Does your Oculus Quest 2 seem stuck on a never-ending loading screen? While this is a frustrating problem, rest assured that it’s also a fairly common one. There are several potential solutions you can try to resolve the issue quickly.
The Oculus Quest 2 sometimes gets stuck on the loading screen due to low batteries or an update that’s having difficulty completing. A hard reboot will often fix the issue. Hold down the power button for 15 – 60 seconds and see if that sorts things out.
Still having issues? No worries. Here are several other solutions you can try as well.
1. Use the Oculus Quest 2 Bootloader Menu
If doing a hard reset with the power button isn’t solving your Quest 2 issue, then try using the bootloader menu. It’s sort of like the Ctrl+Alt+Delete of the Oculus world and will allow you to manually launch or turn off your headset.
In order to access the bootloader menu, press both the power and volume down buttons at the same time for at least 10 seconds.
When the menu appears, use the volume buttons to navigate to “Power Off” to turn your headset off or “Boot Device” to launch it.
Once you’ve highlighted your selection, press the power button to select.
2. Charging May Fix Problems With the Oculus Quest 2
As frustrating as a stuck Quest 2 screen can be, resist the urge to panic. Many users have reported that simply plugging in their headset and giving it half an hour to 45 minutes to charge resolved the issue on its own.
If you’re simply low on power, then the headset can be turned off while charging. If your Oculus Quest 2 is stuck on the loading screen, however, then it may be better to leave it on as it charges.
It may be that your device is attempting to install an update or perform some other maintenance operation that it doesn’t have enough power to complete. While you may not always be able to pinpoint the exact problem, the upside is that the Oculus Quest 2 is an incredibly clever little device.
It’s likely looking for its own solution, so make sure it has all the power it needs. Make sure you use the original charger that came with your device in order to avoid accidentally slowing down the process. Check back in after you’ve given it time to do its thing and see if it’s managed to figure out a solution on its own.
3. Try the Oculus App If Stuck on the Loading Screen
Another potential way around a stuck Quest 2 loading screen is to pull up the Oculus app on your smartphone or PC.
Once you’re in the app, look for any games that appear to be actively downloading or updating. If so, try canceling the process or processes remotely just in case they are part of the issue.
If everything looks to be in order, then try launching one of the games from the app. Check the headset to see if the game has popped up and rescued you from the never-ending load screen.
4. Oculus Quest 2 Proximity Sensor Issues
The proximity sensor is what tells your Oculus Quest 2 to sleep whenever you take it off. When you look inside your headset, you should see it right between the top of the two lenses.
If your Quest 2 seems stuck in sleep mode even when you’re wearing it, then an overactive proximity sensor may be the issue. To find out, take your headset off and cover the proximity sensor with your thumb. If this makes the black screen go away, then the issue is likely that light is creeping in through a gap in the foam on the sides of your headset. This makes the proximity sensor think you’ve taken it off even if you haven’t.
If this proves to be the problem, there are several things you can do to fix it. The first is to either repair the foam face padding or simply cover the sensor with a sticker or piece of opaque tape.
It’s also possible to manually disable the proximity sensor of the Oculus Quest 2 by using SideQuest. SideQuest is software that allows you to control some of your headset’s advanced features when connected to your phone or PC via a USB cable. The SideQuest website will walk you through how to download and install the software and how to enable developer mode on your headset so that you can use it.
Once you’re all set up, you can simply click the “Disable the Proximity Sensor” button on the homepage of your SideQuest account.
5. Ensure That Your Oculus Quest 2’s Software Is Up-to-Date
One possible cause of your Oculus Quest 2 getting stuck on the loading screen is your Oculus software not being up-to-date. You should check to see if your Oculus software is up-to-date if your headset gets stuck on the loading screen. If not, then you should update your headset’s Oculus software. This can resolve the issue for you.
6. Extreme Measures: How to Factory Reset Your Oculus Quest 2
If you’ve tried every option above and your Oculus Quest 2 is still stuck on the loading screen, it may be time to explore last resort options. While it is possible to perform a factory reset on your Oculus Quest 2, it’s highly advisable to contact Oculus for help first.
If you still want to completely start over and restore your Quest 2 to its original factory state, then a factory reset is easy to perform. Just be aware that you will have to redownload everything on your device and will lose any data you’ve saved.
To do a factory reset, press the volume down and power buttons at the same time for at least 10 seconds. As you may recall, this will bring up the bootloader menu.
Use the volume buttons to scroll until you’ve highlighted “Factory Reset.”
Take a moment to make sure this is really the best option.
If so, then press the power button to select your choice and wait until the reset is complete.
How Do You Resolve an In-VR Black Screen While Setting Up Your Oculus Quest 2?
An in-VR black screen while setting up your Oculus Quest 2 doesn’t happen that often, but it is an issue that can arise. Thankfully, a simple reboot of your Oculus Quest 2 usually fixes this problem. You can then continue setting up your Oculus Quest 2 headset. You can reboot the headset by holding the power button down until a shut-down screen appears. Once this screen appears, complete the reboot by selecting ‘Restart’.
What If Your Oculus Quest 2 Doesn’t Load Anything?
Occasionally, you might find that your Oculus Quest 2 is not loading games. You can usually resolve this issue by turning off your Oculus Quest 2 and turning it on again. Doing so clears the headset’s memory and typically gets rid of this problem. However, this might not work if only a single game on your Oculus does not load properly.
In this instance, it is possible that the game’s software is simply out of date. Most of the time, your headset will update the game’s software for you. If this doesn’t happen, you can simply go to the Oculus store and select ‘update’. This update should not take more than a few minutes.
How Do You Fix The Black Screen?
The first thing that you can do in order to fix the black screen on your Oculus Quest 2 is to charge the headset. In the event that your Oculus has no power, only the black screen will appear. Take the headset and plug it into a compatible USB charger. After that, you should simply let the headset charge for a while. If your Oculus isn’t charging, use a different charger.
You can also attempt to fix the black screen by opening the Oculus menu. If you see the black screen, press the right controller’s Oculus button and the left controller’s menu button. If this lets you access the menu, open an app and see if doing so resolves the black screen issue.
You can also check the Oculus app. First, get your phone and load up the Oculus app on it, then log in. Check the app and find out if the Oculus app on your phone can see your headset. You should then attempt to launch a game from the app. Once you have launched the game, put your headset back on and see if the black screen problem has been fixed.
What If Nothing Worked?
In the rare event that none of the above solutions work, then your Oculus Quest 2 may have a hardware issue. Unfortunately, this likely means you need to contact Oculus to have your headset professionally repaired or replaced.
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