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Expired EPO on a Garmin Outdoor Watch

If you are having trouble acquiring GPS satellites with your Garmin outdoor watch, it may be that your watch's EPO (Extended Prediction Orbit) is expired or not current. The file containing EPO information for your watch is usually updated when you sync the watch with Garmin Express or the Garmin Connect App. However, if the EPO file expires, your watch may take much longer to acquire a satellite connection. 

What is EPO?

EPO (Extended Prediction Orbit) tells your Garmin watch where to look for GPS satellites in the sky. Knowing where GPS satellites are helps your watch connect to the satellites more quickly. 

EPO Status

EPO files are only good for 3-14 days before they expire. The steps below will help you check your watch's EPO status to determine if your EPO file is current or expired.  

Select options below, such as Checking EPO Status, to learn more. 

Checking EPO Status
Fenix 3 Series1
  1. Press and hold Up/Menu to open the Main Menu
  2. Select Settings
  3. Select System
  4. Select About
  5. Scroll down to view EPO status page

Fenix 5 Plus Series2

  1. Press and hold Up/Menu to open the Main Menu
  2. Select Settings
  3. Select About
  4. Scroll down to last page to view EPO status

1 These steps will also work for the D2 Bravo, epix, fenix 3 series, fenix Chronos, quatix 3 and tactix Bravo

2 These steps will also work for the D2 Charlie, D2 Delta series, Descent Mk1, fenix 5 series, Instinct, quatix 5 and tactix Charlie

Troubleshooting an Expired EPO

If your watch's EPO is expired, try the troubleshooting steps found below.

Sync the Watch

Syncing your watch with Garmin Express will usually update EPO. If you have an expired EPO on your watch, syncing with Garmin Express should be your first step to updating your EPO data.  

Follow the steps in this article for syncing your watch with Garmin Express - Updating Maps and Software with Garmin Express

Restore EPO

If syncing does not update your EPO, you will need to restore the EPO file. The steps below will walk you through restoring the EPO file.

IMPORTANT

Do not delete any files that the following steps do not direct you to delete. Deleting some files may harm the watch, and cause it to cease functionality. 

  1. Plug the watch into a computer1
  2. Locate the drive for the watch
    • Mac: Found in the Finder under Devices, usually labelled Garmin or the device name (Example: Fenix 5)
    • Windows: Found under This PC on Windows 10, usually labelled with the device name (Example: Fenix 5)
  3. Open the drive
  4. Open the Garmin folder
  5. Locate and delete the RemoteSW folder
    • Mac: Empty the Trash on your computer after deleting the RemoteSW folder
  6. Safely disconnect the watch from the computer
  7. Allow the watch to return to the watch face/time
    Note: Power on the watch if needed
  8. Plug the watch back in to the computer, and sync with Garmin Express

Once the sync has completed, your EPO file should be current. Use the steps under Checking EPO Status to make sure that your EPO is current. 

1 The fenix 5 Plus series will not display as a drive on Mac computers. The steps in this article will need to be completed on a Windows computer. 

For more information on troubleshooting GPS, see the Related Content below. 

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