How to Get Started With Meta’s Quest Browser

Firefox Reality was once the default immersive web browser, particularly on standalone headsets including previous Oculus models. However, the web browser has been discontinued by Mozilla. Since then, Meta has developed its own immersive web browser for use in its Quest headsets.

Most of the features work very similar to the kind of browsers you are used to from desktop and mobile devices. And many functions tell you what they are when you point the controller at them. However, some features are a bit difficult to find if you don’t know what they are due to their nature for virtual reality (VR).

Open the Quest Browser

Choose from the home grid icon on the toolbar to open your selection of downloaded apps. The Meta Quest browser is installed by default, so you can start using it right away, even when you put on your headset for the first time.

Where the tile lands on your app grid may vary, but the Meta Quest browser tile is light purple with an outline of a ringed planet. When you point your controller at it, the name should appear on the tile. Pull the trigger to open it.

moving your browser window

Initially, the browser window is pinned to the top of your toolbar. If you want to move around, change your position and then press and hold both Oculus logo buttons (or meta logo buttons, depending on how new your headset is) and the toolbar and browser window will move to your new one Center.

However, you can also detach your browser window from the toolbar. To do this, point your controller at the white line between the browser window and the toolbar, pull the trigger, and move the browser window away from the toolbar.

You can move the browser screen straight up or sideways. You can also move the browser window further back by pressing away from you while holding the white bar.

Change the size of your browser window

When the browser window is moved away from you, it takes on a nice, curved appearance that may be more pleasing for some applications. This is especially true when you enlarge the screen.

When the browser window is detached from the toolbar, white brackets appear at the corners. Select one of these brackets and drag it toward the center of the browser window to shrink it, or away from the center of the browser window to expand it.

Find the size that works for you. Although the browser window has a maximum size, this maximum size is so large that you cannot see the entire screen without moving your head.

This can be useful for immersing yourself in 2D content through your headset. However, remember that immersive web applications like 360 ​​videos usually have a dedicated VR button that takes you into the scene instead of looking at a window.

Other selection commands

There are a few other unique commands you can run in the Meta Quest browser. These are always in the same place, no matter where your browser window is in your overall view – and no matter how big it is.

The microphone icon to the right of the search bar allows for voice input. This can be handy if you don’t like typing text with the controller and VR keyboard. There are other useful voice commands throughout the Meta Quest ecosystem, but these must be enabled through device settings.

There is a bookmarks tab to the right of the microphone, nothing out of the ordinary. But to the right of the Bookmarks tab is another icon that can be used to view websites in either mobile or desktop format.

Explaining how the basic features of the Meta Quest Browser work doesn’t scratch the surface of what you can do with it. How you use the browser in your Quest home and what you do with the growing volume and quality of immersive web content is a whole new world.