Unpair and erase your Apple Watch

Unpairing your Apple Watch restores it to its factory settings.

Before you start

  • If you have the iPhone that your Apple Watch is paired with, you should follow the steps to unpair your Apple Watch. This removes Activation Lock from your Apple Watch as well as erasing all its content and settings. If you don't have the paired iPhone, you can erase your Apple Watch, but Activation Lock will remain.

  • If you're using your Apple Watch with a travel card in the Wallet app, remove your transit card from your Apple Watch before you unpair.

  • Apple Watch doesn't have a physical SIM slot or reset button — the holes in your Apple Watch case are there to allow sound to and from the microphone and speakers, and to allow water-depth measurement on Apple Watch Ultra. To avoid damage, don't insert any object into the holes in your Apple Watch case.

How to unpair and erase your Apple Watch if you have your iPhone

  1. Keep your Apple Watch and iPhone close together as you unpair them.

  2. Open the Apple Watch app on your iPhone.

  3. Go to the My Watch tab and tap All Watches.

  4. Tap the info button next to the watch you want to unpair.

    iPhone screen showing All Watches in the Apple Watch app

  5. Tap Unpair Apple Watch.

    iPhone screen showing Unpair Apple Watch option

  6. Tap Unpair [your Apple Watch name].

  7. For GPS + Cellular models, choose whether to keep or remove your mobile data plan.

    • If you want to pair your Apple Watch and iPhone again, keep your plan.

    • If you don't want to pair your Apple Watch and iPhone again, remove your plan. If you aren't going to pair with a different watch or iPhone, you might need to contact your service provider to cancel your mobile data subscription.

  8. Type your Apple Account password to disable Activation Lock, then tap Unpair.

Before erasing all content and settings on your Apple Watch, your iPhone creates a new backup of your Apple Watch. You can use the backup to restore a new Apple Watch. After your Apple Watch unpairs, you'll see the Start Pairing message.

Now you can set up your Apple Watch again or turn it off if you're selling it or giving it away.

How to erase your Apple Watch if you don't have your iPhone

  1. On your Apple Watch, tap Settings > General > Reset > Erase All Content and Settings. 

    Apple Watch showing Erase All Content and Settings

  2. Type your password if prompted.

  3. For GPS + Cellular models, choose to keep or remove your mobile data plan.

    • If you want to pair your Apple Watch and iPhone again, keep your plan.

    • If you don't want to pair your Apple Watch and iPhone again, remove your plan. If you aren't going to pair with a different watch or iPhone, you might need to contact your service provider to cancel your mobile data subscription.

  4. Tap Erase All to confirm. This resets your Apple Watch to the factory settings.

Now you can set up your Apple Watch again. You'll need the Apple Account and password associated with the watch turn off Activation Lock.

Erasing all content and settings erases all media, data and settings from your Apple Watch, but it does not remove Activation Lock. To remove Activation Lock, unpair the watch first. Before your watch is erased, a backup of its contents is created on your iPhone.

Learn more

Find out what to do if you forget your Apple Watch passcode.

Published Date: