Talkytoaster maps are a great and affordable alternative to the original Garmin topo maps. However, if you are on Mac, installing them on your Garmin Fenix watch can be a bit tricky. Luckily, I’ve got you covered – with this simple guide, you should be able to get Talkytoaster maps up and running on your Garmin Fenix (5+/6/7 models) watch in no time.

For those of you who prefer a short three-minute video guide, here you go. 

Installing Talkytoaster Maps on Garmin Fenix (5+/6/7 models) Watch on Mac

Assuming you already have the Talkytoaster maps downloaded and unzipped on your Mac, here’s what you need to do:

On Your Mac Computer

1. Download and install MTP clients such as Android File Transfer. This app will allow you to access files on your watch. For more info, check out my other article.

2. Now, connect your Garmin Fenix to your Mac using the charging USB cable it came with. On the newer Mac computers with USB-C ports only, you will need a USB-C to USB-A adapter (see picture).

3. On your watch, confirm “Use MTP (media transfer)” if prompted. Otherwise, wait approximately 30 seconds for the watch to initialize the Android File Transfer app.

Important: If you open the Android File Transfer app immediately after connecting the watch, you may encounter a “No Android device found” message. Give it about 30 seconds to load up, and it should work fine afterward.

4. Launch the Android File Transfer app (if it didn’t open automatically) and then open the GARMIN folder.

5. Now, locate the Talkytoaster *.img map file on your computer and drag and drop it into the GARMIN folder. Done!

Now, you can disconnect your watch and start using the Talkytoaster maps on your Garmin Fenix watch. If the map is not still not appearing on your watch, you may want to check the following.

On Your Garmin Fenix Watch

6. Press the START/STOP button and select the Activity profile where you want to use the Talkytoaster maps. For this example, I’ll use the Run activity.

7. Press and hold the UP/MENU button -> Run Settings -> Map -> Configure Maps -> Scroll down to the map you want to use and make sure it’s toggled on. If you have any other maps for the same region/country, switch those off.

8. Done! Now you will see the Talkytoaster maps in the map view for the selected Activity profile.