Restarting your Fitbit fitness tracker or smartwatch will restart the device but won’t erase any data—a factory reset is a different matter altogether. It will erase all its data and settings.
Make sure you are clear about which of the two you want to run. Restarting your Fitbit is completely safe. Think of it as a soft restart. In fact, it can do your Fitbit tracker good, especially when it encounters problems.
A factory reset should only be performed if you are reinstalling your fitness tracker and want to start with a clean slate, selling it, or giving it away to someone else. It can also be used as a last resort if you have serious fitness tracker issues.
So be careful not to confuse the two! Let’s explain how to soft and hard reset your Fitbit.
Check out our How To section for many more troubleshooting articles.
Here’s how to restart your Fitbit
Let’s start with the simpler of the two. Further down the page we explain how to perform a full factory reset on your Fitbit. We also show how to unpair a Fitbit from your account – all this is important to know.
Restarting or soft resetting your Fitbit tracker is the best solution if your wearable isn’t responding to button presses, taps, or swipes, won’t connect to the app, or isn’t tracking your activity.
It is a troubleshooter to fix many internal issues with your Fitbit fitness tracker or smartwatch. And it’s very effective at it. So whatever you spend, try it first. It could save you a lot of trouble.
Resetting your Fitbit by model: a step-by-step guide
To reset the Fitbit Ace and Alta series, plug the Fitbit tracker’s charging cable into a USB port and connect it to the device to start charging. Quickly press the button at the end of the charging cable three times. You will notice that the display turns off after a while. Wait a few more seconds and the Fitbit logo will appear and the tracker will vibrate briefly. The device is now restarted. Press the button on the charger three times How do I reset my Fitbit Blaze, Ionic, Versa, or Sense seriesPress and hold the back (left) and down (right) buttons until the Fitbit logo appears on the screen . This shouldn’t take longer than 10 seconds. Release the keys. There is only one button on the newer Fitbit Versas and Sense series. So do the exact same procedure by pressing on it. Press any key to turn it back on. Newer Fitbit model vs. older Fitbit model
Alternatively, you can switch off your watch directly via the settings. Then press any key to turn it back on.
On the Fitbit Blaze, navigate to the settings screen by swiping from right to left on the home screen. Scroll down to Shut down and confirm. On Fitbit Ionic and Versa, open the Settings app, tap About, then tap Shut Down.
To reset the Fitbit Ace 2.3 and Inspire series Connect the Fitbit Ace 2.3 or Inspire series to the charger and plug it into a USB port. Press and hold the button on the tracker for five seconds. release the button If you see a smile icon and the tracker vibrates, the device has restarted. How to reset Fitbit Charge 2, Charge 3, Charge 4 Place your Fitbit in the charger and plug it into a USB outlet. Press and hold the physical button on the left for about 8 seconds (4 seconds on the Fitbit Charge 2). If you see a smiley face (on Fitbit Charge 3 and 4) and the tracker vibrates, your Fitbit has restarted. You can now use it again.
If you have the first generation Fitbit Charge, the procedure is pretty much the same. All you have to do is hold the button longer (10 to 12 seconds) until you see the Fitbit icon and a version number.
How to reset Fitbit Charge 5
As for Fitbit Charge 5, this one doesn’t have a physical button. The procedure is therefore somewhat different than in the predecessors. To reset you must.
Swipe down from the clock screen. Find and open the Settings app > Restart device > Restart To reset Fitbit Flex and Flex 2 while connected to a power source. Locate the button on the charging cable under the tracker compartment. Press three times in quick succession. A vibration will let you know every time you press it successfully. After a few seconds, the tracker will confirm that it has restarted by flashing all of its lights at once.
The process for the first generation of Fitbit Flex is the same. The only difference is that instead of pressing a button, you have to stick a paperclip into the small hole on the back of the charger for 3-4 seconds.
This is similar to what you do when you remove a SIM card from a phone. It’s a bit fiddly, but hopefully you don’t have to do this too often.
How to reset Fitbit One
If you still have a working Fitbit One or Fitbit Zip – well done! These trackers are a few years old. The fact that people are still using these is a testament to the quality of Fitbit devices. How to perform a soft reset on your Fitbit One.
Connect the device to the charging cable. Press and hold the tracker’s button. You will notice that the battery icon will disappear after about 5 seconds. Hold for 5-7 seconds longer until the Fitbit turns off. To turn it back on, just press the physical button again. How to reset Fitbit Zip
The procedure for restarting a Fitbit Zip is quite different from the others on this list. That’s because it doesn’t have an on/off switch or a battery. It is powered by a replaceable 3V CR2025 button battery.
So in this case you actually have to remove the battery from its compartment with the battery compartment tool. Wait 10 seconds and then reinsert the battery.
Be sure to put it on the right way! The “+” side should be facing up. The Fitbit Zip will restart as indicated by a series of smiley faces.
To reset Fitbit SurgePress and hold the Home button (left) and the bottom button until the screen starts flashing or dimming. This should take about 10 to 15 seconds. Release the keys. Wait a few seconds and press the home button to turn Fitbit Surge back on.
The other option is to press the home button and swipe to the settings screen. Select Shut down and confirm. Then press the Home button to turn it back on.
Image Source: FitbitHow to perform a full factory reset on a Fitbit
If you’ve decided to give your Fitbit to someone else or sell it, you need to take more drastic action. A full factory reset will erase all your data and unpair the device from your account.
In addition, saved information, other personal data and saved settings will be deleted. Sensitive credit or debit card information you may have added on trackers that support Fitbit Pay will of course be deleted. The procedure completely erases your data.
If you’re giving away or selling your Fitbit, you should also unlink the tracker from your account. And remove it from your phone’s Bluetooth settings.
Erasing all data on the Fitbit is usually automatic when the device is first paired with a new account. But to be on the safe side, it’s best to do it yourself.
You may also want to perform a factory reset to fix any issues – as this will bring the software back to the state it was in when you bought it. However, it is quite a drastic step as you have to fix it on your account.
Luckily, a full factory reset is very easy on Fitbit trackers that support the procedure. Most, but not all, devices do this. As previously mentioned, Fitbit will delete the information once the tracker is paired with a new account.
For those with a Fitbit Ionic, Sense, Versa Range, Charge 3 and 4, Inspire 2 Series, and Ace 2 and 3, follow the steps below.
Navigate to the Settings app. Tap About (or Device Info, depending on the device you own). Scroll to the “Factory data reset” (or “Delete user data”) section. If yes, press “Confirm” or “Reset” for 3 seconds and then release. The device will do its thing and vibrate after a while. When the clock screen appears, all your personal information is gone from your Fitbit! How to unpair a Fitbit from your account
Most people know that you can add more than one Fitbit tracker to your account. This is convenient because you can switch between devices.
They will all work from the same dashboard. All data is collected and even if you wear two Fitbit trackers at the same time, the software is clever enough to work out which data to use.
However, if you no longer use your Fitbit tracker or have given it to someone else, you should remove it from your account. There’s no point in sitting there.
Unpairing a Fitbit from your account can be done in two ways. The first is done through the website dashboard, the second through the smartphone app.
Keep in mind that any unsynced data will be lost when you unpair your Fitbit. So make sure you do a final sync. Rest assured that any information that has already found its way to your account will stay there. So you won’t lose any of your historical Fitbit data. It would be kind of pointless if you did.
From the website dashboard, follow these steps to unpair a Fitbit from your account.
Open the dashboard, find the gear icon and click on it. Click the picture of the Fitbit tracker you want to remove from your account. Select the option to remove the device. Follow the onscreen instructions to safely unpair Fitbit.
Do this from the Fitbit smartphone app.
Click the icon in the top-left corner of your Fitbit tracker. Select the “Remove” tab. Scroll down until you see it. Confirm that you would like to unpair your Fitbit when prompted. Once this is done, go to your smartphone’s settings page. Select Bluetooth and find your Fitbit tracker in the list. Select the option to forget the device.
If you unpaired your device for troubleshooting and want to pair it back to your account, make sure you’ve removed it from your phone’s Bluetooth settings. Then simply open the Fitbit app and set up the tracker as a new device.
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