Performing a hard reset on your Wear OS 3 smartwatch allows you to easily start from a blank slate once again, with the watch returning to its original factory settings.

Even better is the fact it’s an incredibly simple task to complete.

Things will perhaps vary slightly depending on whether you have a Google Pixel Watch, TicWatch Pro 5 or another compatible watch like the Samsung Galaxy Watch series, but the steps outlined below are largely identical on all modern Wear OS 3.0 (and above) devices. 

Just be sure to jump over to our guide on resetting a Wear OS 2 smartwatch if you have an older device, as the steps and screens will all look quite different.

How to factory reset a Wear OS 3 watch

If you do choose to go down this path, there are a few things that are permanently erased. 

Any data stored on your watch, including apps, music downloads, and contacts are all deleted, as well as any system settings or preferences you’ve changed since initially setting up the watch. 

A factory reset also severs the connection to your phone, meaning you’ll also need to pair it again.

Follow the steps below to perform this hard reset. 

1. Swipe down from the home screen

Ensure that you begin from your watch’s home screen, either by raising your wrist or pressing the watch’s crown button. From here, simply swipe down from the top of the display.

2. Tap ‘Settings’ 

Next, hit the ‘Settings’ icon from the grid. It should be placed in the middle of the bottom row, as shown above.

3. Scroll down to ‘System’

After being ported to the ‘Settings’ menu, scroll all the way down to the bottom of the list and hit ‘System’.

4. Select ‘Disconnect & reset’

Once again scroll to the bottom of the next set of options and tap ‘Disconnect & reset’.

5. Confirm the option

You’ll then be warned about what this process entails, as well as being given the option to confirm or back out of the factory reset. Select the blue tick icon to confirm.