How to Turn On Developer Mode/Debug Mode for the Quest 3

Unlocking your headset’s superpowers

Published in

SideQuestVR

3 min readNov 8, 2023

Developer Mode (also called Debug Mode by Meta) is a neat feature built into every Quest headset that allows you to unlock helpful features that can improve your experience — like using SideQuest!

It’s well worth doing, takes less than 5 minutes, and while it may sound intimidating, enabling Developer Mode on your Quest 3 (or any other Quest headset) is really simple — even if you’re not a developer! And, once you’ve done it, you’ll never need to do it again!

How to turn on Developer Mode

In a nutshell, you need to follow four simple steps to turn on Developer Mode, so we’ve explained each one below:

Step One: Go to dashboard.oculus.com and sign in

Step one is a cinch! Simply click that link or paste it into your web browser to visit the page. Next, it’ll prompt you to sign in or create an account. You can do this with the same information you used to create your Oculus account when you set up your headset (also likely the same as your Facebook account, which makes things even easier).

Step Two: Create a name for your ‘organization’

While this step sounds confusing, all you have to do is choose a unique name — any name you want. You’ll never need to use this name again, so be as creative as you like! Most of ours at SideQuest are utter nonsense.

The reason it asks you for this is so developers can include their studio name that will appear when you publish a game — but if you’re not, it doesn’t matter!

Just make up a name and click ‘I understand’—easy!

Step Three: Verify your account

You’ll then be prompted to verify your account either by providing credit card information or by activating two-factor authentication. We’d recommend this second option as it’s easier. You’ll just need to enter your phone number and punch in the code they send.

Two-factor authentication is the quickest and easiest method to use

Step Four: Enable developer mode in the Oculus mobile app

Once you have your developer account set up, pull out your phone, go to the Meta Quest app, and follow these steps to turn on developer mode:

Tap ‘Menu’
Tap ‘Devices’
Select your headset
Tap ‘Headset Settings’
Tap ‘Developer Mode’
Slide the toggle to ‘On’

Using SideQuest

Once Developer Mode is enabled, you’ll be able to connect your headset to your SideQuest app on your desktop or laptop using a USB connection. Simply open the SideQuest app, plug your headset into your device, and accept the permissions that pop up on-screen inside the headset. Then, you should see the red dot at the top of the window turn green. That means you’re connected!

Now, you’re free to browse SideQuest, download or sideload games, access more advanced headset settings, and much more!

About SideQuest

SideQuest represents the ultimate community in standalone VR. A place where developers and players around the globe can create, share, and get excited about the virtual reality apps they love.

Developers (like us) are free to experiment with mechanics and modes on their journey to official stores, while players can safely explore thousands of apps across the wonderful world of VR — the biggest collection all in one place, actually.

Because who needs limits, right?

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