How to Reset Your Apple Watch to Factory Settings

Updated on Aug 11, 2025 by Nicole Forrest
How to Reset Apple Watch

If your Apple Watch has been acting up with buggy performance, syncing delays, or unresponsive apps, it might be time for a reset. Resetting your Apple Watch can resolve a variety of persistent issues by restoring it to its original factory settings. It’s also a key step if you’ve forgotten your passcode, need to remove Activation Lock, or plan to sell or give away the device.

Fortunately, getting your Apple Watch back to factory settings is super easy. In this article, we’ll show you how to do that with and without a paired iPhone and share some troubleshooting tips.

How to Factory Reset an Apple Watch: With or Without a Paired iPhone

Resetting your Apple Watch can often solve stubborn software issues. The steps you’ll need to follow depend on whether or not you still have access to your passcode or the iPhone your watch paired with.

Note: The methods below will erase all of the data on your Apple Watch and return it to factory settings, but they won’t unpair it from your iPhone, back up your data, or remove the Activation Lock. If you want to do this and have access to the paired iPhone, follow these steps first.

How to Factory Reset an Apple Watch When You Have the Paired iPhone

It’s pretty easy to reset your Apple Watch to factory settings if you have access to the iPhone it’s paired with. You can do this in one of two ways: directly on your watch or through your iPhone.

Method 1: Via the Apple Watch

  1. Unlock your Apple Watch. If the paired iPhone is in range, it will unlock automatically when you place it on your wrist. Otherwise, enter your passcode to unlock it.
  2. Press the Digital Crown on the side of your watch to access the Home Screen.
Apple Watch with an arrow pointing to the Side button on the right side of the device, highlighted in green.
  1. Find the Settings icon and tap to open the Settings menu.
Apple Watch Home Screen with the Settings icon highlighted in green.
  1. Tap General.
Settings menu on an Apple Watch with the "General" option highlighted in green
  1. Scroll all the way down and tap Reset.
Apple Watch General tab menu with the "Reset" option highlighted in green
  1. Tap Erase All Content and Settings.
Apple Watch screen showing the 'Erase All Content and Settings' option highlighted under the Reset menu, with a warning about Activation Lock below.

ℹ️ For Apple Watch models with GPS + Cellular: You can choose to keep or remove your mobile plan. If you’re planning on pairing your Apple Watch and iPhone again, it’s best to keep your plan. If not, remove your plan.

Method 2: Via the Paired iPhone

  1. Open the Watch app on your iPhone. If you have multiple watches connected to your iPhone, select the one you want to reset.
iPhone Home Screen folder labeled "Utilities" showing the Watch app icon highlighted in green.
  1. In the Watch’s settings, tap General.
Watch app on iPhone open to “My Watch” tab, showing “Nicole’s Apple Watch” and the “General” menu item highlighted.
  1. Scroll down and tap Reset.
Inside the “General” settings of the Watch app, with the “Reset” option highlighted at the bottom of the screen.
  1. Tap Erase Apple Watch Content and Settings

How to Factory Reset an Apple Watch Without the Paired iPhone

Even if you don’t have access to the iPhone paired with your Apple Watch, or if you’ve forgotten your passcode, you can still reset your watch to factory settings. Here’s how.

  1. Connect your Apple Watch to a charger (required for this method to work).
Apple Watch in Nightstand Mode showing the time with a green lightning bolt charging icon.
  1. Press and hold the side button until the Power Off screen appears.
Apple Watch showing a green-highlighted Side button on the lower right side, with a green arrow pointing to it.
  1. Press and hold the Digital Crown.
Apple Watch showing the power-off screen with Power Off, Medical ID, and Emergency SOS options. The green-highlighted Side button is indicated by a green arrow.
  1. When Erase all content and settings? appears, tap Reset.
Apple Watch screen asking to confirm “Erase all content and settings?” with a red “Reset” button highlighted.
  1. Tap Reset again.
Apple Watch confirmation screen asking “Are you sure you want to continue?” with a red “Reset” button highlighted.

How to Unpair Your Apple Watch and iPhone

If you still have access to the paired iPhone, it’s best to unpair your Apple Watch and the iPhone before you do the factory reset. Unpairing them will automatically back up your watch data to your iPhone and remove the Activation Lock. This step is especially important if you want to sell, trade in, or recycle your watch.   

Here’s how:

  1. Open the Watch app on your iPhone.
iPhone Home Screen folder labeled "Utilities" showing the Watch app icon highlighted in green.
  1. Tap All Watches in the top left-hand corner.
Watch app on iPhone settings screen showing "All Watches" highlighted in green.
  1. Tap the information icon alongside the watch that you would like to reset.
"All Watches" screen in Watch app on iPhone with green markups indicating the information button alongside a paired Apple Watch.
  1. Tap Unpair Apple Watch.
Apple Watch options screen on iPhone Watch app with green markup highlighting the "Unpair Apple Watch" option.
  1. Tap Unpair [Your] Apple Watch again.
"Unpair Apple Watch" confirmation screen with green markup indicating where to tap to unpair devices.
  1. Enter the password for your Apple Account and tap Unpair once again.
Apple Account Password request page with password field and unpair confirmation button highlighted in green.

This will reset your Apple Watch to factory settings, erasing all data on the device and removing the Activation Lock. Now you’re ready to reset your Apple Watch to factory settings.

Troubleshooting Tips: When Resetting Your Apple Watch to Factory Settings Doesn’t Work

If you’re still experiencing issues like pairing failures, playback problems, or connectivity glitches after resetting your Apple Watch, try the following steps to get it working properly with your iPhone or Apple TV.

  1. Check Wi-Fi and Bluetooth settings: Make sure your Apple Watch and iPhone or Apple TV are both on the same Wi-Fi network and have Bluetooth turned on.
  2. Unpair and re-pair your Apple Watch with your iPhone: This resets any persistent Bluetooth glitches.
  3. Reinstall the Apple Remote app: Delete and reinstall it on both your Apple Watch and iPhone to refresh the connection. 
  4. Restart your Apple TV or reset its network settings: This can fix issues with watch-based playback control.
  5. Update your software: Make sure your Apple Watch, iPhone, and Apple TV are all running the latest versions of watchOS, iOS, and tvOS.

If none of these steps work, it could be a deeper compatibility issue. Reaching out to Apple Support may be your best next move.

FAQ

How do I reset my Apple Watch to factory settings?

You can reset your Apple Watch on the watch itself by going to Settings > General > General > Erase All Content and Settings. You can also reset it using your iPhone via the Watch app, where you can go to General > Reset and tap Erase Apple Watch Content and Settings.

How do I reset my Apple Watch using my iPhone?

To reset your Apple Watch using your iPhone, open the Watch app and navigate to My Watch > All Watches. Tap the information button next to the watch you want to reset, followed by Unpair Apple Watch. This will unpair and factory reset your watch.

Can I reset an Apple Watch without the paired iPhone?

Yes, it’s possible to reset an Apple Watch without the paired iPhone, just as long as you have the charger. When it’s on charge, press and hold your Apple Watch’s side button until the power-off button appears. Then press and hold the Digital Crown and tap Reset when prompted by Erase all content and settings?

Can I reset my Apple Watch without the passcode?

It’s possible to reset your Apple Watch without the passcode. Connect your watch to its charger and press the side button until the power options appear. Then press and hold the Digital Crown until the Erase all content and settings? screen appears. Tap Reset and Reset again on the Are you sure you want to continue? screen.

Will resetting my Apple Watch remove Activation Lock?

Erasing your Apple Watch on the device itself won’t remove Activation Lock. To turn off Activation Lock, you must unpair it from your iPhone. To do this, go to the Watch app on the paired iPhone and tap All Watches. There, tap the information icon alongside the watch you’d like to unpair, and then tap Unpair Apple Watch and confirm the action.

What should I do before resetting my Apple Watch?

If the Watch is paired with your iPhone, unpair it through the Watch app following these steps.  This will automatically create a backup and disable the Activation Lock. If the Watch isn’t paired, you can skip straight to the factory reset. You won’t be able to create a backup, and anything that hasn’t synced to iCloud or your iPhone may be lost after the reset.

What’s the difference between unpairing and factory resetting?

Unpairing your Apple Watch from your iPhone removes the link between the devices. This factory resets your watch and removes the Activation Lock. Erasing or factory resetting your Apple Watch on the device only wipes the settings but keeps Activation Lock active.

What should I do if my Apple Watch is stuck during the reset process?

If your Apple Watch gets stuck while you’re resetting it, try a force restart. Press and hold the side button and digital crown at the same time until the Apple logo appears. You can then try to reset your Apple Watch again.

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