September 3, 2025

Install Garmin Express

I begin with a google search "download Garmin Express". The first hit is from a bogus site "softoninc", but only when I do the search from a Windows machine (using Chrome). We definitely don't want whatever malware infested thing they would offer us. I use this link instead: This gives me a 128M exe file, which I run. My machine asks permission to install this, I say yes and it announces itself as version 7.26.0.0. The install is incredibly slow, but that is always the windows experience.

I may have installed this before. It knows about a 66i. It shows it as not connected.

I find a micro-USB cable and plug in my new 66i. After a while, windows throws up a file browser screen and Express announces that it has detected a new device.
It offers to add the new device, and I tell it to do so.
It offers to get rid of the old device, but I don't do this.
It will call my new 66i "66i (2)".
Now it wants to sync to my Garmin Connect account.

Garmin calls everything "connect", two apps, their web site, and probably other things I haven't discovered yet.
I dig up my email and password and it connects.
It thinks it would be great to set up a Wifi network -- but why? I have the device connected with a USB cable. I just say next and it seems to skip this.

Now it is ready with 4 updates, one of which is firmware 10.20.0, which is the whole reason I am doing this. It says it may take 2 hours. It is now 5:57 PM. Away we go.

It is busy with all kinds of things, and this process seems to be well under way. It ends up finishing around 7:00 PM, so it only took an hour. Better to be told bad news and then surprised.

My old unit is running 10.20 and no doubt got updated from Garmin Connect on my phone via bluetooth.

Have any comments? Questions? Drop me a line!

Tom's backpacking pages / tom@mmto.org