Export from Garmin Connect on the web
Use Garmin Connect in a desktop browser when you need the original activity file. Open Activities, choose All Activities, and select the pool-swim activity you want to inspect. On the activity detail page, open the gear menu and choose Export Original. Garmin commonly downloads a ZIP archive that contains the activity’s FIT file and may include related export data.
- Sign in to Garmin Connect and open Activities.
- Choose All Activities, then open the specific pool swim.
- Open the gear menu on the activity page.
- Select Export Original and wait for the download to finish.
- Keep the downloaded ZIP unchanged. Make a working copy only if you need to unpack it.
The exact labels or layout can change as Garmin updates Connect, but Export Original is preferable to a screenshot or a summary export because it retains the FIT messages used to describe lengths, laps, timestamps, and strokes. If Garmin gives you a ZIP, SwimLapFix accepts that archive or the single FIT file inside it.
What is inside the ZIP?
A Garmin original export is commonly a ZIP containing one FIT activity, although the names and accompanying files can vary. FIT is a compact binary activity format; it is not a plain text document that can be edited safely in a text editor. The relevant activity may contain session and lap summaries, pool lengths, per-record timing, stroke counts, device metadata, and fields that are specific to Garmin.
Do not discard the archive after extracting it. The ZIP is the clean reference for the activity as Garmin supplied it, and it may be needed if you decide that a proposed repair is not appropriate. If your file manager shows more than one activity, do not guess which file to upload. Confirm the activity date and name, or contact support with the details rather than combining files.
Before uploading
Check that the file belongs to the pool swim you intend to inspect and that you are allowed to share its activity and device metadata. SwimLapFix accepts one FIT file or one original ZIP up to 20 MB.
Review a repair before importing
After analysis, SwimLapFix shows the recorded and proposed totals, the suspicious patterns, and a duration comparison. The detector is deterministic and bounded: it may split one long length when it closely matches two to four typical lengths, or merge neighboring short fragments when their combined time resembles one ordinary length. It preserves aggregate time and strokes for the affected lengths, rebuilds relevant summaries, encodes and validates a new FIT file, and still leaves ambiguous activities unchanged.
Read the proposal against your workout notes. A structurally valid FIT file is not proof that the correction is right. Keep the original ZIP, and if the preview is not consistent with the set, do not import the repaired copy. A report can share the expected distance or active-length count for algorithm review, but reporting is optional and requires explicit consent.
Import the reviewed FIT in Garmin Connect
Garmin Connect supports FIT uploads up to 50 MB. To import a reviewed copy on the web, use the upload or import icon, choose Import Data, select Browse, choose the FIT file, and select Import. Wait for the activity to finish processing before closing the page. If Garmin reports a format or size problem, return to the original archive and confirm that the file is a FIT activity rather than a screenshot, a renamed ZIP, or a partially downloaded file.
- Open Garmin Connect in your browser and choose the upload/import icon.
- Select Import Data.
- Use Browse to select the reviewed FIT file.
- Choose Import and wait for Garmin Connect to finish.
Import limits and interface wording are controlled by Garmin Connect. A file under 50 MB can still be rejected for reasons unrelated to size, such as an unsupported or damaged structure. SwimLapFix validates the output with the public FIT SDK, but Garmin remains the system that decides whether to accept and display the activity.
Handle duplicates without losing your history
Keep the untouched Garmin export before you import anything. If Garmin Connect accepts the repaired copy, open it and verify the date, distance, laps, and other details you care about before deleting or changing the original activity. This lets you compare both records while the source is still available.
If Garmin Connect refuses the repaired file as a duplicate and you choose to replace the original, first review the SwimLapFix preview again and preserve the untouched export outside Connect. Only then delete the original activity from Garmin Connect, immediately import the repaired FIT, and verify the replacement. Deleting an activity can affect linked records, badges, challenges, or downstream services, so keeping both activities is also a reasonable choice when you are uncertain.
Keep these three things
- The untouched Garmin original ZIP.
- The repaired FIT with a name that distinguishes it from the source.
- Your notes about the set, expected distance, and why the correction looked reasonable.
Sources
Garmin controls the Connect export and import interfaces. How Do I Export Data Out of Garmin Connect? supports the export steps, and How to Manually Upload Activities to Garmin Connect supports manual upload. These official references are provided for the current workflow and should be checked again if the labels change.