The quickest way to change your watch face
Press and hold the watch face on your wrist until the customization menu appears. You'll see a row of dots at the bottom representing your saved faces, and a plus sign (+) to add a new one. Swipe left through the available faces, tap the one you want, then press the Digital Crown (the button on the side) or swipe down to close the menu and return to your watch.
That's the standard method. If you want to add a face you haven't used before, tap the plus sign instead of swiping through existing ones. The watch will show you all available faces for your watch model. Tap to preview, then tap "Add" to save it.
Key Takeaways
- Press and hold your current watch face to open the customization menu where you can switch between saved faces.
- Swipe left or right through the dots at the bottom to move between your saved faces, then tap the one you want.
- Tap the plus sign (+) to browse all available faces and add new ones to your collection.
- Press the Digital Crown or swipe down to close the menu and confirm your choice.
- You can rearrange the order of your saved faces by pressing and holding, then dragging them left or right.
Adding a new watch face you haven't used before
When you press and hold your current face and tap the plus sign, the watch displays every face available for your model. Scroll through the list by swiping up or down. Each face shows a preview of what it will look like on your wrist.
Tap any face to see a larger preview. You can customize some faces at this stage — for example, the Modular face lets you choose which information boxes appear, and the Chronograph face lets you pick the dial color. Once you're satisfied with how it looks, tap "Add" at the bottom of the screen. The face saves to your collection and appears in your row of dots.
Customizing a face after you've added it
After you've added a face, you can change its appearance without deleting it. Press and hold the face you want to edit, then tap "Edit" (it appears as a pencil icon). The watch shows you the customization options available for that specific face — these vary widely depending on which face you chose.
For example, the Infograph face lets you add up to eight complications (small widgets showing weather, calendar, activity rings, or other data). The Simple face lets you change the color and style of the numbers. The Solar face shows a sun graphic and lets you pick the background color. Swipe left and right to see all available options, make your changes, then press the Digital Crown to save.
Removing a face you no longer want
Press and hold the face you want to remove, then swipe left on the preview. A trash icon appears. Tap it to delete the face from your collection. The face is removed from your row of dots, but you can always add it back later by tapping the plus sign.
Note: You cannot delete the current face you're viewing. If you want to remove the face that's currently displayed, switch to a different face first, then go back and delete the one you want gone.
Reordering your saved faces
Your saved faces appear as dots at the bottom of the customization menu in a specific order. To change that order, press and hold any face in the menu, then drag it left or right to a new position. This doesn't change the face itself — only where it appears in your collection.
The leftmost face is the one that appears when you raise your wrist or press the Digital Crown from any app. If you have a face you use most often, move it to the far left for quickest access.
Watch faces that require specific watchOS versions
Some faces are only available if your Apple Watch is running the current version of watchOS. If you see a face in the App Store or on Apple's website but it doesn't appear on your watch, check your watchOS version by opening Settings on the watch, tapping General, then About. If an update is available, connect your watch to power and to Wi-Fi, then go to Settings > General > Software Update to install it.
Older Apple Watch models (Series 3 and earlier) have fewer face options than newer models. If you're looking for a specific face and can't find it, your watch model may not support it. Check Apple's official list of compatible faces for your model year.
Using watch faces from third-party apps
Some apps in the App Store offer custom watch faces. To use one, download the app to your iPhone, then open the Apple Watch app on your phone. Tap the app name under "Available Apps," then toggle on "Show App on Apple Watch." Some apps will then let you create a custom face directly in the Apple Watch app on your iPhone.
Once the face is created, it appears in your watch's customization menu just like the built-in faces. Press and hold your current face, swipe to find the custom one, and tap to switch to it. You can edit or delete third-party faces the same way you would a standard face.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use the same watch face on multiple Apple Watches?
If you own more than one Apple Watch, each watch maintains its own collection of faces and settings. You'll need to add and customize faces separately on each device. However, if you use the same Apple ID on both watches, some customization choices may sync through iCloud.
Why don't I see all the watch faces I've heard about?
Your Apple Watch model determines which faces are available. Newer models have more options. Also, some faces require the latest watchOS version. Check Settings > General > Software Update to see if an update is available for your watch.
What happens to my complications if I switch watch faces?
Each face stores its own set of complications independently. When you switch to a different face, the complications you set up on the previous face stay exactly as they were. You won't lose any customization when you change faces.
Can I set different watch faces for different times of day?
Not automatically. You would need to manually switch faces whenever you want a different one. Some third-party apps offer scheduling features, but the built-in watch faces don't have a time-based rotation option.