How to troubleshoot Meta Horizon Link on your computer

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Updated:a week ago

Meta Horizon Link connects your Meta Quest headset to a Windows computer with a USB cable, so you can play PC games and use media experiences in your headset. Air Link does the same thing over Wi-Fi. If Link won't connect, performs poorly or the app won't install, the steps below cover the most common causes.

Common Meta Horizon Link problems and what causes them

  • Connection issues: Check your Wi-Fi network settings, ensure that your headset and computer are connected to the same network, and restart your router if necessary.
  • Performance issues: Adjust your graphics performance settings, update your graphics drivers and close any unnecessary programs or background applications.
  • Compatibility errors: Ensure that your USB cable is compatible with your headset and computer. Try using a different USB port or cable if necessary.

First steps to fix Meta Horizon Link

Try these steps on your Meta Quest headset and your Windows computer before moving on to the specific problems below:

  1. Restart your headset and computer.
  2. Update your Meta Quest software and your computer's graphics drivers.
  3. Disable any firewall or antivirus software that may interfere with your Link connection.
  4. Uninstall and reinstall the Meta Horizon Link app on your computer.
  5. Log out of the Meta Horizon Link app and log back in.
  6. Try a wired USB connection instead of Air Link. If you're using a USB cable, make sure that Air Link is turned off, because the headset can only use one connection at a time.

If your Meta Quest still won't connect over Wi-Fi, see How to troubleshoot your Air Link connection over Wi-Fi.

Adjust or reset Link graphics preferences

Graphics preferences control how sharp and how smooth your Meta Horizon Link experience looks. You set them in the Meta Horizon Link app on your computer, and they're a common cause of stuttering or unstable Link performance.

To adjust graphics preferences for your Meta Quest headset:

  1. Open the Meta Horizon Link app on your computer.
  2. Click Devices, then click your active headset. If your headset isn't listed, it isn't connected to the app, so check your USB cable or Air Link connection first.
  3. Scroll to Graphics preferences.
  4. Adjust your Refresh rate and Render resolution, then click Save.
  • Refresh rate: Choose from 72 Hz, 80 Hz, 90 Hz or 120 Hz. This setting determines how often your screen updates with new images each second.
  • Render resolution: Adjusts the resolution at which your app or game is rendered. The maximum render resolution is 5408 x 2736.

Increasing refresh rate and render resolution improves how Link looks but can reduce performance. Even top graphics cards might drop frames at high settings, which makes the experience less smooth.

To reset your graphics preferences to default if Link performance is unstable:

  1. Open the Meta Horizon Link app on your computer.
  2. Click Devices, then click your active headset.
  3. Click Graphics preferences, then click Reset to default.
  4. Click Save.

Note: If you've adjusted settings with the Oculus debug tool, such as encode bit rate, encode resolution width or pixels per display, changing your graphics preferences can still affect performance. Set all numerical values in the Oculus debug tool to 0 and restart the Meta Horizon Link app.

Meta Horizon Link app won't download or install

If you're having trouble downloading or installing the Meta Horizon Link app on your computer, you may not have enough disk space. The app needs at least 9 GB available.

To free up disk space on your computer:

  • Move large files to an external drive.
  • Delete unwanted large files, such as music and videos.
  • Uninstall unused programmes or content.
  • Use Disk Cleanup in Windows to clear space.

Known Meta Horizon Link compatibility issues

Some setups don't work with Meta Horizon Link:

  • Public Test Channel: If your headset is in the Public Test Channel (PTC), Link may not work. Disable PTC access to use Link.
  • Streaming software: For OBS and XSplit, ensure that your CPU is set as the video processing device.
  • USB cable: If you're using a USB 3.0 cable, ensure that it meets the Meta Horizon Link cable requirements.

If your computer recognises a USB 3 cable in a USB 3 port as USB 2, try these steps:

  • Ensure that any USB A to USB C adapters support USB 3.
  • Check the adapter orientation, because some adapters only support USB 3 in one direction.
  • Reseat USB C to USB C cables in different orientations.
  • Ensure that PCI-E card cables are fully inserted.

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