FitMigrateApple Watch Workout History: See and Keep All Your Workouts
By Josep Mampel Marques, updated
The most complete way to see and keep your Apple Watch workout history is to export your Health data and list every workout from the export.zip. Open the zip in FitMigrate and the Workouts to FIT table shows each workout with its date, type, minutes, kilometres and whether it has a route. You can then download any of them, or all, as FIT files. The export is a snapshot of what your iPhone holds on the day you make it, so it also works as a backup before you delete, reset or switch devices.
Make the list
- On the iPhone: Health, Summary, your picture, Export All Health Data. See how to export all Apple Health data.
- Open the export.zip in FitMigrate. After a few seconds the workouts appear, with columns Date, Type, Min, Km and Route.
- Scroll or look for the type you want. Click FIT beside a workout to download it.
Distance appears when the workout stored a total distance. Pool swims, strength sessions and other types may have none.
What each workout file holds
| Item | In the FIT file |
|---|---|
| Sport and start time | Yes |
| Duration | Yes |
| GPS route with elevation | If the workout has a route |
| Heart rate | The samples that fall inside the workout |
| Distance and calories | From the GPS track or Apple's totals |
| Splits, power, cadence | No |
Where the files live inside the export is described in what is inside the Apple Health export.
If workouts seem to be missing
We cannot diagnose a specific phone, but these are checks worth making:
- Was it written to Health? Only workouts stored in Apple Health are in the export. An app that keeps its own history is not covered.
- Did you delete it? Apple says deletions sync across devices over iCloud. An export made after the deletion will not contain it, and neither will an old one if it was made before the workout existed.
- Is the export recent? The zip only holds what was in Health when you made it. Export again after new workouts.
- Is the export complete? If the export failed or the zip is empty, see export stuck or failed.
Before you delete anything
Apple's guide to managing Health data describes deleting Health data you entered yourself, and notes that with iCloud sync a deletion on one device removes the data from all synced devices. Before you clear old workouts to save space, or before you reset the watch, make an export and keep the zip. Apple lists iCloud sync, an encrypted computer backup and the export as separate things, and only the export can be read outside Apple's apps.
Using the history elsewhere
- Garmin: upload Apple Watch workouts to Garmin Connect.
- Strava: Apple Health to Strava.
- A spreadsheet of your own: the CSV route in Apple Health export to CSV.
Why a copy matters
Workout history is easy to lose without noticing: a new phone restored from the wrong backup, a watch reset, or a clean-up of old data. A zip kept on a computer or storage you trust outlives all of those. Keep the original export.zip as the master copy and treat the FIT and CSV files as convenient outputs made from it. If you ever need them again, you can open the same zip and make them again. Because the export holds health records, store it with care; this guide covers what it contains and how to keep it safe.
Limits
- The table is a list for choosing and downloading, not an analysis. It does not rank or grade workouts.
- Only workouts with a route or heart rate are included in the download-all zip.
- The export is read in your browser; nothing is uploaded.
FAQ
Does deleting a workout on my iPhone delete it everywhere?
Apple says that if your Health data syncs over iCloud, deleting data on one device removes it from all synced devices on the same iCloud account. Make an export first if you want a copy.
Why does a workout in my list have no route?
Apple only saves a route for outdoor workouts recorded with location on. Indoor workouts still appear with time and, if recorded, heart rate.
Is the list complete if I used another app to record workouts?
It lists the Workout entries found in your export.xml, whichever app wrote them to Health. Workouts that an app kept to itself and never wrote to Health are not in the export.