To switch your Apple Watch to your other wrist, open Settings on the watch, tap General › Orientation, and choose Left or Right. On the same screen you can choose which side the Digital Crown is on. Apple says this makes raising your wrist wake the watch and makes the Digital Crown scroll the way you expect.
These steps follow Apple’s Change the language and orientation on Apple Watch guide for current versions of watchOS. Below you will find how to change it on the watch or from your iPhone, the four ways you can wear the watch, and what to check if raise to wake stops working.
How to change the wrist setting on Apple Watch
- Press the Digital Crown and open the Settings app.
- Tap General.
- Tap Orientation.
- Under Wrist, choose Left or Right.
- Under Digital Crown, choose the side you want it on.
Result: the screen flips if needed so it reads right-side up, and the watch now expects to be raised on the wrist you picked.
How to change it from your iPhone
- Open the Apple Watch app on your iPhone.
- Tap My Watch, then tap General.
- Tap Watch Orientation.
- Pick your wrist and the Digital Crown side.
Result: the change syncs to your watch. This is handy if the watch is on the charger or the screen is hard to reach.
The four ways to wear Apple Watch
Because you can set the wrist and the Digital Crown side separately, there are four combinations:
- Left wrist, Digital Crown on the right: the default. The crown sits next to your hand.
- Left wrist, Digital Crown on the left: the crown sits away from your hand, which some people find keeps it from being pressed by accident.
- Right wrist, Digital Crown on the left: the standard right-wrist setup, with the crown next to your hand.
- Right wrist, Digital Crown on the right: the crown sits away from your hand.
Many people find it easiest to use the crown with the index finger of their other hand, which is why the defaults put it next to the wrist.
Don’t forget the band
After switching wrists, take the band off and put it back on so the clasp and holes sit the way you expect on the new wrist. This depends on the band you use.
Why the wrist setting matters
- Raise to wake: Apple says the setting lets raising your wrist wake the watch. With the wrong wrist chosen, the screen may not turn on when you look at it.
- Digital Crown direction: turning the crown moves things the way you expect only when the orientation matches how you wear it.
- Health features: ECG readings may not be accurate if the wrist setting is wrong.
Troubleshooting
- The watch doesn’t wake when you raise your wrist: confirm the wrist setting, then check that Wake on Wrist Raise is on in Settings › Display & Brightness.
- The screen is upside down: the Digital Crown side doesn’t match how you’re wearing it. Change the Digital Crown setting.
- You can’t find Watch Orientation on iPhone: make sure you’re in the My Watch tab of the Apple Watch app, then tap General.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to set up my watch again to switch wrists?
No. Just change the orientation in Settings or the Apple Watch app. Your data and settings stay the same.
Can I wear Apple Watch upside down with the crown on the left?
Yes. Choose your wrist, then set the Digital Crown to the left. The display flips so it reads correctly.
Related: How to make the Apple Watch screen brighter, How to manage your Apple Watch passcode, and How to make Apple Watch vibrations stronger.
Matthew Burleigh is the founder, head writer, and editor of Solve Your Tech, which he launched in 2012. He has written technology tutorials since 2008 and worked in IT since 2003, including small-business support, IT management, and consulting. He holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Computer Science from Arizona State University.
Matthew writes practical guides for Windows, iPhone and iPad, Microsoft Office, Outlook, Google apps, and Android. Solve Your Tech’s guides are tested on current devices or checked against official product documentation, with clear steps, sources, and update dates.
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