How to change the watch face on a Garmin Instinct 3
Switching the face on the Instinct 3 takes seconds. The Instinct 3 has no touchscreen — you use the buttons. Here are the exact steps, plus how to add a new face first.
On the Instinct 3
- From the watch face, press MENU (hold the middle-left button).
- Scroll to Watch Face with the UP/DOWN buttons and press START (top-right) to open it.
- Scroll through your installed faces and press START to select.
Some faces add their own options under the same menu — accent colour, data fields and so on.
Add a new face first
To get a new face onto the Instinct 3, use the Connect IQ Store app: find a face, tap Download, then open Garmin Connect and let it sync over Bluetooth. It then appears in the face list on the watch. Full walkthrough in our install guide.
If a face will not show up
- Not synced: open Garmin Connect and sync; keep the watch nearby with Bluetooth on.
- Not supported: confirm the face lists the Instinct 3 as a compatible device.
- Slots full: remove an unused face in the Connect IQ app, then sync again.
Looking for one to install? See the best watch faces for Instinct 3 — every face runs live in your browser first.