VRHow / All sections / How-to / Update Quest software

How to update Quest software

Short answer: Put on the headset, open the Navigator with the Meta (or Oculus) button, then choose Quick controls → Settings → General → Software update. The page shows the installed version and offers a download button when Meta has made a newer release available to your headset. For automatic updating, keep the headset charged, on Wi‑Fi, and powered on. Menu wording can vary by software version. Steps and sources checked October 11, 2026.

What this update changes

This guide is for the headset’s system software (Meta Quest / Horizon OS), not an individual game or app. Updating the system is the right path when Meta has released a headset update or when a system-software issue is suspected. It does not replace updating an app from the Library or Store, and it does not require a factory reset.

Before you update

Informational: Meta says a Quest updates automatically when it is connected to Wi‑Fi and turned on. Its automatic-update guidance also says to charge the headset and leave it on a flat surface without moving it or blocking the inside sensor for an extended period. A sleeping or powered-off headset does not update automatically under the ordinary process. Meta's update instructions are the authority if your menus differ.

Save your place in any app and avoid starting an update immediately before use. Keep the headset connected to Wi‑Fi and leave it undisturbed while the installation runs; follow any on-screen restart prompt. If you only need to update one app, use that app’s Library/Store update control instead of this system-software procedure.

Check and install an update in the headset

  1. Wake the headset and put it on in a clear, safe area.
  2. Press the Meta button—or the Oculus button on older controller software—on the right controller to open the Navigator.
  3. Select Quick controls, then Settings.
  4. Open General, then Software update. This screen shows your current software version.
  5. If a newer version is available, select the offered download/update control and follow the on-screen prompts. Keep Wi‑Fi connected and leave the headset undisturbed until it finishes and restarts if prompted.

Expected result: The Software update page should show the installed version; when Meta has made an update available to your device, it shows a download button. If another person has a newer version but yours has no button, that alone does not prove the headset is malfunctioning: Meta’s release notes document staged availability for releases. Check the page again later rather than installing firmware from an unofficial source.

Enable automatic updating

In the same Settings → General → Software update screen, use the toggle beside Automatically power headset to update when that control is available. Meta says this can briefly power on the headset to apply an available update and power it off afterward. Meta also says the headset’s cameras and microphone may receive power during this process but cannot collect or record data. The toggle cannot be used while a lock PIN is set, and labels can change with software versions.

Meta’s release notes say automatic updates are on by default for the documented software-update controls, recommend keeping them on for features and security updates, and say an update can be delayed for up to 30 days. That is version-sensitive guidance, not a promise that every release reaches every headset on the same day; use the options actually shown on your device.

If the update does not appear or fails

Diagnosis first: if no update button appears, confirm Wi‑Fi is working, charge the headset, restart it normally, and return to Software update. These checks do not erase content. If another user’s version is newer, wait for staged availability before treating that as a fault.

If the headset cannot update from its settings: use Meta's official Quest Software Update tool rather than downloading firmware from an unofficial site. Meta’s tool page currently lists Quest 2, Quest 3S, Quest 3, and Quest Pro, and requires a computer with 2 GB of available storage plus a USB‑C cable. Select the exact device model on Meta’s page and follow its prompts.

Escalate instead of resetting: do not factory-reset solely because an update is unavailable; a reset is a separate recovery procedure that removes headset data. Meta says its software update tool is intended to help with software-related issues and does not affect saved device data, app progress, or settings. If that official tool fails, stop before trying unofficial firmware or hardware disassembly and use Meta Support.

Sources