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How to Add, Change, or Delete a Watch Face on Apple Watch

Add, switch, customize, and remove Apple Watch faces using the watch itself or the paired iPhone’s Apple Watch app.
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You can add and manage Apple Watch faces either on the watch or in the Apple Watch app on its paired iPhone. Saved faces stay in a collection, so adding one does not replace your current face. To switch, select another saved face; to remove one, delete it from the collection.

How to add a watch face on Apple Watch

  1. Show the current face and touch and hold the display.
  2. Swipe left to the end of your saved faces and tap Add.
  3. Browse the available faces, then tap the one you want.
  4. Customize it if desired, then tap Add. Press the Digital Crown to use the face if it is not already active.

The new face is added to your collection. Which faces are available can depend on your watch model and software version. Apple’s Apple Watch User Guide describes the on-watch steps.

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How to add and customize a face from iPhone

  1. Open the Apple Watch app on the iPhone paired with your watch.
  2. Tap Face Gallery, then choose a category and face.
  3. Adjust the options shown, such as color or style, and select complications for the positions offered.
  4. Tap Add to Watch.

Face Gallery is useful when you want to browse faces and see their available customization options in one place. The paired iPhone app and watch both support face management, though some settings are available only in the iPhone app. Apple Support explains Face Gallery and adding faces; Apple’s settings guide describes which settings can be managed across devices.

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How to change the active watch face

Select a saved face

  1. Touch and hold the current face.
  2. Swipe through your saved faces until the one you want appears.
  3. Tap that face to make it active.

Swipe directly between faces

You can also switch faces by swiping across the display, if the option is enabled. On the watch, open Settings > Clock > Swipe to Switch Watch Face and turn it on. If swiping does not change the face, use the press-and-hold method above or check that this setting is enabled. Apple’s instructions for changing faces cover both methods.

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How to delete a watch face

Remove it on the watch

  1. Touch and hold the current face.
  2. Swipe to the face you want to remove.
  3. Swipe up on that face, then tap Remove.

Remove it from iPhone

  1. Open the Apple Watch app and tap My Watch.
  2. Tap Edit in My Faces.
  3. Tap the delete control next to the face, then tap Remove.

Removing a face takes it out of your saved collection; Apple says you can add it again later. Apple’s face-removal instructions show both routes.

How to change complications on a face

Complications are optional face elements that can display information from Apple and third-party apps. Their positions and available choices vary by face.

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  • KNOW YOUR SLEEP SCORE—With advanced sleep tracking, Series 11 gives you a daily sleep score. It’s an easy way to help measure and understand the quality of your sleep, so you can make it more restorative.
  • GET HYPERTENSION NOTIFICATIONS—Did you know that Series 11 can spot signs of chronic high blood pressure? By analyzing how your blood vessels respond to beats of the heart, it can notify you of possible hypertension.*
  • SAFETY FEATURES—A smartwatch that puts your safety first. Series 11 can detect a hard fall or severe car crash, automatically help connect you with emergency services, and notify your emergency contacts.* Check In can automatically notify a loved one when you’ve arrived at your destination.
  • A POWERFUL FITNESS TRACKER—With advanced metrics and motivating features like Pacer, Heart Rate Zones, training load, and Workout Buddy powered by Apple Intelligence from your nearby iPhone*—Series 11 is made to help everyone stay active, from runners and hikers to strength-training enthusiasts.

Edit complications on the watch

  1. Show the face, touch and hold it, then tap Edit.
  2. If the face has separate editing screens, swipe to the complication screen.
  3. Select a complication position and turn the Digital Crown to choose an available option.

Choose complications in Face Gallery

  1. In the Apple Watch app, open Face Gallery and select a face.
  2. Tap a complication position and choose from the options shown for it.
  3. Tap Add to Watch to add the configured face.

Not every face has complications or the same positions. The options presented for a selected face and position are the ones available to use. Apple’s guide to customizing faces explains the editing controls.

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Which method should you use?

Task On the Apple Watch In the iPhone app
Browse and add Add a face from the end of the saved-face collection. Browse categories in Face Gallery and add a selected face.
Customize Edit the face currently selected on the watch; available options depend on that face. Configure the options offered for a face in Face Gallery.
Switch faces Select a saved face by holding the display, or swipe between faces if enabled. Not described as a way to change the active face.
Remove a face Hold the display, swipe to the face, swipe up, and tap Remove. Use My Watch > Edit in My Faces and remove the selected face.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Support on Ko-Fi

If the instructions do not match your watch

Apple’s general face-management instructions do not establish one minimum watchOS version or guarantee that every face and complication is available on every model. Labels and available choices may therefore differ by device and software. Check the watchOS version and model before relying on version-specific steps; do not assume that a face shown in a guide is supported by every Apple Watch.

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Apple Watch Series 11 [GPS 42mm] Smartwatch with Jet Black Aluminum Case with Black Sport Band - S/M. Sleep Score, Fitness Tracker, Health Monitoring, Always-On Display, Water Resistant
  • A FULL-FEATURED HEALTH TRACKER—Apple Watch Series 11 gives you invaluable insights about your body, right from your wrist. Take an ECG anytime* and get alerts for a high and low heart rate or an irregular rhythm*—so you can stay closer to your heart. You can also view your overnight health tracking metrics with the Vitals app* and be notified of possible sleep apnea.*
  • KNOW YOUR SLEEP SCORE—With advanced sleep tracking, Series 11 gives you a daily sleep score. It’s an easy way to help measure and understand the quality of your sleep, so you can make it more restorative.
  • GET HYPERTENSION NOTIFICATIONS—Did you know that Series 11 can spot signs of chronic high blood pressure? By analyzing how your blood vessels respond to beats of the heart, it can notify you of possible hypertension.*
  • SAFETY FEATURES—A smartwatch that puts your safety first. Series 11 can detect a hard fall or severe car crash, automatically help connect you with emergency services, and notify your emergency contacts.* Check In can automatically notify a loved one when you’ve arrived at your destination.
  • A POWERFUL FITNESS TRACKER—With advanced metrics and motivating features like Pacer, Heart Rate Zones, training load, and Workout Buddy powered by Apple Intelligence from your nearby iPhone*—Series 11 is made to help everyone stay active, from runners and hikers to strength-training enthusiasts.
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  • GET SMARTER HEALTH INSIGHTS—Apple Watch SE 3 is an advanced health tracker that helps you better understand your body. The smartwatch sends alerts for an irregular heart rhythm, or an unusually high or low heart rate.* You can view your overnight health tracking metrics with the Vitals app,* track your sleep score, and get sleep apnea notifications.*
  • A GREAT FITNESS TRACKER—SE 3 can track your workouts in a healthy number of ways—from running and strength training to simply achieving your 10K steps a day. With real-time metrics and Workout Buddy powered by Apple Intelligence from your nearby iPhone,* you’ll hit your goals like never before.
  • KEEP HELP CLOSE AT HAND—SE 3 is a smartwatch that can detect a hard fall or severe car crash and automatically help connect you to emergency services and notify your emergency contacts.* Check In can automatically notify a loved one when you’ve arrived at your destination.
  • WOMEN’S HEALTH INSIGHTS—SE 3 has advanced sensors that track your wrist temperature while you sleep. With this smartwatch, you can log your periods and symptoms, get period predictions, and get notified of cycle deviations.*
  • GREAT BATTERY LIFE AND FASTER CHARGING—Enjoy a smartwatch with all-day, 18-hour battery life* from sunup to sundown. Then charge up to twice as fast as SE 2* and get up to 8 hours of battery in just 15 minutes.*

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.

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