How to Backup and Reset Your Apple Watch

Ready to sell your Apple Watch? Before you do, you need to protect your data with a backup and factory reset. The easiest way is to simply unpair your Apple Watch from your iPhone, since doing so automatically creates a backup and resets your watch. Here are more details on how to backup and reset your Apple Watch, including what to do if you don’t have an iPhone.

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How to back up an Apple Watch

Apple Watch backups are automatically created and stored on your paired iPhone. Backups are also automatically made when you unpair your Apple Watch. Since your Apple Watch data is stored on your iPhone, it also gets backed up to iCloud (or iTunes) when you back up your iPhone. NOTE: You must be able to pair your Apple Watch to an iPhone to make a backup.

How to backup & reset any Apple device

How to reset an Apple Watch

Your Apple Watch will reset to factory settings when you unpair it from your iPhone. If you can’t pair your Apple Watch or you no longer have an iPhone, it should already be reset – but you can still reset it manually just in case. Here’s how.

Locked out of your Apple Watch? Here’s how to unlock it

Via your iPhone

Open the Apple Watch app on your iPhone and browse to MY WATCH
Select the “I” information symbol
Select UNPAIR APPLE WATCH
Remove your cellular plan, if prompted, then disable activation lock and confirm

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Via your Apple Watch

On your watch, browse to SETTINGS > GENERAL > RESET
Select ERASE ALL CONTENT AND SETTINGS (you might need your Apple ID password. If you forgot it, you can restore it here)
Remove your cellular plan, if prompted
Select ERASE ALL and confirm

IMPORTANT: Check iCloud to make sure Activation Lock is disabled

Your Apple Watch will be reset to factory settings so you can safely sell it.