Reset Default Settings” style option inside Restore & Reset, along with deeper wipe choices if needed. “Resetting All Default Settings”

Know what each reset does before you tap

Reset menus can look similar while doing very different things. Use this table to pick the lowest-impact option that matches your issue.

Reset Choice	What It Changes	When To Use It
Restart (power off/on)	No data loss	Face crashes, slow menus, face won’t apply
Delete temporary files	Clears cache-type files	Install stuck, storage feels weird, repeated glitches
Reset default settings	Restores settings to defaults	Menus broken, faces behave oddly, settings feel scrambled
Reset totals	Resets time/distance totals	Totals are wrong and bug you, face problem is already solved
Delete all activities	Clears activity history	History is corrupted and blocks normal sync
Delete data and reset settings	Full wipe of user data and settings	Last resort when the watch won’t behave after lighter resets
Re-pair with phone after reset	Fresh device connection	Sync loops keep overwriting your chosen face

A practical “last resort” sequence that keeps risk low

If you’re at the point where you’re ready to reset, take the staircase, not the elevator:

1. Restart the watch.
2. Delete temporary files if your model offers that option.
3. Reset default settings (settings-only reset).
4. Only then consider a full wipe, after confirming your data is synced.

After any reset, open Watch Face settings, pick a built-in face, then reinstall any Connect IQ faces you still want. That order reduces the chance of a face install failing during first boot.

Restore Your Usual Look In Minutes, Not Hours

Most watch face restores come down to three moves: pick a preloaded face again, rebuild the old layout with the on-watch builder, or reinstall a Connect IQ face and let the sync finish.

If your watch keeps reverting or the menu is acting strange, a restart often clears it. If the odd behavior sticks, a settings reset is the next step, with a full wipe held back as the final option.

Once your face is back, set one simple fallback face, keep installs one-at-a-time, and give the watch a short pause after syncing. That’s usually enough to keep your display stable.