The fastest way to change your watch face
Press and hold the watch face on your screen until it enters edit mode — you'll see a small menu appear at the bottom. Tap the plus sign (+) to add a new face, or swipe left to browse faces you've already saved. Once you pick one, tap "Set as Active" to make it your default, or "Add" to keep it as an option you can switch between.
If you want to switch between faces you've already set up without editing, just swipe left or right on the watch face itself. The watch remembers all your saved faces and lets you move between them instantly.
Key Takeaways
- Press and hold your current watch face to enter edit mode, then tap the plus sign to browse and add new faces.
- You can customize colors, complications, and style for most faces before you set them as active.
- Once you have multiple faces saved, swipe left or right on the watch screen to switch between them without opening the menu.
- Changes you make to a face (like adding weather or calendar information) save automatically to that specific face.
How to customize a watch face before you set it
When you tap a new face in edit mode, the watch shows you customization options before you commit. You can change the color, adjust which information appears (called "complications"), and sometimes change the style or layout. Swipe left and right on the customization screen to see all your options for that particular face.
Not every face has the same customization choices — some let you pick colors and add weather, while others let you choose between different layouts or add multiple time zones. The watch shows you only the options available for the face you're editing. Once you've made your choices, tap "Set as Active" to make it your default watch face.
Adding information like weather, calendar, and activity rings
Most Apple Watch faces let you add complications — small pieces of information that appear on the face itself, like the current temperature, your next calendar event, or your activity ring progress. When you're customizing a face, look for spots on the screen you can tap to add or change what appears there.
Tap an empty spot or an existing complication to see what information you can add. The watch shows you only the apps and data types that work with that particular face. You can add multiple complications to one face — for example, weather in one corner and your calendar in another — and they update throughout the day.
Switching between faces you've already created
Once you have more than one face saved, you don't need to go back into edit mode every time you want to change. Simply swipe left or right on your watch screen to move between your saved faces. The watch cycles through them in the order you created them, so you can jump between your workout face, your daily face, and your minimal face with a quick gesture.
If you want to reorder your faces so your most-used one comes first, go back into edit mode (press and hold), swipe to the face you want to move, then tap and hold it until a menu appears. You can drag it to a new position in your list.
Removing a watch face you no longer use
Press and hold your watch face to enter edit mode, then swipe to the face you want to remove. Tap the trash icon (or swipe left) to delete it. You can't delete the face that's currently active, so if you want to remove your current face, first switch to a different one by swiping left or right.
Deleting a face doesn't affect your other saved faces or their settings. If you change your mind later, you can always add that face back by pressing and holding again and tapping the plus sign.
Syncing watch faces across your devices
If you own multiple Apple Watches or an iPhone, your watch faces don't automatically sync between devices. Each watch maintains its own set of faces and customizations. However, if you set up a new Apple Watch, you have the option to restore your faces from a backup of your previous watch during the setup process.
To manually recreate a face on another device, you'll need to go through the customization steps again on that watch. The face designs themselves are the same across all Apple Watches, but your personal customizations (colors, complications, layout choices) stay on the individual device where you made them.
Troubleshooting when faces won't change or save
If you press and hold but the edit menu doesn't appear, make sure you're pressing directly on the watch face itself, not on the edge or the digital crown. Hold for a full second or two — a quick tap won't trigger edit mode. If the screen still doesn't respond, try restarting your watch by holding the side button until you see the power-off slider.
If a customization won't save, check that you have enough storage space on your watch. Go to Settings > General > About > Available to see how much space you have left. If you're running very low, delete photos or old workouts to free up room. If a specific face keeps failing to save, try removing it and adding it again from scratch.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I create a completely custom watch face from scratch?
No — you choose from the faces Apple provides and customize them by changing colors and adding complications. You cannot build a face from a blank canvas or upload your own design. However, the customization options are broad enough that you can make each face look quite different from how it appears by default.
What happens to my watch face if I update watchOS?
Your saved faces and customizations stay in place after an update. Sometimes Apple adds new customization options to existing faces, but your current setup won't be erased. If a face is removed entirely in a new version (rare), the watch will keep it active but won't let you add it again.
Can I share a watch face I've customized with someone else?
You cannot directly share a face configuration, but you can describe your customization choices and the other person can recreate it on their watch. Some faces also come with preset styles that are close to popular customizations, which might be faster than building from scratch.
Why do some faces have more customization options than others?
Apple designs each face differently — some are meant to be minimal and simple, while others are built to display lots of information. A minimal face might only let you change the color, while a data-heavy face might let you add six different complications and choose between multiple layouts.
Does changing my watch face use battery?
Switching between faces uses almost no battery. However, some faces use more power than others when they're active — faces with lots of animations or constant updates drain faster than simple, static faces. If battery life is a concern, stick with simpler faces and limit the number of complications you add.