Where the message comes from
The message appears on the Import Data page of Garmin Connect on the web, where you can drop an activity file by hand. Garmin Connect imports .fit, .gpx and .tcx files there; when it works, the page says “Import Complete”.
Any other result means the file was refused. People usually land here after a watch did not sync an activity, then tried to import the .fit file from the watch by hand.
The usual causes
The file is damaged. The watch stopped before closing the file (flat battery, freeze, crash while saving) or the copy stopped halfway. The file then announces a size that does not match its content, its checksum is wrong or missing, its last message is cut, or the summary of the activity was never written.
The laps or summaries disagree. Real files refused by Garmin Connect had an empty lap written when the watch restarted, or splits written twice; the same files were accepted once these were removed.
The file is not an activity: a course, a workout or a settings file, or a .gpx or .tcx with errors in it.
If the message says instead that the file “has already been uploaded”, the file is probably fine: Garmin Connect sees an activity with the same start time in your account.
What to do, step by step
Get the original .fit file
From the GARMIN/Activity folder of the watch with its USB cable, or from the original export in Garmin Connect if the activity is there but incomplete.
Check it
Open it in FIT Rescue. The diagnosis lists every problem, with its severity and whether it usually makes Garmin Connect refuse the file.
Repair it
Apply the repairs offered. Each one says what it changes and what is lost, and the before and after table shows the result. Download the repaired file (its name ends in “-repaired.fit”).
Import it again
Drop the repaired file on the Import Data page. If an incomplete copy of the same activity is already in your account, delete it first: otherwise the import can be refused as a duplicate.
Still refused?
Keep the original file and download the text report: it lists what was found and changed. Volunteers on Garmin’s community forum look at damaged files that are shared there.
What FIT Rescue repairs
- A wrong data size, a wrong or missing checksum, a header that does not match the file
- A file cut in the middle of a message, or damaged bytes in the middle of the file
- A missing session or activity summary: rebuilt from the recorded points
- Laps or splits written twice, empty laps, totals that disagree with the session
- Points with impossible or backwards times
What it cannot do
- What was never recorded: the activity ends where the watch stopped
- A file with no readable activity data, such as a file of a few dozen bytes
- A refusal because the activity is already in your account
- A problem on Garmin’s side (service down, browser): try again later or in another browser
Check the refused file
Drop the .fit file: the diagnosis says why it may be refused, and the repairs are on the same page.
Questions
Why does Garmin Connect say my file was not accepted?
Most of the time the file is damaged: the watch stopped before closing it, so its size, checksum or summary is wrong. It can also be a file that is not an activity. The check in FIT Rescue tells you which case applies.
Will Garmin Connect accept the repaired file?
I cannot promise it: Garmin Connect decides. The repaired file follows the FIT protocol, is read back and checked before you download it, and the problems that usually make an import fail are corrected.
Is my activity lost?
Not if the watch recorded it: the points written before the watch stopped are still in the file and can be read, repaired and exported.
Can I import a GPX or TCX instead?
Garmin Connect accepts .gpx and .tcx files too, but they hold less than the .fit file (no device data, fewer summaries). Repair the .fit file first.
Is my file sent to a server to be repaired?
No. FIT Rescue reads and repairs the file in your browser, on your device.
Sources
Related guides
FIT Rescue tools
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