Help · Import workout to watch

Get your TriPaced session onto your watch.

You tapped Download .fit and got a file. Here is how to get it onto your watch — by brand, in two minutes, with the quirk that trips every Garmin user.

The Garmin Connect catch. Garmin Connect (web and mobile app) does not let you import a .fit workout file. It only accepts .fit activity files (a finished workout result). That is a Garmin platform limitation, not a TriPaced one. The fix is the USB workflow below — it works on every Garmin watch released since 2018.

Garmin: the USB / NewFiles workflow

Three steps. Two minutes. No app, no cable lost in a drawer.

  1. Connect your watch to your computer via USB.

    Use the official Garmin charging cable. The watch will show up as a mass storage device in Finder (Mac) or File Explorer (Windows), exactly like a USB stick. If it does not appear, unlock the watch first or try a different USB port.

  2. Open the GARMIN/NewFiles/ folder on the watch drive.

    On Mac: the watch mounts in /Volumes/GARMIN/. On Windows: it shows up as a removable drive (look for GARMIN in This PC). Inside, open the GARMIN folder, then NewFiles.

    Tip: if NewFiles does not exist on a brand new watch, create it. Garmin watches scan this exact folder name on disconnect.

  3. Drag the TriPaced .fit file into NewFiles/ and safely eject the watch.

    On Mac: right-click the GARMIN drive, choose Eject. On Windows: right-click in the system tray, choose Safely Remove Hardware. Then unplug the cable.

    The watch processes the file the moment you disconnect. The session appears under Training > Workouts (or your model's equivalent — Menu > Training > Workouts on most Forerunners, Activity > Workout on Edge cycling computers). Start the activity profile that matches the discipline (Run / Bike / Pool Swim) — the workout will be available to load.

Other watches: import via cloud app

Wahoo (Elemnt Bolt, Roam, Rival)

Open the Wahoo app on your phone. Plans > Add a planned workout > Upload .fit. The workout syncs to your watch on next pair.

Polar (Vantage, Grit X, Pacer)

Polar Flow web (flow.polar.com). Diary > Add > Training target, then upload the .fit. The watch picks it up via Bluetooth sync.

Suunto (9, Vertical, Race)

Suunto app on phone. Training plans > New plan > Import file. Push to watch from the plan view.

Coros (Apex, Vertix, Pace)

Coros app. Workout > Import (.fit). The workout syncs to the watch automatically.

Coming next: one-tap Garmin push

The USB workflow is the universal fallback. We are integrating direct push via the Garmin Workouts API — the moment we are admitted to the Garmin Developer Program, the icon next to each session on TriPaced will push the workout to your watch with one tap, no cable, no folder. The export pipeline (steps, zones, targets) is already wired for it.

Still stuck?

Two common gotchas:

The watch is not detected as a USB drive. Older Garmin watches need to be unlocked before they show up as mass storage. Wake the screen, then re-plug. On Windows, try a USB-A port (some USB-C hubs do not pass data, only charge).

The workout does not appear after disconnect. Check that the file is really inside GARMIN/NewFiles/ and not at the root of the drive. The watch only scans NewFiles. Disconnect, wait five seconds, then look under Training > Workouts.

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Open TriPaced →

Sources. Garmin Developer Portal — FIT SDK Workout File Type specification (workout_file). · Garmin Connect Help Center — Importing a FIT file (note: activity-only). · Garmin Forerunner / Edge user manuals — NewFiles directory behavior on disconnect. · Wahoo Fitness — Import a workout to ELEMNT. · Polar Flow — Training targets. · Suunto App — Import training plan.