How To Enable Unknown Sources On Oculus Quest

Depending on what content you are trying to install, yous may discover that y'all encounter Oculus Quest unknown sources. This is particularly true if you are trying to obtain content that isn't in the Oculus/Meta store.

If information technology isn't in the store, that means the content hasn't been reviewed, so Oculus/Meta can't verify information technology for security, content, comfort or safety. But you probably already knew that was going to be the case.

What you may be less sure of, is how to allow content from an unknown source. Yous may already know what yous desire to install, just how do yous actually do it? Nosotros'll explain it all, below.

And as an added bonus, we'll also explain what might be going on if yous've found your unknown sources tab has just disappeared. Let'due south go into it!

How To Allow Content From Unknown Sources

Bold the developers have created content that is compatible with your Quest headset, you lot will be able to run information technology. But first, you will demand to let content from unknown sources. The process is relatively simple:

Open up the Oculus app on your PC.
Select Settings in the left menu.
Select the General tab.
Next to Unknown Sources, adjust the toggle and and then confirm to allow content from unknown sources.

At this phase, you can download and run any compatible software, even if it hasn't come from the Quest shop. You lot'll so probably want to apply something like SideQuest to help install it. Merely as we stated above, if y'all are sideloading content, it means it hasn't been approved past Meta. So even if it looks fine, information technology still has the potential to be malicious.

Meta themselves state that content that doesn't announced in the Oculus Store hasn't been reviewed past Oculus for i of the following reasons:

Security
Comfort
Content
Health and Safety

Only what if yous already had unknown sources, and you've discovered that the unknown sources section has just disappeared? We have an respond for that besides.

Read More than: Fortnite VR: Is Fortnite Available in VR on the Oculus Quest?

Oculus Quest Unknown Sources Missing

Did your Oculus Quest Unknown Sources bill of fare just disappear?

Well, this all relates to a alter in the Quest developer policy, which actually came into consequence manner back through the mists of fourth dimension, in September 2020. Essentially, anyone who wanted to access programmer content was required to provide authentication.

Programmer Mode is used by developers for creating games and testing content. For everyone else, it'south where you go to discover games or other content that has come from an "unknown source".

Whether you lot're a developer, or a fan of sideloading games, in club to bring back your disappeared unknown sources folder, you demand to cosign your programmer account. To do this:

Go to https://developer.oculus.com/manage/verify
When prompted, log in with your Oculus Programmer account. You volition have created this when yous showtime started sideloading content onto your Quest headset.
Verify your account using ane of the two following options:
- Ostend your mobile number via SMS ii-gene verification
- Add a payment method to your account

Of course, you don't take to do this. Unless you want to be able to admission developer mode. And at the fourth dimension of writing, that remains the just way to access sideloaded content.