Oculus is not compatible with Windows 11. That has been the official stand of Oculus. It is clearly mentioned on the Oculus support page that it does not support Windows 11 as of now. However, in real-life scenarios, we have people who are working with Oculus on Windows 11 without any issues. Others seem to have had a mixed bag of issues with Oculus after updating to Windows 11. Given the mixed nature of feedback received from the Oculus users, the company seems to have adopted a more nuanced approach towards Windows 11. We look at the issues that you may face after upgrading your Oculus computer to Windows 11. And, we also look at a workaround to give you Oculus coverage on Windows 11 based computers.
Stuttering after updating Oculus computer to Windows 11
The most common gripe of Oculus users has been the stuttering on Windows 11 based computers. The problem did not exist on Windows 10. And, if the user downgrades to Windows 10, the stuttering issue resolves on its own. This, therefore, points to issues in Windows 11 or an inherent incompatibility between Oculus and Windows 11. In any case, the stuttering issue affects user experience.
It appears that Windows 11 does not allow Oculus to make use of the available system resources. Windows 11 considers Oculus as a non-priority app or a non-significant service. It, therefore, does not allow Oculus to use resources in the background.
You may experience issues with Oculus on Windows in one or all of the following scenarios:
- when you are using the virtual desktop
- when you are using the air link
- when using the normal link for virtual reality
Workaround for Oculus on Windows 11
Most users who found Oculus and Windows 11 compatibility issues reverted to Windows 10. It is a unanimous opinion that the natural upgrade from Windows 10 to Windows 11 may lead to an unsatisfactory experience between the Oculus and Windows 11 operating systems. This brings us to the possibility of using a dual boot configuration with a clean install of Windows 11 and the existing Windows 10 operating system. This workaround may or may not work. But, it may be worth exploring the workaround rather than downgrading to Windows 10 from Windows 11.
- Clean install Windows 11 on a separate SSD. We do suggest that you could consider using an NVMe SSD for doing the clean installon.
- Once you have clean installed the Windows 11, install Oculus.
- Now, test the Oculus performance on the clean installed Windows 11 operating system
- Possibly, you may not experience the lag or stuttering while using Oculus on such a system
Another workaround for Oculus on Windows 11
The workaround stated below is more tedious. But, it does allow users to play Oculus on Windows 11. At least, a few users have been able to get Oculus to work with the following method.
- Launch the Oculus Tray Tool on your computer.
- Open up the SERVICE tab on Oculus Tray Tool.
- Choose the option to TOGGLE CONSOLE WINDOW VISIBILITY
This will bring the Oculus service in the foreground, thereby giving it more resources. You will also see the Windows pop up on your screen. It will stay as long as you are using Oculus.
To remove the Oculus service from the foreground and relegate it to the background, you will need to use the Oculus Tray Tool and close the Oculus Service Window.
This is a manual workaround. It has been used by many Oculus users. And, the feedback is encouraging.
Other options for Oculus on Windows 11
Sadly, there is nothing much that can be done to get Oculus to work on Windows 11. The manual workarounds have already been shared above. The next best option is to wait for Oculus to work with Microsoft in getting the installer files considered safe for installation on Windows 11. This would allow Windows 11 to allow the Oculus software to have access to additional resources for a seamless experience.
In some cases, you may not be able to install Oculus on Windows 11.
Unable to install Oculus on Windows 11
Some users may run into issues in installing Oculus on Windows 11. The most likely cause of the failed installation is on account of enforcing driver signature validation by Windows 11. It appears that the Oculus installer file is not cleared by Windows 11. Another possible reason could be Oculus installed getting blocked by the Windows Defender software. In both cases, Windows 11 does not seem to recognize the Oculus software is safe. It blocks it from being installed on the computer.
As a possible workaround, you could disable driver integrity check for Oculus software. However, this approach is not recommended as it may lead to unintended consequences on your Windows 11 computer.
We suggest working with Oculus to resolve compatibility issues with Windows 11. Until that time, the preferred approach should be to work on a Windows 10 computer for Oculus support and experience.
Summary
Oculus is not compatible with Windows 11. For a seamless and hassle-free experience with Oculus, we do suggest using Windows 10 operating system. It may be worth waiting for Oculus to resolve its compatibility issues with Microsoft Windows 11. Or, you could follow one of the manual fixes for Oculus stated above. This may allow Oculus to work on a Windows 11 based computer.
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Rajesh Dhawan is a technology professional who loves to blog about smart wearables, Cloud computing and Microsoft technologies. He loves to break complex problems into manageable chunks of meaningful information.