Sideloading On Oculus Quest
“Sideloading refers to the process of loading content onto the device that is not approved or verified by Oculus and does not appear on the Oculus Store. If you install anything on your Quest that is outside the curated store content, you're sideloading.” - UploadVR on How to Sideload Content.
Our content is only available to our partners, so you won't find it on the Oculus Store. That means you have to sideload it.
How to Sideload vrCAVE Content
Just follow these five steps to get your vrCAVE library sideloaded.
1: Create Developer Account
You'll need a developer account to work through these steps. Create one here. Read through the instructions and follow the steps.
2: Install ADB Drivers
Head over here, read and agree to the terms of use, and follow the steps to complete this step. You'll need these on your PC.
3: Oculus Mobile App Developer Mode
Download the Oculus Mobile App — get more information here. Once it's installed, head to Settings. Make sure your Quest is turned on, then find it and tap to access More Settings, then Developer Mode. Slide the toggle to turn on Developer Mode.
4: Connect Oculus Quest to Computer
Connect your Quest and put it on. You should see a prompt. Select "Always allow from this computer" so that you only have to do this one, and then confirm with the "OK".
5: Install vrCAVE
Almost done. Finally, Double Click Install_VRcaveLibrary-armv7-es2.bat to finish. This process will take a few minutes.
Extra Sideloading Tips
Having some trouble? Read through these extra tips and see if they solve your problem.
- Make sure you have a USB-C cable that can transfer data. Some cables are designed to only provide power and there is no easy way to tell just by looking at the cable. You will have to test the cable by plugging in a device that will communicate with the computer. A properly set up Quest (USB debugging and developer mode enabled) will show up on connected devices like a USB drive. The USB-C cables that come with the Quest do support data transfer.
- If you installed the ADB drivers, you will have access to ADB commands in the command prompt window. The most useful command, adb devices, will display any connected Android devices, and will refresh the ADB connection. Using this command can help if a Quest is not responding to sideloading.
- If the install window gets hung up on “waiting for devices…” the best course of action is to close the window, refresh the ADB connection, and try again. If it continues to fail, look into the Quest’s developer mode status.
If you're still having trouble, remember to check the Operation Guide for more information — or of course, reach out to us. We'll be happy to help!