We get this question a lot from our readers: how exactly do I turn off my Fitbit? Strangely, it’s not as easy as it sounds! And oddly, some Fitbit trackers can’t be shut down at all!
Most people want to shut down their Fitbits to preserve battery life, fix errors, or store the device away during periods when you won’t use it for a while.
But for some reason, Fitbit only allows you to completely turn off certain Fitbit models-generally, its smartwatches. For models that don’t shut down (most trackers), Fitbit offers ways to dim or turn off the auto-wake screen.
In a hurry? Get quick answers
If time is short and you don’t need a thorough step-by-step, follow these quick instructions to turn off your Fitbit!
- Find out if your Fitbit supports shut down by checking Settings > Shut down or Settings > About > Shut down
- If your Fitbit can’t be turned off, try rebooting and restarting it
- Turn off Screen Wake or set it to manual
- Dim your screen or reduce the brightness
Related reading
- Need to restart or reset your Fitbit device? Learn the steps
- 5 Best Fitbit Versa Chargers (Versa/2/3 and More)
- Fitbit GPS vs Connected GPS: how to use GPS on your Fitbit and see your routes
- How to stop Fitbit health and wellness related notifications
- Fitbit display screen black and not working or turning on? Let’s fix it!
Find out if you can turn off your Fitbit
You can turn off Fitbit smartwatches, including all Versa models (original through the latest Versa 3), the Sense, Ionic, and even older models like the Surge or Blaze.
If your Fitbit allows you to turn it off, you find the option to Shut Down in the Settings app. 
Go to Settings > Shut down or Settings > About > scroll and tap Shut down, then confirm by tapping YES.
To turn it back on, hold the button, back button, or any button for Fitbit Surge and Blaze until you feel your watch vibrate and you see the Fitbit logo on-screen.
All of Fitbit’s smartwatches have this shutdown setting, including newer models like the Fitbit Sense or Versa 3 and legacy models like the Fitbit Versa Series, Surge, Blaze, and Ionic.
The Fitbit One is the only tracker that allows you to turn the device off completely.
Unfortunately, there is no current method to shutdown the Fitbit Inspire Series, Charge Series, Alta, or other tracker models.
To turn off Fitbit One
- Start charging your Fitbit One
- Press and hold its button for 12 seconds
- You see the battery icon appear, then disappear. Do not let go and keep holding the button
- Wait for your One to turn off, then remove it from the charging cable
- To turn your Fitbit One back on, press and hold the button for a few seconds
When you can’t turn off your Fitbit tracker, try to turn off or dim its screen
Unfortunately, and for reasons we don’t know, Fitbit does not allow users to shut down most of its trackers, including the popular Inspire Series and the Charge Series and even older models like the Alta and Ace.
The only way to turn off these trackers is to fully and completely drain their batteries-but we don’t recommend that!
Instead, change some display settings on your Fitbit tracker
To turn off your tracker’s screen when not in use, cover the tracker face briefly with your hand, press its button or buttons, or turn your wrist, so it’s pointing away from your body.
Fitbit models such as the Inspire Series, Charge 3 & 4, Ionic, Sense, or Versa series allow you to dim your device’s screen or adjust screen brightness.
To automatically dim the screen, go to Settings app > tap Dim Screen or Brightness and tap it on to lower your screen’s overall brightness.
If you find that your Fitbit’s screen is frequently lighting up when you don’t want it to, you likely have Screen Wake enabled.
When you turn on screen wake, you turn your wrist toward you; the screen automatically turns on.
Turn off screen wake
If you’re like me and move your hands a lot, your Fitbit screen likely turns on when you don’t need it to. That’s due to the Automatic setting for Screen Wake, which recognizes when we move our wrist in a motion like looking for the time.
- Open your Fitbit’s Quick Settings menu
- Scroll to Screen Wake and turn it off or to manual (default setting is Auto for smartwatches and on for trackers)
- When you turn it off on Fitbit trackers, look for the icon to dim and have a line through it to indicate it’s off
For more information on Screen Wake, see this post How to turn off raise or tap to wake screen on the Fitbit Versa, Ionic, or Blaze.
