Garmin and Strava

Automatically Sync with Garmin Connect

• From the Strava mobile App:
  1. Open the Strava app and tap on the Settings icon in the upper right-hand corner of the You tab.
  2. Select Connect an App or Device, then select Garmin and tap Connect Garmin to start.
  3. Use Garmin’s sign-in screen to log into your Garmin Connect account.
  4. Accept the permissions prompts to connect your Garmin Connect account to Strava.
• From the Strava website:
  1. Log in to your Strava account on the Strava website, then navigate to your My Profile settings. You can access your Settings by clicking your profile in the upper-right corner.
  2. Use the Connect with Garmin option in the Social Connections section of the page to begin the connection process.
  3. Follow the prompts and log in to your Garmin Connect account.
  4. Accept the permissions prompts to connect your Garmin Connect account to Strava.

How to stop automatic syncing with Garmin Connect:

Disable the "Activities" permission under Strava in Garmin Connect.

How to manually upload an activity file to Strava:

Upload activities directly to Strava from your hard-drive mountable Garmin devices. Browse to the Activities folder on your connected device and select the files you'd like to add. Note that this option is not available for devices that use the ANT+ agent. Alternatively, you can export files from Garmin Connect. Visit strava.com/upload/select and click Choose File. 

What do I do if Garmin data is not Syncing to Strava?

We experience occasional delays when syncing from Garmin's side, especially during peak upload times. You can check whether Garmin Sync is working by checking out their status page and referring to the "Strava" status (6th from the bottom). The Strava status page also displays uploads from Garmin Connect.

If you've recently connected your Garmin account to Strava:

• Check that the "Activities" permission is enabled in your Account Settings in Garmin Connect.

If one activity is missing:

• You can export the original file from Garmin Connect and upload it to Strava on our upload page. You can either download the original file directly from your Garmin device (under the Activities folder) or you can download the original file from Garmin Connect using the website. The best option would be to export the Original. Keep in mind that if this is a large activity it may be exported in a .zip format. You will need to open the .zip file to uncompress the file to produce the .fit file.

If multiple activities are missing:

• Confirm that you don't have multiple Strava accounts connected to your Garmin Connect account. Garmin will not sync to all connected accounts. Garmin activities will only sync to the most recently created Strava account (the account with the highest athlete ID).
• To refresh the connection between Garmin Connect and Strava, disconnect Garmin Sync from your Strava settings, then reconnect. To disconnect, visit Settings in the mobile app or website, and select "disconnect". To reconnect, follow the authorization flow after selecting connect. Remember, Garmin sync is not triggered until the first new activity is uploaded to Garmin after your accounts are reconnected.

Vivofit and Vivosmart Activity Trackers

Be aware that the Vivofit and Vivosmart wristbands do not have built-in GPS sensors for location tracking. If an ANT+ heart rate monitor is connected to your Vivofit or Vivosmart activity, you can sync the data with your Garmin Connect account, and if enabled sync this data with your Strava account. Keep in mind that the resulting activity on Strava will only show HR data, and will not have a map or record distance.