How to Reset the Apple Watch

Last Updated: September 11, 2018 Tested

This wikiHow teaches you how to factory-reset your Apple Watch, which will remove all settings, apps, and information from the Apple Watch. You can perform this process both from the Apple Watch and from the Apple Watch-synchronized iPhone. Keep in mind that resetting your Apple Watch erases everything that's currently on the Apple Watch.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:
Using the Apple Watch

1
Wake up your Apple Watch. Raise your wrist—or press either of the buttons on the right side of the Apple Watch's screen—and enter the passcode if prompted.
- If you need to reset a locked Apple Watch without its passcode, hold down the Power button until the menu appears, force-press the screen for a few seconds, tap Erase all contents and settings at the top of the screen, and tap the green ✓ in the bottom-right corner of the screen to force-reset the Apple Watch.
2
Press the Power button. It's on the right side of the Apple Watch's screen, just below the Digital Crown dial. Doing so will open the app list.

Advertisement
3
Tap All Apps. This option is at the bottom of the screen. The app page will open.
4
Find and open the Settings app. Tap the Settings app icon, which resembles a white gear on a grey background.
5
Scroll down and tap General. You'll find this option in the middle of the page.
6
Scroll all the way down and tap Reset. It's at the very bottom of the General page.
7
Tap Erase All Content and Settings. It's a grey button at the top of the screen.
8
Enter your passcode. When prompted, type in the passcode that you use to unlock your Apple Watch.
9
Scroll down and tap Erase All. This red-text button is at the bottom of the page. Tapping it will prompt your Apple Watch to begin erasing itself.
10
Wait for the watch to reset. It can take several minutes for the Apple Watch to reset. When it finishes, it will display the initial setup screen.
- Once the Apple Watch finishes resetting, you can set it back up if you like.
Advertisement

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:
Using a Paired iPhone

1
Open the Watch app on your iPhone. Tap the Watch app icon, which resembles a black-and-white side view of an Apple Watch.
2
Tap My Watch. It's in the bottom-left corner of the screen.
3
Scroll down and tap General. You'll find this option near the middle of the page.
4
Scroll all the way down and tap Reset. It's at the very bottom of the General page.
5
Tap Erase Apple Watch Content and Settings. This option is at the top of the Reset page.
6
Tap Erase All Content and Settings when prompted. It's a red-text option at the bottom of the screen.
7
Tap Erase All Content and Settings when prompted again. This red-text option will appear at the bottom of the screen.
8
Enter your Apple ID password. In the text box that appears, type in the password that you use to log into your Apple account.
9
Tap Erase. It's in the bottom-right corner of the text box. Doing so will prompt your paired Apple Watch to begin resetting itself.
10
Wait for the watch to reset. It can take several minutes for the Apple Watch to reset. When it finishes, it will display the initial setup screen.
- Once the Apple Watch finishes resetting, you can set it back up if you like.
Advertisement

Warnings

You will lose all of the data on your Apple Watch when you factory-reset it, so make sure that you have all data that you want to save backed up to your iPhone.

Thanks!
Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0