Installing onto a Garmin wearable (Fenix etc)
Many Garmin wearables, such as their Fenix series of watches, are capable of displaying maps. This page explains how to send the Topo4GPS map from Garmin's BaseCamp software to the wearable device, and assumes you have already followed the instructions on installing both BaseCamp and Topo4GPS on to your PC or Mac.
Sending a Map from BaseCamp to your Garmin Wearable
Garmin wearables such as the Fenix series support custom .img maps
but don't always play nicely with BaseCamp's direct install. The easiest approach is to use a USB flash drive
as a staging area, then copy the resulting map file to your watch.
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Insert a USB flash drive into your PC and create a folder on it called Garmin (capital G).
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In BaseCamp, click Maps > Install Maps.
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When prompted for a destination, select your USB flash drive. Click Continue.
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Select the area of NZ you want to send (left-click and drag to select; right-click and drag to deselect). When happy, click Continue then Install.
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Once complete, open the USB drive. Inside the Garmin folder you'll find a file called gmapsupp.img — this is your map.
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Connect your Garmin wearable to your PC via its charging/data cable. It should appear as a removable drive.
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Open the watch's drive and navigate to the Garmin folder (create it if it doesn't exist). Copy gmapsupp.img into this folder. If a gmapsupp.img already exists, back it up first — it will be overwritten.
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Safely eject the watch. Once it restarts, go to Settings > Map > Map Data and enable NZTopo4GPS.
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Note: Wearables have limited storage — you may need to select only the regions you need rather than all of NZ. On some models the map folder may be called Map rather than Garmin — check what already exists on the device.
Tips & Troubleshooting
Freeing up space for Topo4GPS
Garmin wearables come pre-loaded with TopoActive maps that can take up a lot of internal storage. If you don't have room for Topo4GPS, you'll need to reduce or remove the TopoActive maps first.
On Fenix 7 / Epix Gen 2 and newer models that support Map Manager: connect the watch to your PC, open Garmin Express, click Manage Maps, then under the TopoActive tab replace the full map with a smaller regional version or remove it. Alternatively, on the watch itself: Settings > Map > Map Manager > TopoActive Maps — select a map, press START, and choose Remove.
On older models (Fenix 5 Plus, Fenix 6 series) without Map Manager: connect the watch via USB, browse to the Garmin folder, and identify the TopoActive .img files. If you're unsure which file is which, connect the watch in BaseCamp — selecting a map in the device list will show its actual filename. Back up these files to your PC before deleting them so they can be restored later if needed.
Once you have sufficient free space, copy gmapsupp.img (your Topo4GPS map) into the Garmin folder as described in the steps above.
To enable or disable maps on Fenix 5 Plus through Fenix 7: go to Settings > Map > Configure Maps and toggle maps on or off as needed.
Protecting your tracks, routes & courses
BaseCamp's "Send to Device" function can sometimes overwrite existing tracks, routes, or courses on your watch — particularly if you send data multiple times before the watch has finished processing, or if you inadvertently send an entire list rather than individual items.
To avoid issues, we recommend exporting your routes as individual GPX files first, then copying them manually to the watch:
In BaseCamp, right-click the route or track you want to send, select Export, and save it as a .gpx file on your PC. Then connect your watch via USB and copy the .gpx file into the Garmin > NewFiles folder on the watch (create it if it doesn't exist). When you disconnect and the watch restarts, it should import the course automatically. This approach avoids BaseCamp's list-sending behaviour and gives you full control over what goes onto the device.
NB: As a general rule, always back up the contents of your watch's Garmin folder to your PC before making any changes — maps, routes, or otherwise.
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