

If you install anything on your Quest that is outside the curated store content, you’re sideloading. In relation to 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. Proceed with caution, but it’s not always as scary as it sounds. For example, downloading a unverified program from a site on the Internet and installing it on Windows is technically sideloading. It can sound scary, and while you should take care when sideloading, the term also applies to everyday tech situations.

‘Sideloading’ is a term applied to content loaded onto modern computers from sources not explicitly approved by content reviewers. With the curation policy, however, also sprung one clear, immediate question: will there be a way to run other content on the Quest that’s not curated by Meta on the Oculus Store? Nonetheless, it has seen some strong results for certain developers. This policy operates in a similar manner to traditional consoles like an Xbox or PlayStation, but it was a relatively new idea for VR. As a result, Meta ( formerly known as Facebook) decided to implement a curation policy for content that appears on the Quest through the Oculus Store. Both headsets are standalone, so there’s no need for an external tethered console or PC – everything is managed on the device itself. The Oculus Quest launched in May 2019, followed by the Meta Quest 2 ( formerly known as Oculus Quest 2) in October 2020. All the instructions below will work for both the original Oculus Quest and Meta Quest 2. This article was originally published in November 2019 but has been updated and re-published several times, most recently in May 2022.

Looking for a way to install content onto your Quest 2 that’s not available on the Oculus Store and isn’t approved by Facebook? Here’s our guide to sideloading content on Oculus Quest and Meta Quest 2 using SideQuest.
