Why Is My Oculus Quest 2 Downloading So Slow? (Easy FIX)

If you want to know why is my Meta Oculus Quest 2 downloading so slow, you’re not alone. It can be frustrating when your downloads take forever to finish.

Whenever this happens, it’s likely caused by a slow internet connection or an issue with your router’s settings.

To fix slow downloads on your Oculus Quest 2, connect your headset to the 5GHz WiFi band for a faster and more stable connection. Also, consider connecting your headset directly to your router via Ethernet.

Let’s look at speeding up your downloads!

Why Is My Oculus Quest 2 Downloading So Slow – 10 Proven Fixes

The good news is that there are several proven solutions to speed up downloads on your Oculus Quest 2 headset.

These 10 are the most surefire ways, so you don’t have to deal with sluggish speeds that take forever.

1. Check Your Internet Bandwidth Speed

One of the first things you need to look at is the speed of your internet connection. It needs to meet the minimum requirements for VR streaming or downloading.

According to Meta, the recommended speed for VR with the Quest 2 is at least 50Mbps, while the minimum is 15Mbps.

To check your internet speed, here’s how to do it:

1. Put your Oculus Quest 2 headset on.
2. Press the Oculus button on the right Touch controller to open the menu.
3. Select the Settings icon in the top right corner of the menu.
4. Choose the System tab.
5. Select About.
6. Scroll down to Network.
7. Select Test Network Speed.

Note: Wait for your headset to run a speed test and display the results showing you the download speed, upload speed, and ping.

2. Refresh Your Connection by Power Cycling Your Router

If you find out from the test that you’re not getting the minimum speed, consider refreshing the connection by power cycling your router.

Doing this clears up any glitches or errors affecting the download speeds and overall connection performance.

To power cycle your router, follow these steps:

1. Turn off your router and unplug it from the wall outlet.
2. Wait for about 30 seconds to a minute.
3. Plug your router back into the wall outlet.
4. Wait for your router to start up again and connect to the internet.
5. Reconnect your Oculus Quest 2 to your WiFi network and try downloading again.

3. Connect Your Oculus Quest 2 to the 5GHz WiFi Band

If you’re experiencing Oculus Quest 2 slow download speed, consider connecting your headset to the 5GHz WiFi band of your router.

It’s a higher-frequency band that offers faster and more reliable internet than the 2.4GHz, which is common and crowded.

To connect your Oculus Quest 2 to the 5GHz WiFi band, follow these steps:

1. Press the Oculus button on your right controller to open the menu.
2. Select Settings.
3. Go to the WiFi option.
4. Find the WiFi network that has the 5GHz suffix on it.
5. Enter the password if required and select Connect.

Note: After connecting to the 5GHz band, download again to see if it’s faster.

4. Clear Storage Space on Your Headset

Another cause of slow download speeds on your Oculus Quest 2 is that your headset is running out of storage space.

When this happens, it will affect your headset’s performance and ability to process and store data. Here’s how to clear space on your headset:

Check how much storage you have left:

1. Press the Oculus button on your right controller to open the menu.
2. Select Settings, then About.
3. Look at the Storage section and check how much space is available.

If you have less than 10% storage space left, you need to clear some space by deleting apps or files you don’t need.

To do this, follow these steps:

1. Press the Oculus button on your right controller to open the menu.
2. Choose the Library option.
3. Select the Installed tab.
4. Find the app or file you want to delete.
5. Hover over it using your controller.
6. Press the Menu button on your right controller.
7. Select Uninstall and confirm by tapping OK.

Tip: You’ll need to repeat this process for any other apps or files you want to delete.

5. Close Unnecessary Apps and Programs 

If you have too many apps or programs running in the background, it can cause slowdowns with your Oculus Quest 2.

Doing this will also consume your internet bandwidth and CPU resources, affecting your download speeds and performance.

To close unnecessary apps, follow these steps:

1. Press the Oculus button on your right controller to open the menu.
2. Select Library and then go to Recent.
3. Find the app you want to close and hover over it using your controller.
4. Press the Menu button to open the drop-down menu.
5. Select Quit.
6. Confirm by tapping OK.

Note: Repeat this process for all other active apps on your headset to free up resources.

6. Pause and Resume Your Downloads

A solution that will help speed up your downloads is pausing your active download and resuming it.

Doing this will refresh the connection and clear any errors and interruptions. It’s a helpful step if you’re downloading multiple files or apps simultaneously.

Here’s how to do this:

1. Press the Oculus button on your right controller.
2. Select the Notifications option.
3. Go to Downloads.
4. Find the download that you want to pause.
5. Hover over it with your controller and press the A button to pause.
6. Wait a few seconds, and press the A button again to resume.
7. Wait for a few seconds for the connection to stabilize.

If none of these solutions work out, you’re likely dealing with a software issue that needs a more technical approach.

Proceed to the methods below.

7. Disable Automatic Updates

Some settings on your Oculus Quest 2 will use up bandwidth and slow down your active downloads.

One such activity is automatic updates that download and install files and apps onto your headset. It consumes internet bandwidth and slows down your other downloads.

Here’s how to turn off automatic updates on your Oculus Quest 2:

1. Press the Oculus button on your controller.
2. Go to Settings.
3. Select Device.
4. Toggle Off the switch next to the Automatic App Updates option.

8. Reset Your Oculus Quest 2

If none of these solutions work, consider resetting your headset. It will erase all the data and apps and restore it to its original state.

Doing this should help fix any software issues or glitches causing slowdowns with your downloads.

To reset your Oculus Quest 2, follow these steps:

1. Turn off your Quest 2 headset.
2. Press and hold the power and volume down buttons simultaneously.
3. Continue holding the buttons until the boot screen appears.
4. Use the volume buttons to navigate to the Factory Reset option.
5. Press the power button to select it.
6. Use the volume buttons to highlight the Yes option.
7. Press the power button to confirm.

Note: The factory reset process takes a few minutes to complete, so be patient while your headset refreshes.

9. Download During Off-Peak Hours

If you’re downloading during peak hours when other users are likely to use the internet, your connection will slow down.

To avoid this, you want to download games and apps with large file sizes during off-peak hours when fewer people are online.

Here are the advantages of downloading files and games during off-peak hours:

• Enjoy faster download speeds
• Reduce the risk of interruptions to your connections
• Some internet providers offer lower costs during off-peak hours
• More efficient use of bandwidth 

Note: If you’re downloading large files of 100GB or more, it’s recommended that you download them during off-peak hours to limit your likelihood of interrupting other people’s connection.

10. Connect Your Oculus Quest 2 to Your Router via Ethernet

If there’s an ultimate fix to your slow download speeds with your Oculus Quest 2, it’s connecting your headset to your router via an Ethernet cable.

Doing this will give you a wired connection that is faster and more stable than WiFi.

Although it does take some setting up and a few pieces of equipment, it’s rewarding once you have completed the process.

Before you connect your Oculus Quest 2 to your router, there are some things you need to do:

• Get an Ethernet cable
• Get a USB-C to Ethernet adapter
• Get a USB-C OTG cable
• Download the SideQuest app to enable Ethernet support.

To connect your headset via Ethernet, here’s what you need to do:

1. Plug one end of the Ethernet cable into your router.
2. Plug the other end into the USB-C to Ethernet adapter.
3. Plug the USB-C end of the OTG cable to the adapter.
4. Plug the other end to your headset.
5. Turn on your headset and put it on.
6. Connect your headset to your computer via a USB-C cable.
7. Open SideQuest on your computer and make sure your headset is recognized.
8. Click the wrench icon to open the Settings menu.
9. Click on Enable Ethernet Support.
10. Wait for the confirmation message.
11. Disconnect your headset from your computer and download the app again.

If you still have slow download speeds on your Oculus Quest 2, contact Meta Support for technical assistance.

More Oculus Quest 2 Errors:

Q: What should I do if my Oculus Quest 2 is stuck on the boundary screen?
A: Restart the headset, try resetting the guardian, or recalibrate the boundary.

Q: Why is my Oculus Quest 2 controller vibrating constantly?
A: This might be a software glitch. Try resetting the controller or disconnecting and reconnecting it.