watchOS 11

watchOS 10

watchOS 9

watchOS 8

watchOS 7

watchOS 6

Select version:

Modifying this control will update this page automatically

Table of Contents

Change the watch face on your Apple Watch

Personalize your Apple Watch face so it looks the way you want and provides the functions you need. Choose a design, adjust colors and features, then add it to your collection. Switch faces at any time to see the right timekeeping tools—or to shake things up.

The Face Gallery in the Apple Watch app is the easiest way to see all of the available watch faces, customize one, and add it to your collection. But, if your iPhone isn’t handy, you can customize the face right on your watch. For more information, see Apple Watch faces and their features.

Choose a different watch face

Touch and hold the watch face, swipe to the one you want, then tap it.

Tip: You can also swipe from one watch face to another. Open the Settings app on your Apple Watch, tap Clock, then turn on Swipe to Switch Watch Face.

When you touch and hold the watch face, you see the current watch face with Share and Edit buttons at the bottom. The name of the watch face is at the top. Swipe left or right to see other watch face options. Tap a complication to add the features you want.

Add complications to the watch face

You can add special features—called complications—to some watch faces, so you can instantly check things like stock prices, the weather report, or information from other apps you installed.

With the watch face showing, touch and hold the display, then tap Edit.
Swipe left all the way to the end.
If a face offers complications, they’re shown on the last screen.
Tap a complication to select it, then turn the Digital Crown to choose a new one—Activity or Heart Rate, for example.
When you’re finished, press the Digital Crown to save your changes, then tap the face to switch to it.

Some apps you get from the App Store also include complications.

Complication options on Apple Watch

You can open most apps by tapping a complication on the watch face. Some complications show specific information from a particular app so you see just what you need with a glance. Weather, for example, includes complications for air quality, conditions, temperature, and more.

The following apps offer multiple complications.

App				Available complications
Activity				Rings Timeline
Astronomy				Earth Moon Solar Solar System
Calendar				Today’s Date Your Schedule
Compass				Compass Elevation Level
Compass Waypoints				Last Viewed Waypoint Saved Waypoints Parked Car Waypoint
Home				Home Grid Forecast
Maps				Maps Get Directions
Mindfulness				Mindfulness State of Mind
Reminders				Due Today Reminders
Sleep				Data Data and Schedule Sleep
Stocks				Added Stocks Last Viewed Stocks
Time				Analog Seconds Analog Time Digital Seconds Digital Time
Timer				Added Timers Timer
Weather				Air Quality Conditions Humidity Rain Temperature UV Index Wind
World Clock				Sunrise/Sunset Added Locations

Add a watch face to your collection

Create your own collection of custom faces—even variations of the same design.

With the current watch face showing, touch and hold the display.
Swipe left all the way to the end, then tap the New button ( ).
Turn the Digital Crown to browse watch faces, then tap Add.
Tip: Tap a collection such as New Watch Faces or Artists to browse a specific category of watch faces.

After you add it, you can customize the watch face.

New watch face screen, with a plus button in the middle. Tap to add a new watch face.

View your collection

You can see all your watch faces at a glance.

Open the Apple Watch app on your iPhone.
Tap My Watch, then swipe through your collection below My Faces.

To rearrange the order of your collection, tap Edit in My Faces, then drag next to a watch face up or down.

You can also rearrange the order of your collection on Apple Watch. With the current watch face showing, touch and hold the display, touch and hold again, then drag the selected watch face left or right.

Delete a face from your collection

With the current watch face showing, touch and hold the display.
Swipe to the face you don’t want, swipe it up, then tap Remove.

Or, on your iPhone, open the Apple Watch app, tap My Watch, then tap Edit in the My Faces area. Tap next to the watch faces you want to delete, then tap Remove.

You can always add the watch face again later.

The Apple Watch screen showing Remove and Cancel buttons, which appear after you swipe to a watch face, then swipe up on it to delete it.

Set the watch ahead

Open the Settings app on your Apple Watch.
Tap Clock.
Tap 0 min, then turn the Digital Crown to set the watch ahead by as much as 59 minutes.

This setting changes only the time shown on the watch face—it doesn’t affect alarms, times in notifications, or any other times (such as World Clock).

Download this guide: PDF

Helpful?

Apple Watch User Guide