Terminal retro digital Garmin watch face

Styled like an old computer terminal: bold monospace digits, seconds that blink like a cursor, all your data in clean lines. A retro digital Garmin watch face in green, amber or paper white.

AI-generated

Device profiles: 47
Display: AMOLED / MicroLED
Free version: Free
Pro one-time: $1.99

Retro, like an old computer terminal

Retro digital Garmin watch face Terminal in amber on an epix Pro in front of an old computer terminal with an amber screen

Terminal is a retro digital Garmin watch face styled like an old computer terminal. The time appears in bold monospace digits, with your data running underneath in clean lines: date and week number, heart rate, temperature, Body Battery and a bar for your steps. The seconds blink like a cursor waiting for the next command.

The three base colors come from the phosphors of old monitors: green, amber and paper white, each on black. Short labels like HR, STEPS and TEMP read just as they would on a real console. If you want a different color, the Custom version gives you 256 to choose from.

Everything in clean lines

What you see on the display and what each element shows.

Data fields

In the Custom version you set twelve zones individually: the number fields at the top, in three columns and at the bottom, three slots for status indicators, the three parts of the date line and the goal bar. The number fields take values like steps, heart rate, temperature, Body Battery, stress or calories. The status slots show things like your alarm, Do Not Disturb or the phone connection. The segmented bar fills toward your goal for steps, floors or intensity minutes; for intensity minutes, your weekly goal is converted into a daily target. Free has a fixed layout with battery, status, date, heart rate, temperature, Body Battery and steps.

Number fields (top, three columns, bottom)

Steps
Heart rate
Temperature
Battery
Body Battery
Stress
Calories
Distance
Floors
Messages

Status fields (three slots)

Alarm
Do Not Disturb
Phone
Charging
Move bar
Goal reached
Notifications

Date line (three parts)

Weekday
Date
Week number
Year
Day of year

Goal bar

Steps
Floors
Intensity minutes

Green, amber, paper white or 256 colors

Four Garmin watches with the retro Terminal watch face in green, amber, paper white and cyan on a studio rack

Free comes with the three classic terminal colors: green, amber and paper white. The Custom version adds a 256-color palette: pick a row, then a color, and see the result right away as a preview on the watch. The photo above shows four watches in green, amber, paper white and cyan, a color from the Custom palette.

A retro Garmin watch face for day and night

Garmin MARQ with the retro Garmin watch face Terminal in green on a black steel block

Garmin Forerunner 570 with the Terminal watch face in paper white next to a keyboard and a coffee mug

Garmin Instinct 3 AMOLED with the retro digital Terminal watch face in amber in a workshop drawer

Garmin Venu 4 with the Terminal Garmin watch face in ice blue on the wrist on a night train

Garmin fēnix 8 with the retro Terminal watch face in neon pink on the wrist on a bridge at night

Garmin Descent Mk3 with the Terminal Garmin watch face in signal red under the red light of a darkroom

Terminal works at the desk, in the workshop and on long nights. These photos show the retro Garmin watch face on six Garmin watches: MARQ, Forerunner 570, Instinct 3 AMOLED, Venu 4, fēnix 8 and Descent Mk3. Three use the base colors green, paper white and amber, three use colors from the Custom palette: ice blue, neon pink and signal red.

Dimmed in always-on mode

Always-on shows the large time and date line at half brightness. Both shift 16 pixels to a different corner every minute.

AI-generated

Set it up right on the watch

On the watch face, hold the middle left button (UP/MENU), choose “Watch Face” and then “Customize”. Every change shows up instantly in the preview. On Venu, vívoactive and other two-button watches, hold the lower right button instead.

01
Color
Green, amber, paper white or a free color.
- Free colorPro
  A 256-color palette (16 × 16): pick a row, then a color.
02
FieldsPro
Set twelve zones individually: numbers, status, date and goal bar.
03
Save
Saves your settings after a confirmation.
04
Defaults
Back to the default settings.

Terminal Garmin Watch Face – Settings on the watch

Start free, make it yours with Custom

Start free, make it yours with Custom
Feature	FreeNo time limit	Pro$1.99 one-time
Design
Monospace digits, seconds blink like a cursor	Included	Included
Reduced always-on view	Included	Included
No ads	Included	Included
Colors
Green, amber or paper white	Included	Included
Any color from a 256-color palette	Not included	Included
Data
Customize the zones	Not included	All 12
Heart rate, temperature, Body Battery, battery, steps, notifications	Included	Included
Stress, calories, distance, floors	Not included	Included
Status icons	Alarm, Do Not Disturb, phone	7 to choose from
Date line	Weekday, date, week number	Plus year and day of year
Goal bar	Steps	Steps, floors or intensity minutes
Settings
12/24 hours and units follow your watch	Included	Included
Menu in six languages	Included	Included

Connect IQ StoreFree version Connect IQ StorePro version · $1.99

Does it fit your Garmin?

The watch face runs on these Garmin watches:

fēnix 8 AMOLED 43 mm
fēnix 8 AMOLED 47 mm
fēnix 8 AMOLED 51 mm
fēnix 8 Pro 47 mm
fēnix 8 Pro 51 mm
fēnix 8 Pro MicroLED
fēnix 9 43 mm
fēnix 9 47 mm
fēnix 9 51 mm
fēnix 9 Pro 43 mm
fēnix 9 Pro 47 mm
fēnix 9 Pro 51 mm
fēnix E
epix (Gen 2)
epix Pro (Gen 2) 42 mm
epix Pro (Gen 2) 47 mm
epix Pro (Gen 2) 51 mm
Forerunner 70
Forerunner 165
Forerunner 165 Music
Forerunner 170
Forerunner 170 Music
Forerunner 265
Forerunner 265S
Forerunner 570 42 mm
Forerunner 570 47 mm
Forerunner 965
Forerunner 970
Venu 2
Venu 2 Plus
Venu 2S
Venu 3
Venu 3S
Venu 4 41 mm
Venu 4 45 mm
vívoactive 5
vívoactive 6
Instinct 3 AMOLED 45 mm
Instinct 3 AMOLED 50 mm
quatix 8 47 mm
quatix 8 51 mm
quatix 8 Pro 47 mm
quatix 8 Pro 51 mm
quatix 7 Sapphire
quatix 7 Pro
tactix 8 47 mm
tactix 8 51 mm
tactix 7 AMOLED Edition
D2 Mach 1 Pro
D2 Air X15
D2 Mach 1
D2 Mach 2
D2 Mach 2 Pro
D2 Air X10 · Free only
MARQ (Gen 2)
MARQ Aviator (Gen 2)
Descent G2
Descent Mk3 43 mm
Descent Mk3i 43 mm
Descent Mk3i 51 mm
Approach S50
Approach S70 42 mm
Approach S70 47 mm

How to get Terminal on your watch

1
Open the app
Open the Connect IQ Store app on your phone. If you don’t have it yet, get it free from the App Store or Google Play and sign in with your Garmin account.
2
Find the watch face
Tap the search bar at the very top and type Terminal. Open “Retro Digital Free – Terminal” (free) or “Retro Digital Custom – Terminal” ($1.99 one-time).
3
Install
Free: tap the big blue “Install” button. Pro: buy it first and pay with your Garmin account, then tap “Install”. Your watch gets the watch face the next time it syncs with Garmin Connect.
4
Select it on your watch
On your Garmin watch, hold the middle left button (UP/MENU) while the watch face is showing. Select “Watch Face”. Scroll to Terminal: with the left up and down buttons or by swiping the screen. Confirm with the top right button (START) or a tap. On Venu, vívoactive and other two-button watches, hold the lower right button, select “Watch Face”, swipe to Terminal and tap it.

FAQ

Which Garmin watches does this watch face support?

Terminal runs on more than 60 Garmin watches with a round AMOLED or MicroLED display, from these series: fēnix, epix, Forerunner, Venu, vívoactive, Instinct (3 AMOLED), quatix, tactix, D2, MARQ (Gen 2), Descent and Approach. You will find every model under “Does it fit your Garmin?” above, with a filter by series. Watches with a MIP display are not supported.

What is the difference between Free and Custom?

Terminal Free costs nothing and has no time limit and no ads: three colors (green, amber, paper white), a fixed layout with battery, status, date, heart rate, temperature, Body Battery and steps, blinking seconds and a reduced always-on view. The Custom version, “Retro Digital Custom – Terminal”, adds a 256-color palette and twelve customizable zones.

How do I install the watch face?

Open the Connect IQ Store app on your phone, tap the search bar at the very top and type Terminal. Open “Retro Digital Free – Terminal” and tap “Install”; for “Retro Digital Custom – Terminal” you buy first, then install. After your watch syncs with Garmin Connect, hold the middle left button (UP/MENU), select “Watch Face” and pick Terminal. The detailed steps are further up this page.

Can I change colors and data fields on the watch?

Yes. On the watch face, hold the middle left button (UP/MENU), select “Watch Face” and then “Customize”. Even in Free, you can choose the color right on the watch. In the Custom version you can also set all twelve zones there and store your settings with “Save”. No phone needed.

Is the Custom version a subscription?

No. “Retro Digital Custom – Terminal” is a one-time purchase of $1.99, with no subscription and no ads, and installs as a separate watch face. Buying it does not change an existing Free installation.