Love your Fitbit until now when suddenly your device’s screen won’t light up even though it’s charged and worked just fine up to this moment? If your Fitbit isn’t firing up, no matter what button you push or how long you charge it, we’ve got you covered with our top tips.
Many users discover that although their Fitbits appear unresponsive with dark screens that won’t display anything, the Fitbit device is actually still collecting data and syncing it with their Fitbit app and account!
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Related reading
- Fitbit stuck on looking, searching, or device not found? Here is how to fix it
- How to contact Fitbit customer support about problems and warranty info
- How do I get my Fitbit repaired or replaced under warranty?
- Need to restart or reset your Fitbit device? Learn the steps
- How to connect and sync your Fitbit to a Mac using Fitbit Connect
First, charge it up to 100%
If your Fitbit isn’t fully charged, first place it on its charger and wait for it to reach its full capacity. It’s better to charge your Fitbit via a wall outlet then your computer’s USB ports–that’s due to some limitations on your computer port’s power. 
Once you fully charge your Fitbit, try seeing if the screen now shows up and is responsive.
If your Fitbit isn’t charging, check out this article: Fitbit Versa not charging? What to do if your Fitbit won’t charge
Remove any case or screen protector
It’s best to remove any case or screen protector, to ensure it’s not blocking the ambient light sensor.
Your Fitbit’s ambient light sensor looks like a black dot on the side of your Fitbit device. If that’s blocked, your screen usually dims automatically.
Check your display’s settings
Oftentimes, we just need to adjust our Fitbit’s screen brightness. We suggest you go to a dark room or wait for nighttime and then take a look at your Fitbit.
If you can make out something on the screen, it’s likely your Fitbit is dimmed.
- Open the Settings app on your device
- Tap Screen Brightness and change to Max (if available) or Normal from the options or choose off for the Dim Screen option
- Also, check that Sleep Mode is not turned on–this mode automatically dims the screen
Sleep mode doesn’t automatically turn off unless you set a sleep mode schedule, so if you want to use this function make sure you tap Sleep Interval and set your sleep mode schedule
Try restarting
If you see a black or blank screen on your Fitbit, the first thing to try is a restart or a forced restart (also called a long restart.) Restarting your Fitbit forces it to reboot–and often fixes problems like a black, blank, or non-responsive device.
How you restart or force restart depends on your model, so it’s best to check your Fitbit’s user manual.
Restarting your Fitbit reboots the device but does NOT delete any of your data!
In general, restart smartwatches like the Fitbit Sense, Versa Series, Ionic, and Blaze 
- To restart your watch, press and hold the button (or the back and bottom buttons) for 10 seconds until you see the Fitbit logo on the screen. Then release the button
- You may need to try this process a few times
- If your device does not restart when following these instructions, remove any case or screen protector and then try again
In general, restart Fitbit trackers like the Charge Series, Alta, or Inspire
- Attach your tracker to its charger, then press and hold the button on your tracker for 5-10 seconds until you see a smiley face on-screen, then release. When you see that smiley face and the Fitbit vibrates, the tracker restarted
- If this doesn’t work the first time, try this restart procedure a few times
- If your device does not restart when following these instructions, remove any case or screen protector and then try again
For Fitbit Charge 2 or 3, try the following:
- Plug the device into its charger and hold the button down for 15 seconds, then release
- Remove the device from the charging cable and pause for 5 seconds. Then, plug your Fitbit Charge back into its charger
- Wait for the smiley face icon to appear on the screen
Learn how to restart your exact Fitbit by the model in this article: Need to restart or reset your Fitbit device? Learn the steps
Change your Fitbit’s clock face to a standard face
If the Fitbit app appears to connect and communicate with your Fitbit, the fix might be as simple as changing your clock face to one of Fitbit’s standard clockfaces.
- Place your Fitbit in the immediate vicinity of the mobile device or computer with the Fitbit app (or Fitbit Connect)
- Tap the Today tab > your profile picture or icon and select your device
- Tap Clock Faces
- Choose All Clocks from the top tabs
- Choose one of the standard Fitbit clock faces
- Tap Select to install it
- Choose Sync Now and see if your Fitbit screen activates and is responsive
Perform a reset
Still stuck with a blank screen after a restart? Try a reset, if possible. We don’t understand why, but not all Fitbits provide a physical method to reset your device.
And note that when you reset your Fitbit you do lose any data that wasn’t previously synced with the Fitbit app or Fitbit Connect.
Fitbit Versa
- Hold all the Fitbit buttons for 10-15 seconds to initiate a hardware reboot
- Wait for the Fitbit logo to appear and then disappear. Only then, release the bottom right button but continue holding the left and top right buttons until you feel a strong vibration
- Wait for the Fitbit logo to again appear and for your Fitbit to display Fitbit.com/setup
Fitbit Ionic
- Remove the Ionic from your account
- Delete the Bluetooth pairing
- Press and hold all buttons on the device until the Fitbit logo appears
- Wait until the Fitbit logo disappears, then release the bottom right button
- Wait until you feel a vibration, then release the other buttons
- Wait for the Fitbit logo to again appear and for your Fitbit to display Fitbit.com/setup
Learn more about resetting your Fitbit and the differences of restarting versus resetting our article Need to restart or reset your Fitbit device? Learn the steps.
Seeing error code 001 on your Fitbit’s screen?
If your Fitbit shows error code 001, try a normal restart first if you can.
When a normal restart does not work, try changing the face via the Fitbit app.
If it’s still not working, let’s perform a long restart, if available for your device.
Since this error usually occurs on Fitbit Charge models, here’s the direction on how to long restart the Charge. Please follow these instructions step-by-step.
How to perform a long restart on a Fitbit Charge
- Plug the charging cable into your Fitbit and connect to power for charging
- Once you plug it in, press and hold the side button down for 15 seconds. We recommend you use a timer, like on your phone to ensure a full 15 seconds pass
- After 15 seconds elapse, remove your finger from the button and remove the Fitbit from its charger. You should see a black screen and not the smiley face icon
- If you see the sad smiley face or error code 001 again, repeat steps 1-3
- Wait a few seconds and then plug the charging cable again into the Fitbit
- Wait for the happy smiley face icon to appear on the screen
Is your Fitbit under warranty? 
If you’ve tried restarting, resetting, or changing the clock face via the Fitbit app but you are still unable to get your Fitbit to display anything on its screen, consider reaching out to Fitbit Support.
If you are still within your device’s warranty period (usually one year (for Americas) or two years (Europe) from purchase or receipt as a gift,) contacting Fitbit’s customer support for warranty assistance is your best option.
Once Fitbit support confirms your warranty coverage, they usually offer options to repair or replace your current malfunctioning unit.
Not covered by Fitbit’s warranty?
If your device is outside of the standard warranty period, you may still have some extended benefits if you purchased your Fitbit using a credit card that offers additional warranty coverage.
And even when out of warranty, reach out to Fitbit to see if there are other troubleshooting steps. And if nothing works, Fitbit will likely offer a discount on a new purchase when the Fitbit is out of warranty.
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