How to find the right strap for your Garmin

Choosing the right strap for your Garmin watch may seem like a simple task, but there’s more to it than just picking a color or material you like. To ensure a perfect fit, you need to understand two key factors: the correct strap width and the type of attachment mechanism your watch uses. With the right knowledge, you can swap straps easily, upgrade your style, and ensure your watch stays secure during any activity.

Once you’ve figured out which strap fits your watch, check out our large collection of Garmin straps and accessories, and order what you have been looking for. 

What do you need to consider?

When it comes to finding the right strap for your Garmin, the two most important factors to consider are size and attachment type. We will expand on both further down in this blog, but to put it briefly:

• Size: When we talk about strap size, we mean the width of the attachment, not the length or width of the strap itself. This is because those two factors have no bearing on whether or not the strap fits your watch (and is rather an element of the design, or whether it will fit your wrist).
• Attachment type: This is how the strap itself attaches to your watch. In Garmin’s lineup of models, there are two types to keep in mind: QuickFit, which is Garmin’s proprietary system, and Quick Release, which is the most common system for both smartwatches and regular watches.

Once you know the size and attachment type you require, you can move on to something more fun, such as picking the material, color, and design of the strap. 

How important are the sizes?

To put it simply, crucial. Small millimeter differences in the width of the straps mean the difference between the strap not fitting the Garmin watch and functioning perfectly. They might seem small, and you might feel as if they don’t matter, but trust us when we say that they do. 

The most common sizes when it comes to Garmin watch straps are 18mm, 20mm, 22mm, and 26mm. These sizes are spread across all series and can be found as both Quick Release and QuickFit. 

• 18mm: The smallest size, and therefore common with S-versions of series, such as Venu 3S, Venu 2S, Vivoactive 4S, and Forerunner 265S. 
• 20mm: Used in mid-sized watches, like Fenix 5S, 6S, 7S, Forerunner 245, 55. 645 and Vivoactive 6.  
• 22mm: Commonly used in many standard series, such as Fenix 5, 6, 7, Forerunner 255, 265, 935, 955, and Venu 2, 3, and 4 (45mm). 
• 26mm: The largest size, and therefore used on their biggest watches, like Quatix, Instinct 3, Fenix 8 (51mm), Fenix 7X, and Enduro. 

Fenix 7 and 8 - Why you always need to double-check

To really drive home the importance of the size, let’s use the Fenix series 7 and 8 as cautionary tales. Each one of these has three different sub-models (or versions), and in both instances, all three sub-models similarly use different sizes of watch straps. 

Let’s start with Fenix 7, where the sizing is as follows: 

• Garmin Fenix 7S & 7S Pro: 20mm
• Garmin Fenix 7 & 7 Pro: 22mm
• Garmin Fenix 7X & 7X Pro: 26mm

This unfortunately means that if you have a Garmin Fenix 7S Pro and mistakenly buy a strap for a Garmin Fenix 7 Pro, you’ll get a strap that doesn’t fit, and vice versa. But things get even more complicated when it comes to the Fenix 8 series, which breaks down accordingly: 

• Garmin Fenix 8 (43mm): 20mm
• Garmin Fenix 8 (47mm): 22mm
• Garmin Fenix 8 (51mm): 26mm

In this instance, you don’t even get the help of different names to guide you, and you need to know the case diameter (which is what the measurement behind the name is referring to) to be able to buy a suitable watch strap. 

How to measure your old strap

If you’re unsure which strap your smartwatch uses, and great hack for finding out is by simply measuring your old strap. This way, you can skip worrying about exact naming conventions and case diameters, and focus on the number itself: 

1. Lay the strap flat: Place the watch strap on a table, smooth it out, and make sure you’re measuring the end that connects to the watch. 
2. Measure across the end: Use a ruler or measuring tape in millimeters (mm) and measure straight across the strap’s width, edge to edge, at the point where it attaches to the watch. The number is your strap width. 

But once you know the exact number, you need to consider which kind of attachment mechanism the strap uses. 

QuickFit & Quick release - what is the difference?

Finding the right size is only part of the process - the attachment mechanism also matters. Garmin uses two main systems for securing straps: QuickFit and Quick Release. Both allow you to change bands without tools, but they work in slightly different ways and are designed for different types of watches.

QuickFit

Garmin’s QuickFit system is designed for larger and more premium watches - such as the fenix, epix, and tactix series - where durability and fast swaps matter most. The mechanism is built directly into the strap’s end pieces and uses a solid metal locking bar that clicks securely into the watch lugs. To release the strap, you simply pull down on the small latch underneath the strap end; the bar retracts slightly, freeing it from the lug.

This design makes QuickFit straps extremely robust and ideal for sports or outdoor activities. They hold tightly during running, swimming, or hiking, and can be changed in seconds without any tools. QuickFit straps come in various widths - typically 20 mm, 22 mm, or 26 mm - and each watch only accepts the matching width.

Quick Release

Quick Release straps, on the other hand, are a bit more traditional and are commonly used on Garmin’s lighter or lifestyle-oriented watches, such as the Venu, Forerunner, and vívoactive lines. Instead of a solid locking bar, they use a spring bar with a tiny sliding pin on one side. To attach or remove the strap, you gently push the pin sideways with your fingernail, which compresses the spring bar and allows it to slide into or out of the lug holes.

This mechanism offers the same tool-free convenience but is slightly more delicate than QuickFit, better suited for smaller and lighter watches. It’s also very common in the wider watch industry, so you can often find compatible Quick Release straps from both Garmin and third-party brands - as long as the lug width matches your model (for example, a 20 mm Quick Release strap will only fit watches with 20 mm lugs).

Conclusion

Finding the right Garmin strap comes down to knowing the exact width and the correct attachment system. Once you have those details, the fun part begins — choosing a material, style, or color that fits your lifestyle. By taking the time to check sizes and understanding the difference between QuickFit and Quick Release straps, you can be confident that your new band will fit securely, look great, and make changing straps a quick and hassle-free process.

Appendix - Find your Garmin watch and its strap size

Below you’ll find a comprehensive list of the most popular Garmin smartwatches, the type of attachment mechanism they use, and the width they have. For easy comprehension, they’re divided by series. If you can’t find yours, please contact our customer service for further assistance. 

→ If you’re looking to buy a new watch strap, check out our collection of straps for Garmin and other accessories. We have something for every model released by the manufacturer, both new and old. 

Garmin Forerunner series

Garmin Fenix series

Garmin Vivoactive series

Garmin Venu series

Garmin Vivomove series

Garmin Quatix series

Garmin Tactix series

Garmin Approach series

Garmin D2 series

Garmin MARQ series

Garmin Enduro series

Garmin Epix series

Garmin Descent series

Garmin Instinct series

Garmin Lily series