Your Meta Quest 3 Keeps Turning Off? (Fix in Minutes!)

meta quest 3 keeps turning off

Meta Quest 3 keeps turning off, and you’re worried? Relax as this may not be a lethal issue!

In many cases, the Meta Quest 3 simply powers off after a bad charging session, extreme battery temperatures, or software bugs.

So, for now, we’ll exclude possibilities such as defective battery or hardware-related problems and help you carry out a complete troubleshooting.

Important: Battery Acclimatizing!

battery acclimatizing

You’re just unboxing your Meta Quest 3, powering on the device, and whoops! The VR headset powers off. You try again, and the headset turns off again…

What do you do? Why does this happen?

Verify that the device is at room temperature and allow the unit’s hardware to adjust.

If that’s not working, continue reading…

Meta Quest 3 Keeps Turning Off – 6 Quick Ways to Fix!

Note: Some applications may cause your Quest 3 to turn off due to incompatibility, so ensure that unexpected shutdowns appear on one or more apps.

1. Hard Reboot the Meta Quest 3

hard reboot the meta quest 3

When the Meta Quest 3 is shutting down unexpectedly, regardless of whether there is a pattern, or not, the first step should be a hard reboot.

This type of reset will not erase anything from your headset but will restart the operating system and is only possible through the “Recover Menu”.

So, please wait for your Meta Quest 3 to turn off, or shut it down manually. 

Then, follow these steps:

  • Locate the Power and Volume Down (-) buttons.
  • Press and hold both buttons simultaneously.
  • Release when you see the Boot Screen (recovery).
  • Use the Volume buttons to navigate in the menu.
  • Using the Power button select the “Boot Device”.
  • Confirm by selecting “Yes” using the Power button.

Your Meta Quest 3 will now load the operating system and should no longer turn off by itself.

If, however, the problem continues to occur, we’ve got more methods…

2. Eject Any USB-C Accessories

eject any usb-c accessories

Unfortunately, many USB accessories can cause your Meta Quest 3 to power off, whether it’s because of incompatibility or other potential problems.

So, to continue the troubleshooting we recommend unplugging any sorts of accessories in the USB-C port of your Meta Quest 3.

In addition, if your Meta Quest 3 is connected to a PC or other machine via a USB-C cable, we recommend temporarily unplugging it to test the problem.

3. Charge the Meta Quest to 80%

Well, if your Meta Quest 3 headset is quite old and worn out, it’s possible that the battery is not in good condition anymore. 

Whenever a battery is worn out, it will not hold as much charge as when it was new.

In severe cases, the Meta Quest 3 may start powering off once the battery goes below 20%.

charge the meta quest to 80%

This is normal–batteries are consumable components and if you have been actively using your VR headset for a long time, the device might start turning off at lower battery percentages.

So, to justify whether your Meta Quest 3 battery is defective (degraded), charge the device up to at least 80%, and then check whether the device will unexpectedly turn off.

If not, this may be an indication that it’s time to replace the battery, take your unit for servicing, or claim your warranty.

If your Meta Quest 3 also powers off when fully charged, continue reading…

4. Disable the Guardian Feature

According to some users, the Guardian feature (boundary), can cause conflicts with many apps and games, some of which can cause the headset to power off.

However, disabling the feature is a bit more complex than you may expect, as it requires access to the Quest developer menu.

disable the guardian feature

To unlock Developer Mode on your Meta Quest 3, you’ll need to open a developer account

You should sign in using the same credentials as for your Quest 3 account (Facebook), and give a name for your “organization”.

  • When you’re ready, open your Horizon app and go to Menu → Devices → Quest 3 → Developer Mode → On.

Finally, on your headset you must go to Settings → System → Developer → Boundary → OFF.

This will disable the guardian feature and if there is a conflict with an app, the headset should no longer power off by itself.

5. Diagnose & Solve Overheating

diagnose & solve overheating

One of the main reasons why Meta Quest 3 keeps turning off is due to overheating, which is quite common amongst users who mainly play games for prolonged periods. 

The exact reason for the unexpected shutdowns is the protective system of the VR headset that automatically powers off the device to preserve the hardware from the heat. 

How to Identify Overheating on Meta Quest 3?

  • Reduced performance, lagging, and stuttering.
  • Unexpected shutdowns during an intensive use.
  • Exceptionally loud fan noises, or their absence.
  • The unit feels hot around the fit and your head.

How to Resolve Overheating on Meta Quest 3?

  • Limit the intensive use of demanding apps/games.
  • Turn off your device and allow it to cool down fully.
  • Ventilate the environment, and avoid heat emitters.
  • Lower gaming graphics to relieve the HW utilization.

Warning: If you’ve identified overheating, and you can’t hear the cooling fans, this indicates a faulty cooling system, hence that’s why your Quest 3 is turning off.

6. Factory Reset Your Meta Quest

factory reset your meta quest

Sometimes, even if rarely, the Meta Quest 3 may unexpectedly power off due to a bug with the software, glitchy application, or corrupt files.

So, a proven way to resolve any software-related problems is to carry out a complete factory restoration.

Notice: The factory reset is an irreversible process that will erase everything from your Meta Quest 3, so backup important data.

Reset Quest 3 via the Headset:

  1. Wait for your Quest 3 to power off or shut it down manually.
  2. Find and press both the Power and Volume Down buttons.
  3. Release both buttons when you see the boot menu (recovery).
  4. Select “Factory Reset”, using the Volume and Power buttons.
  5. Confirm by selecting “Yes” and wait for your headset to reset.

Reset Quest 3 via Horizon App:

reset quest 3 via horizon app
  1. Pair your phone with the same Wi-Fi as your Meta Quest.
  2. In the Meta Horizon application tap the three-lines menu.
  3. Go to “Devices” → “Headset settings” →  “Advanced Settings
  4. Select “Factory Reset” and then confirm by selecting “Reset”.

Reset Quest 3 via Web Service:

  1. On a device connected to the internet go here.
  2. Using your Facebook (Meta) account, sign in.
  3. Go to Delete Device Data and then Continue.

That’s it. One of these 3 methods should help you restore your Meta Quest 3 and hopefully, the device will no longer power off by itself.

Quest 3 Keeps Going to Sleep – Why? How To Fix?

The reason why your Quest 3 keeps going to sleep while you’re wearing it, is because of the Proximity Sensors.

They are designed to detect whether you wear the VR headset or not, and accordingly trigger the Auto Sleep/Wake Up options.

When you’re not wearing the headset properly, or the Proximity sensors are obstructed or dirty, false readings can make your Quest 3 go to sleep at random.

disable auto-wake up option

There are a few ways to resolve this, besides cleaning the sponsor:

  • Disable Auto-Wake Up Option: Go to Devices → Headset Settings → Power Settings → Turn off the Auto-Wake Up option.
  • Disable the Auto-Sleep Option: Go to Settings → Sleep Mode → Auto-Sleep → Never → press A.

Important: Also if an eyeglass spacer is in use, ensure that it’s positioned correctly and is not covering the proximity sensor.