Reset Apple Watch Without Phone or Password

If your iPhone is gone, broken, or you simply forgot your Apple Watch passcode, you can still erase the watch directly on the device. This guide walks you through the built-in reset procedure that clears all data and removes Activation Lock, so you can pair the watch with a new phone or sell it. No computer or second device is required.

What You’ll Need

The Apple Watch itself, with at least 50% battery or a charger nearby
Your Apple ID password (only if Activation Lock is enabled and you want to fully remove it)
A soft, lint-free cloth (optional, for wiping the screen)

Step-by-Step

Place the watch on its charger. This is not strictly required, but it prevents the watch from dying mid-reset, which can interrupt the process. Keep it on the charger until the reset finishes.
Press and hold the side button (the flat, rectangular button below the Digital Crown) until the power-off screen appears. This usually takes about 2–3 seconds.
Press firmly on the “Power Off” slider – do not drag it yet. Instead, press and hold your finger on the slider itself. After a moment, a second screen appears with two options: “Erase All Content and Settings” and “Cancel.”
Tap “Erase All Content and Settings.” The watch will ask for confirmation. If you have a passcode, it may ask you to enter it. If you forgot the passcode, skip this step – the watch will still proceed.
Wait for the erase to complete. The Apple logo appears and a progress bar fills. This can take 1–5 minutes depending on the watch model and how much data is stored. Do not remove the watch from the charger during this time.
When the watch finishes erasing, it restarts and shows the “Hello” screen in multiple languages. This means the reset worked. You can now pair it with a new iPhone.
If you plan to sell or give away the watch, confirm that Activation Lock is removed. After the reset, go to iCloud.com/find on a computer, sign in with your Apple ID, and check that the watch no longer appears in your device list. If it still shows, click “Remove from Account.”

Common Mistakes

Dragging the Power Off slider instead of pressing and holding it. This simply turns the watch off – it does not open the erase menu. You must press and hold firmly on the slider, not slide it.
Removing the watch from the charger too early. If the battery dies mid-erase, the watch may be left in a partially reset state. Keep it on the charger until the “Hello” screen appears.
Assuming the reset removes Activation Lock. It does not. Activation Lock is tied to your Apple ID, not the watch’s local data. You must remove the watch from your iCloud account separately if you are selling it.
Forgetting that the watch must be unpaired from the old phone first – but since you do not have the phone, this method bypasses that requirement. Just be aware that the old phone will still show the watch until it is manually removed.

Tips

Charge to at least 50% before starting. A full battery is even better. The erase process is power-intensive, and a dead watch mid-reset can cause issues.
Write down your Apple ID password before you start. If you are resetting because you forgot the watch passcode, you likely still know your Apple ID. If you do not, reset that first at iforgot.apple.com – otherwise the watch will be locked to your account forever.
Use a stable surface. The watch may vibrate or move slightly during the reset. Place it on a flat surface with the charger plugged into a wall outlet, not a laptop USB port that may lose power.
If the watch is paired with a phone you no longer have, you can still use this method. The watch does not need to be actively connected to anything to erase itself.
After the reset, the watch will be in “unpaired” mode. To use it again, hold it near a new iPhone and follow the pairing prompts. If you are keeping the watch, you can pair it with the same phone again.

Troubleshooting

The “Erase All Content and Settings” option does not appear. This usually means you are not pressing and holding the Power Off slider firmly enough. Try again, pressing with a bit more force. If it still does not appear, force-restart the watch by holding both the side button and the Digital Crown for 10 seconds, then try again.

The watch asks for a passcode you do not remember. That is fine – you can skip the passcode entry. The erase will still proceed. If the watch is stuck on the passcode screen and will not let you skip, try force-restarting and repeating the steps.

The reset gets stuck on the Apple logo. Leave the watch on the charger for 30 minutes. If it still does not progress, force-restart it (hold side button + Digital Crown for 10 seconds). If it boots back to the “Hello” screen, the reset worked. If it boots back to the home screen, repeat the erase steps.

Activation Lock remains after the reset. This is expected. Go to iCloud.com/find, sign in, select the watch, and click “Erase Apple Watch” then “Remove from Account.” You must do this with the same Apple ID that was paired to the watch. If you do not know that Apple ID, you cannot remove Activation Lock, and the watch is unusable by anyone else.

The watch will not turn on at all. Connect it to the charger and wait 15 minutes. If the screen stays black, try a different charger or cable. If it still does not respond, the battery may be completely drained – leave it charging overnight. If it still does not power on, the hardware may be faulty and needs service.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will this erase my iPhone data too? No. The reset only affects the watch. Your iPhone data remains untouched.

Do I need the original iPhone to reset the watch? No. This method works entirely on the watch itself. The only external requirement is your Apple ID password if you want to remove Activation Lock afterwards.

What happens to my health and fitness data? It is erased from the watch. If you had previously synced to iCloud or the Health app on an iPhone, that data is still there. You can restore it by pairing the watch again and choosing “Restore from Backup.”

Can I reset the watch using a computer instead? Yes, but you do not need to. If you have a Mac or PC, you can open the Apple Watch app on a paired iPhone, or use Finder (macOS Catalina or later) or iTunes (Windows) to restore the watch. The on-watch method is simpler when you have no phone.

Will the watch still work after the reset? Yes, it will be like new. You can pair it with any iPhone running a compatible version of iOS. It will not work with an Android phone.

How long does the reset take? Usually 1–5 minutes. If it takes longer than 10 minutes, see the troubleshooting section above.

General steps for current mainstream versions; menus can differ by device and version. See the disclaimer or report an error.

More in this bed

The whole Tech How-To bed →