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Getting Started with the Instinct E

If you are setting up an Instinct® E - 40mm or Instinct® E - 45mm watch for the first time, the following steps will walk you through the process to help you get the most out of it.

Setting up the Instinct E Watch

When powering on the Instinct E watch for the first time, you will be prompted to configure your user settings and preferences. These settings can be changed at any time.

  1. Power on the Instinct E watch by holding LIGHT/CTRL (upper-left button).

    Learn About the Buttons

    Instinct E Button Layout

    one instruction LIGHT/CTRL

    • Press to turn on the watch.
    • Press to turn the backlight on and off.
    • Quickly press twice to turn on the screen to use your watch as a flashlight.
    • Hold to view the controls menu.
    • Hold for give seconds to request assistance.

    two instruction UP/MENU

    • Press to scroll through the widget loop and menus.
    • Hold to view the menu.

    three instruction DOWN/ABC

    • Press to scroll through the widget loop and menus.
    • Hold to view the altimeter, barometer, and compass (ABC) screen.

    four instruction GPS

    • Press to view the activity list and start or stop an activity.
    • Press to choose an option in a menu.

    • Hold to view GPS coordinates and save your location.

    five instruction BACK/SET

    • Press to return to the previous screen.
    • Press to record a lap, rest, or transition during a multisport activity.
    • Hold to view the watch face from any screen.

  2. Choose your language by scrolling through the list using UP/MENU (middle-left button) and DOWN/ABC (lower-left button), then press GPS (upper-right button) to select the language.

  3. Pair the watch to your smartphone with the Garmin Connect™ app (optional).
    NOTE: Paring the watch with Garmin Connect will also register the watch.

    Learn More About Bluetooth Pairing

    • Why pair to a phone? Pairing to a phone lets you easily sync data to a Garmin Connect account, gives you access to connected features like on-watch weather, smart notifications, and allows you access to safety features like incident detection and assistance alerts, and more.
    • Need more help pairing? See : Garmin Connect App Bluetooth Troubleshooting.

  4. Proceed through the onscreen prompts to select your preferences and user settings.

  5. Set up the Activity Menu by selecting your favorites (optional).

    Learn How to Set Your Favorite Activities

    1. Press GPS (upper-right button) to access the Activity Menu.

    2. Use UP/MENU (middle-left button) and DOWN/ABC (lower-left button) to scroll through the list of available activity types.

    3. Press GPS to select each activity you wish to use.

    4. Select Done when finished.

Additional Resources

After setting up the watch, tips may pop up on the screen for the first day, which will give you further information about getting the most out of your watch. If you want to learn more about the watch, you can check out the  or owner’s manual. 

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