How to Change the Watch Face on Your Garmin

Garmin watches are known for their deep customizability, and swapping the watch face is one of the most satisfying ways to make your device feel personal. Whether you want a cleaner data layout, a more athletic look, or just something new, changing the watch face is straightforward — once you know where to look. The process varies slightly depending on your model and how you prefer to manage it.

What a Watch Face Actually Does on a Garmin

A watch face is the always-on (or glance-on) display that shows when you raise your wrist. It's not an app — it's a passive display layer that typically shows time, date, battery level, step count, heart rate, and other at-a-glance stats. Garmin's watch faces can range from minimal analog-style dials to dense data dashboards packed with fitness metrics.

Because Garmin runs its own operating system (Garmin OS, sometimes called Connect IQ OS), watch faces are built specifically for Garmin hardware. They're not interchangeable with Apple Watch or Wear OS faces.

Two Ways to Change Your Garmin Watch Face

There are two main methods: directly on the watch, or through the Garmin Connect app on your phone.

Method 1: Change the Watch Face Directly on the Device

Most Garmin watches let you switch faces without touching your phone:

1. From the watch face, hold the touchscreen (on touch models) or hold the UP or MENU button (on button-only models)
2. Navigate to Watch Face or Watch Face/Widget Glances depending on your model
3. Swipe or scroll through available faces
4. Select one to preview it, then confirm to apply

The exact button layout depends on your model. On a Fenix 7, for example, you hold the UP button. On a Forerunner 265 with a touchscreen, you long-press the display. On older models like the Vivoactive 4, you hold the touchscreen from the home screen.

Method 2: Use the Garmin Connect App

The Garmin Connect mobile app (iOS and Android) gives you access to both pre-installed faces and the broader Connect IQ store:

1. Open Garmin Connect and go to your device settings
2. Tap Watch Faces
3. Browse installed faces or tap Get More Watch Faces to open Connect IQ
4. Select a face, download it, and sync to your watch

This method is particularly useful when you want faces from third-party developers — animated faces, sport-specific layouts, or highly customized data displays.

Installing New Watch Faces via Connect IQ 🎨

Connect IQ is Garmin's app platform, similar in concept to an app store for Garmin devices. It hosts thousands of free and paid watch faces created by both Garmin and independent developers.

Key things to know about Connect IQ faces:

• Compatibility is device-specific. A face built for Fenix 7 won't install on a Vivoactive 3. The store filters by your connected device automatically.
• Storage is limited. Depending on your model, you may only be able to store a handful of third-party watch faces at once.
• Some faces require data permissions — like calendar access or weather — which you grant during installation.
• Battery impact varies. Faces with frequent GPS polling, animations, or always-on display can affect battery life more than simpler faces.

You can also install Connect IQ faces directly from a desktop browser at apps.garmin.com, which syncs to your watch when connected.

Customizing a Watch Face's Data Fields

Many watch faces — especially Garmin's built-in ones — are customizable. After selecting a face, you can often edit which data fields appear (e.g., replace steps with calories, or swap battery percentage for sunrise time).

To do this on-device:

1. Enter the watch face selection menu (same steps as above)
2. On the face you want to edit, look for a pencil icon or a Customize option
3. Scroll through the available data fields and replace as needed

Not all watch faces support field customization. Third-party faces from Connect IQ may have their own settings menus, or they may be fixed layouts with no editing options.

Variables That Shape the Experience

A Few Things Worth Knowing Before You Switch

• Switching watch faces does not delete data. Your health stats, activities, and settings are stored separately.
• Some faces look very different on AMOLED vs. MIP displays. Garmin's newer AMOLED-screen watches (like the Forerunner 265 or Epix) render colors and gradients differently than the transflective MIP screens on models like the Instinct series.
• Developer-made faces vary in quality. A face with thousands of downloads and recent updates is generally more reliable than an obscure one with no reviews.
• Firmware updates can occasionally break third-party faces. If a face stops working after an update, check Connect IQ for an updated version from the developer.

The Part That Depends on You

The mechanics of changing a Garmin watch face are consistent — but which face actually works well for you depends on your specific model, how you wear the watch (sport training vs. daily wear vs. sleep tracking), your display preference, and how much data you actually want visible at a glance. A triathlete running with a Fenix 8 has very different watch face priorities than someone using a Venu 3 for casual step tracking. The right face is really a function of what your watch is doing for you day to day.