We know how frustrating it can be to have your Apple Watch crash while using it at the gym to count every hard-earned, burned calorie. Or maybe you’re in a meeting, and you need to reply to an urgent text, but your watch messages app is not responding. What do you do then?

Don’t worry. We understand your struggles, and we got you covered. In this article, you’ll find a detailed guide on how to reset your Apple Watch, the difference between a soft and hard reset, and when to use each of them.

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Soft Reset is the technical name for restarting your device without losing any personal data. Restarting your watch should be your first go-to solution if the device is unresponsive or if an app has crashed and the app force quit isn’t working properly.

There are two ways to soft reset your Apple Watch. You should always attempt to restart your device first. If you are unable to restart your watch for some reason, you should do a force restart.

Make sure that the device isn’t in the middle of an OS update. You should never restart your watch halfway through a software update.

Undock the device from its charging station. You can’t perform a soft reset while your watch is charging.

Press and hold the ‘side button’ until the slider appears on the screen.

Drag the ‘Power Off’ slider to the right, then wait for your device to turn off.

Hold down the ‘side button’ until the Apple logo appears.

Undock the device from its charging station. You cannot perform a soft reset while your watch is charging.

Hold down the ‘side button’ + the ‘digital crown’ simultaneously for at least 10 seconds until the Apple logo appears.

How to Soft Reset Your Apple Watch?

Hard reset is restoring your device to its default factory settings. If you choose to restore your Apple Watch to factory settings, you will lose all the personal data on its internal storage, such as apps, images, and contacts.

You may need to hard reset your Apple Watch if the soft reset method doesn’t solve the problems you are facing with your device. You may also need to restore your device to its original settings before selling or trading it in.

There are two ways to hard reset your Apple Watch. You can either do so through your paired iPhone or through the watch itself. We recommend that you backup your apple watch first to ensure that you don’t lose your personal data.

Method 1: Hard Reset Your Apple Watch With iPhone 

Scroll down to the very bottom and tap ‘Reset’

Tap ‘Erase Apple Watch Content and Settings’

To confirm erasing all your data, tap ‘Erase All Content and Settings’ twice

If your Apple Watch is the cellular model, then you’ll have to choose between:

‘Erase All & Keep Plan’ to keep your data line or carrier

‘Erase All’ to remove current data line or carrier

Method 2: Hard Reset Directly From Your Apple Watch

On your watch, launch the ‘Settings’ App

Scroll down to the very bottom then tap ‘Reset’

If you’re using one, enter your passcode

Scroll down and tap either ‘Erase All’ or ‘Erase All and Keep Plan’ 

How to Hard Reset Your Apple Watch

No need to worry. You can Hard Reset your Apple Watch even if you can’t remember your passcode. You’ll need to reset the device and then restore it from a backup. There are two methods for doing so.

Keep your paired Apple Watch and iPhone in proximity.

Tap ‘General’ > ‘Reset’ > ‘Erase Apple Watch Content and Settings’

To confirm, tap ‘Erase All Content and Settings’ twice

If you have a Cellular Apple Watch, choose ‘Keep Cellular Plan’ or ‘Remove Cellular Plan’

Wait for the process to complete, then pair your watch to your iPhone and restore the backup

Method 2: Hard Reset Directly From Your Watch 

Press and hold the ‘side button’ until you see the ‘Power Off’ slider on the screen

Press and hold the ‘Digital Crown’ until you see ‘Erase All Content and Settings’

Tap ‘Erase All Content and Settings’, then tap ‘Reset’ twice to confirm

What to Do if You Forgot Your Passcode

Can I reset my Apple Watch without losing my personal data?

Yes, you can soft reset your watch without losing any data on its internal memory. 

Can I remove my Apple Watch’s internal battery?

No, the Apple Watch’s battery can’t be removed. However, the soft reset acts as a simulated battery removal.

Can I hard reset my Apple Watch without an Apple ID?

Yes, you can hard reset your Apple Watch without an Apple ID by using your passcode only. You can do so by following our hard reset directly from your watch guide.

Knowing how to reset your device properly is an essential tool to have in your arsenal as an Apple Watch owner.

If you ever face any crashes or technical issues with your Apple Watch, then your best solution for troubleshooting should be to do a soft reset for your device using the hardware keys on the side of your watch. 

If the soft reset still doesn’t solve your problem, or if you need to erase all the data on your device, then you should hard reset your Apple Watch. You can do so by using either your paired iPhone or the watch itself.

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How to Reset Apple Watch?

How to Soft Reset Your Apple Watch?

How to Hard Reset Your Apple Watch

What to Do if You Forgot Your Passcode

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