How to reset a Fitbit: A guide to restarting your Charge 3, Inspire HR, Versa or Ionic

Learn the steps needed to reboot or factory reset your tracker

Your Fitbit device may act reliably most of the time, but it's always handy to know how to reset it just in case.

Whether you have a Charge 3, Inspire HR, Versa or Ionic, if your Fitbit is failing to respond, won't track you or won't sync, it's likely you'll have to give it a restart. However, there's also occasions when you may want to give it a factory reset, erase your data and get it ready for a new user, too.

Whatever the reason, we've detailed exactly how to restart a Fitbit. Read on for everything you need to know.

Fitbit factory reset

Further down this page, we'll explain how to perform a soft reset for each Fitbit, which essentially means giving your tracker a quick restart. However, sometimes, you need more than that, and sometimes you want to clear your user data.

Not every Fitbit will allow you to perform a factory reset from the device, but there are ways for each to start from a blank slate again.

To factory reset your Fitbit

1. From the smartwatch or tracker, swipe across to the Settings menu. The location of this will vary depending on device, but it can typically be found in the furthest menu away from the home screen.

2. Once in the Settings section, find the About tab and tap it.

3. From here, you'll be able to scroll to the section that's labelled Factory Reset or Clear User Data.

4. Depending on your device, you'll be prompted to confirm the decision to clear your Fitbit to its box settings. If you want to, hit Reset or Confirm.

To unpair your Fitbit

Unpairing a Fitbit can not only free your account up to pair with a new device, but it can also mean it's free to be linked to another Fitbit account. If you're having issues with your Fitbit, such as the ones we mentioned up top, we've found unpairing and going through the set up process can also help resolve this.

1. From your connected iOS or Android device, tap the icon showing your device in the top left corner.

2. Scroll down to the bottom of this menu to the Remove This [Device Name] tab.

3. Make sure all you data is synced, as unpairing will see this lost.

4. If you're ready to unpair the device from your account, confirm the prompt after you tap the Remove This [Device Name] tab.

Reset the Fitbit Charge 3

If you're having trouble syncing, tracking or connecting to the Fitbit Charge 3 (or Fitbit Charge 2), it's time to restart the tracker.

To do so from the tracker, swipe from the clock face to Settings and tap Reboot Device. However, if the tracker isn't responding, follow these instructions:

1. Plug the charging cable into a USB port and connect the other end of the port to the back of the tracker, making sure the pins on the cable are securely locked.

2. Make sure the button on your tracker is in line with the button opening on the charging cable. You’ll know the connection is secure when the tracker vibrates and you see a battery icon pop up on the tracker's display.

3. Hold the button to restart your tracker:

• For Charge 2, press and hold the button on your tracker for four seconds. When you see the Fitbit logo and the tracker vibrates, the tracker has restarted.
• For Charge 3, press and hold the button on your tracker for eight seconds. Release the button. When you see a smile icon and the tracker vibrates, the tracker has restarted.

Reset the Fitbit Inspire HR

No matter whether you have the Inspire HR or the non-HR version, if you find you can't sync your tracker or you're having issues with tracking, here's how you can restart it.

1. Plug the charging cable into a USB port and follow this by connecting the end to the back of the Inspire tracker, ensuring the pins are locked into place.

2. From there, press and hold the left button on the device for five seconds and then release.

3. Once the smiley face appears the tracker vibrates, it's restarting. Again, like with the other restarts, this reboots but doesn't factory reset your device.

Reset the Fitbit Versa or Ionic

Resetting the Versa, Ionic and Blaze is actually performed in the same way, and is perhaps the easiest example of restarting a device from Fitbit.

1. Press and hold the left and bottom buttons until you see the Fitbit logo on the screen. This should take roughly 10 seconds.

2. When the Fitbit logo appears, let go of the buttons.

Reset the Fitbit Alta HR

Unfortunately, you can't perform a factory reset on the Alta or Alta HR. Instead, you will have to restart your device.

1. Plug the charging cable into a USB port and connect the other end of the port to the back of the tracker, making sure the pins on the cable are securely locked.

2. You’ll know the connection is secure when the tracker vibrates and you see a battery icon on the tracker's display. The tracker will then begin charging.

3. Press the button on your charging cable three times, briefly pausing between presses. When you see the Fitbit logo and the tracker vibrates, this means the tracker has restarted.

Reset Fitbit Ace

In order to reset your Fitbit Ace, follow these quick steps.

1. Start by plugging the charging cable into the USB port or wall plug and clip the other end of the charging cable to the port on the back of the tracker.

2. Make sure the pins are lined up - you'll know the connection is secure when the tracker vibrates and the battery icon pops up.

3. To restart, press the button (located on the end of the charging cable) on the charging cable three times within eight seconds, briefly pausing between presses.

4. Then, eight seconds after the first button press, the Fitbit logo appears on the Ace's display, indicating it has been restarted.

5. Once the logo appears, the Ace will begin to restart and you're free to unplug it from the charging cable.