How to change your Garmin watch face, on every model

Switching faces: the gesture per model

Every Garmin hides the face switcher behind one long press. Which press depends on whether your model is driven by buttons or by the touchscreen:

Model family	Do this on the watch face	Then
Fenix 8 / 7 / 6, Fenix E, Epix	Hold UP (MENU)	Watch Face, scroll, START to apply
Forerunner (55 to 970, incl. 265 and 965)	Hold UP	Watch Face, scroll, START to apply
Enduro, MARQ, tactix, quatix, Descent	Hold UP (MENU)	Watch Face, scroll, START to apply
Instinct / Instinct 2 / 3	Hold MENU	Watch Face, scroll, GPS button to apply
Venu 4 / 3 / 2	Hold the bottom button	Watch Face, swipe, tap to apply
Venu Sq / Sq 2	Hold the touchscreen	Watch Face, swipe, tap to apply
Vivoactive 6 / 5 / 4	Hold the touchscreen	Watch Face, swipe, tap to apply
Lily / Lily 2	Tap the menu button at the bottom	Watch face icon, swipe, tap to apply
Vivomove hybrids	No on-watch switcher	Garmin Connect app, Appearance

The wording in the menu is the same everywhere: Watch Face. If your exact model is missing here, its owner’s manual has a one-page “Changing the Watch Face” section; Garmin hosts them all, for example the Fenix 8, Vivoactive 5 and Instinct pages.

While you are in that menu

Built-in faces show a Customize option next to Apply: layout, data fields and accent color, all editable on the watch. Faces from the Connect IQ store keep their settings on your phone instead, which surprises almost everyone; we wrote a separate guide to customizing both kinds.

Adding new faces

The built-in selection is only the start. Third-party faces live in the Connect IQ store, a separate free app on your phone: install it, pick your watch, browse the Watch Faces section, tap Install, and the face appears in your carousel after the next sync. The full walkthrough with the common snags is in our install guide.

Changing the face from the phone

You can also switch faces without touching the watch: in Garmin Connect, open your device, then Appearance, then Watch Faces, and pick one. Installing a new Connect IQ face usually activates it automatically. Useful when the watch is on the charger across the room.

Frequently asked

Can I change the watch face without my phone?

Yes, switching between faces already on the watch never needs the phone. The phone is only involved when you install a new face from the Connect IQ store or change a store face’s settings.

How many watch faces can my watch hold?

All the built-in ones plus a limited number of Connect IQ faces, depending on the model’s storage. When the budget is full, new installs fail quietly; removing faces you no longer use fixes it. Our install troubleshooting guide covers that case.

I installed a new face but it is not in the carousel.

A Connect IQ face lands in the carousel only after the install actually finishes on the watch. Open Garmin Connect, wait until the watch shows as connected and synced, then check again. If it never arrives, work through the not-installing checklist.

Do stored faces I am not using drain battery?

No. Only the active face runs; the rest are just files on the watch. Battery talk around faces is mostly about always-on display and seconds updates, which we cover in a separate explainer.

Last verified: 2026-07-18 · Garmin owner’s manuals per family (linked) + Fenix 8 on the wrist