Garmin Fenix 6 is a solid watch for most watch enthusiasts. With extended usage, you may run into a situation wherein your Garmin Fenix 6 stops charging. How would you go about isolating the underlying cause of the Fenix 6 not charging?
Potential causes of Fenix 6 not charging
If a Fenix 6 is not charging, we need to isolate the underlying cause for this behavior. Fenix 6 not charging could be attributed to one of the possible possibilities:
- There is a problem with the charging cable.
- There is a problem with contacts on the connector of the charging cable.
- There is a problem with the contacts on the watch connector.
- There is a problem with the Fenix 6 device.
As of now, we have not heard of charging issues subsequent to a software update or firmware update on a Garmin Fenix 6. In most cases, the problem has been caused due to bad charging cable. Especially, if your Fenix 6 watch is a dated one. By dated one, I mean a watch that is over 2 years old.
If you have a Fenix 6 watch that is less than one year old, it would be wise to speak to Garmin support. Let a Garmin support team member advise you on the best course of action. They are good at isolating the cause. In most cases of a new Fenix 6 device not charging, you end up getting a replacement watch without any costs attached.
If your Fenix 6 is out of warranty, it makes sense to follow the process shared below. This will help in isolating the cause of the underlying issue that causes charging issues on Garmin Fenix 6.

Troubleshooting Fenix 6 not charging
Let us follow a process to try and uncover the cause of Fenix 6 not charging.
Clean contacts
- Clean the contacts on your charging cable. Spraying a silicon spray could be of help here.
- Clean the contacts on the watch. It may be a good idea to blow air (from your mouth) into the pins at the back of the watch.
At this point, check if you are able to charge the Fenix 6. If charging still fails, we focus our attention of the charging cable.
Charging docks for Fenix 6
- A cheap charging puck does a decent job in reducing charging issues on the Garmin Fenix 6. It may also be called a charging dock. This charging dock is compatible with Fenix 7, Fenix 6 and Fenix 5 series smartwatches. It is available for a price under $10 on most online marketplaces.
- One end of the charging dock goes to the USB port on PC or laptop. The other connector is used to connect the Garmin Fenix 6 device. The picture below shows how the charging dock for Garmin Fenix 6 looks like.

Use the charging dock or charging puck to charge Garmin Fenix 6 through a USB port on your PC or laptop. If this resolves the charging issue on Fenix 6, you can skip the later steps. If this does not resolve the charging issue on Garmin Fenix 6, we move to the next step. In the next step, we will try to make use of new charging cables to charge the Garmin Fenix 6 watch.
Charging Cables
In the steps above, we have cleaned the contacts on the cable and the watch. We have also use a charging dock to ensure that the issue is not related to contacts. Now, we will try to get a new set of charging cables to try and charge Fenix 6 through the new set of cables.
You can get a new charging cable set for Fenix 6 from Garmin directly. I think this would come in at a price that is close to $30. Or, you could get a cheap charging cable from an online marketplace for a price under $10.
With the new set of charging cables, try and charge the Fenix 6 smartwatch. If this corrects the issue, we can safely conclude that there was an issue with the charging cable that came along with the Fenix 6 smartwatch device.
However, it is possible that replacement of charging cable does not resolve the charging issue.
Contact Garmin Support
Assuming your Fenix 6 is out of warranty, it still does not hurt to contact Garmin support. We have already isolated that there are no issues with the charging contacts, or the charging cables. The only logical point of failure is the Fenix 6 device. Here is how Garmin support could help you:
- They could help in offering a replacement at a discounted price. Most replacements are refurbished models of the same watch.
- They could also help in offering a repair estimation. This is assumed on the premise that the Fenix 6 device is repairable.
- Or, there could be a trade-in offer for your Fenix 6 device.
There are many possibilities. Depending on the dynamics of the situation at any given point in time, you may get one or more options that would save you some money on the way.
Summary
For issues related to Garmin Fenix 6 not charging, the most common cause is the charging cable or worn out contacts on the charging cable. We suggest using charging dock for Fenix 6. And, getting a spare set of charging cable does not hurt either.
You may also like to read more about Garmin watches below:
- Garmin Fenix watches with Sapphire glass
- Boot Loops on Fenix 6?
- Fenix 7 vs Fenix 7x Solar
- Is Fenix 7 Solar worth it?

Helen Kurt is a geeky nerd who loves to cover the wearables space. She has over 5 years of experience in the smartwatch domain. You can reach her on email at [email protected].