Garmin Activity Not Uploading to Strava? Quick Fix

Jam CH
garmin activity not uploading to Strava

Are you having issues with your Garmin Activity not uploading to Strava? If so, don’t worry; I’ll provide a simple fix in this post. Thankfully, Garmin has made it simpler to use Garmin Connect or the Garmin webpage to upload the statistics and history with Strava.

If the Garmin activity isn’t uploading to Strava, you haven’t enabled the authorization for activities, and the Strava and Garmin services aren’t operational. Try to reconnect Strava and the Garmin Connect program. Restart your phone and Garmin watch, and instead of using the app, visit the Garmin website.

Normally, syncing Garmin activities with Strava is simple. You may sometimes experience difficulty with Garmin not uploading activities to Strava. Let’s examine each potential option in detail:

Garmin Activity Not Uploading to Strava: How To Solve?

Try these steps to upload your Garmin activity to Strava:

Enable Activities Permission

Sometimes the activities permission can cause problems when uploading data to Strava.

If your Garmin activity is not uploading to Strava, you should ensure that there is no permission denied from your Garmin connect app and Strava.

When you have done it, wait for a few minutes, and all past/ future data will be uploaded to Strava automatically. 

If you are not aware of how to enable permissions, you can follow the steps below:

Garmin Connect App:

  1. Open the Garmin Connect app
  2. Go to the “Settings”
  3. Here Check “Activity” Permission 
  4. Tap to “Enable” it 

Strava 

  1. Open the Strava app on your Phone
  2. Go to the “Settings” 
  3. Tap on “Data Permission” 
  4. Check here if you have allowed Access

Re-Establish Connection

However, if you have already enabled the permission, your Garmin activities are not uploading. You can solve this issue by re-establishing the connection between your Garmin Connect and Strava.

Generally, pair and unpair the links solve these types of problems.

You can re-establish your connection by following these steps below:

From Garmin Connect App

Pair:

  1. Open the app menu (at the top left)
  2. For iOS, More at bottom
  3. Tap on Settings 
  4. Select Connected Apps
  5. Select the available apps section (connect Strava)
  6. Scroll down to this section and tap Agree 
  7. Sign your Strava account and select Authorize
  8.  Now Strava will show in connected apps

Unpair:

  1. Open app settings menu Android (three-line icon) top left corner, iOS (three dot) bottom right corner 
  2. Select “Settings” 
  3. Open “Partner Apps” 
  4. Select “Strava” 
  5. Tap to “Disconnect” 

Remove Garmin Connect from Strava

  1. From Strava, select “Profile.” 
  2. Select “Settings icon ( top right corner) 
  3. Select to  “Link other Services” in (Android) Application, Devices for (iOS) 
  4. Select the “Garmin Connect” 
  5. Tap to “Disconnect” 
  6. Press “OK” to confirm

Restart Garmin Watch And Phone

Re-establishing the connection has not solved the issue. You have to take the following steps: you should restart your Garmin watch and Phone.

Restarting the devices can be the way to fix this problem.

Because it can remove all glitches, which are a hurdle to uploading the activity with Strava. 

Restarting Garmin Watch

There are two types of Garmin watch: one has a button, and the other does not. 

For the button watch

  1. Press and hold the power button (also used for the backlight)
  2. A menu appears on the screen 
  3. Select the power off icon to “Shut down” the Watch 
  4. Press and hold the same button to turn the Watch back on

For without button watch 

Some Garmin watches like Vivo and Lily have no power buttons; you can restart them by the steps below:

  1. Connect the Watch with an external power source
  2. Use the computer’s USB port and attach it to the computer
  3. Prompt remove it from the power source

This process can cause the internal restart of your Watch.

Restarting Phone

Mostly every android phone has a power button to turn it on and off. Restarting the Phone is an easy task.

Press and hold the power button for about 10 to 15 seconds until the “Power Menu” is revealed.

When the menu appears on the screen, touch on the Restart option to shut down and power it back on. 

Connect Strava And Garmin Via Garmin Webpage

You can use the Garmin connect Webpage instead of the Garmin connect app. But there is an important thing to notice that it needs a Segment Compatible Device to add your Garmin connect app account via Garmin Connect Webpage. 

You can check out which Garmin device is compatible with the segment on Garmin’s support.

But if you have a compatible device, you can use this Webpage.

You can see the steps down below to do this:

  1. Sign your Garmin Connect account on this Webpage and go to the Garmin Connect Dashboard ( top left corner).
  2. At the end of the page, select Add a Widget.
  3. Select “Segment”
  4. Tap on “Use Strava Segment” 
  5. Later on, “Connect with Strava“
  6. Select “Agree“

Then it takes a few minutes to sync with Strava after this is all set.

Connect Strava and Garmin via Strava Webpage

  1. Open your Starva’s Webpage to sync data
  2. Sing to Starva’s Account
  3. Find the Garmin option and select “Get Started.”
  4. Sign with your Garmin account
  5. Choose the information that you want to share from Garmin to Starva
  6. Select Agree 
  7. Wait to confirm your account is linked

Ensure Garmin and Strava services online

Generally, sometimes due to technical issues, the two platforms cannot communicate with each other. 

The two platforms share the data by using the cloud server. Data transformation between Garmin and Strava can stop if the cloud server is down.

Ensure that there is no problem with the server. If your activity data is not uploading to Strava, try to find an explanation if it is available. The solution for the cloud server down services is to wait until they solve the issue. 

You can check Strava’s status here.

You can check Garmin’s status here.

If there is any issue, you should wait for some time until Garmin and Strava solve these issues. 

Upload Manually Data

If the data uploading problem is not solved by implementing all the above methods. Now you can use the manual data uploading method. When automatic data uploading cannot work, it’s the right way.

You need a computer or iPad to help connect your Garmin device to a wired connection or Webpage to transfer activity data.

Also read: How to Fix Garmin Watch Stuck on Saving?

Connect Garmin watch via wired connection

  1. Connect Garmin watch/ tracker via USB cable to a computer
  2. Open the driver who is associated with your computer
  3. Find the Activities Folder 
  4. Select the Fit Files by date/time and size which you would like to add to Strava
  5. Open Strava upload site web page on Browser
  6. Login or Sign up with Strava
  7. Choose files that you have selected by the “Strava Uploader” and save them to your Account. 

Connect Garmin watch via the website:

Manually data transforming can be done by the Web Garmin Connect in .tcx, .gpx, and .fit format. 

  1. Open Garmin Connect on the web browser and log in to your Garmin account 
  2. From the left sidebar, select “Activities.”
  3. And then “All Activities.”
  4. Here a list of activities will appear, and select the Activities that you want (e.g., Running, Heart rate)
  5. On this activity, page select the “Settings” icon to bring the export options
  6. Then choose the format option to export the data
  7. Download these activities to your device
  8. Open the Strava on Browser 
  • Login to your Strava account
  • Choose the files that you have downloaded from the Garmin Connect