How to factory reset your Oculus Quest 2 before selling or gifting it
So the time has come for you to sell your trusty old VR headset, or give it to someone else as a gift. Maybe you're preparing to upgrade to the Quest 3?
Either way, you need to make sure your Quest 2 is cleaned up and ready to be given away first, and to learn how to hard reset the Oculus Quest 2 – you're in the right place! Let's get it done.
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Factory resetting, also known as hard resetting your Quest 2 involves deleting any files you may have on it. This includes gameplay recordings, screenshots, and any documents you may have on the device. Make sure to backup anything you may look for later, before you proceed with your Quest 2 factory reset.
And, on a side note, rest assured that your Meta profile won't be deleted, or even affected by this. So as soon as you use it to log into a different Meta headset, you can use it normally, as well as download your already-purchased games again; no problem.
Either way, you need to make sure your Quest 2 is cleaned up and ready to be given away first, and to learn how to hard reset the Oculus Quest 2 – you're in the right place! Let's get it done.
- Preparing for the factory reset
- How to factory reset the Quest 2
- Will factory resetting delete all my purchased content?
- Can I restore my Oculus Quest 2 to a previous version after a factory reset?
- How long does the Quest 2 factory reset process take?
- Will factory resetting my Quest 2 void the warranty?
Preparing for the factory reset
Factory resetting, also known as hard resetting your Quest 2 involves deleting any files you may have on it. This includes gameplay recordings, screenshots, and any documents you may have on the device. Make sure to backup anything you may look for later, before you proceed with your Quest 2 factory reset.
Also see: How to update your Oculus Quest 2
What is factory reset? It's basically returning the Quest 2 back to its "brand new, clean and ready to be set up for the first time" state.
When the new person receives the headset, they'll expect it to be in it. So let's get it there…
This might sound unintuitive, but you'll need to enter a secret boot menu on your headset, so first – you have to turn it off.
Press and hold the power button (it's on the right side of the headset) for a few seconds, until you see a "Power off" menu appear on screen.
Use one of the touch controllers to select "Power off".
Now this is a bit tricky, so first thing you'll need to do is look at the bottom of your headset to see where the volume down button is. It's on the bottom right, with a "minus" icon barely visible on it.
Put on your headset, then press the volume down button and the power button together, and hold them.
Let them go immediately as the Meta logo appears.
You should now be in the boot menu. You'll notice it looks pretty barebones, but that's okay.
You can navigate the boot menu by using the volume keys on your headset, like arrow keys. Navigate down to "Factory reset", then press the power button to select that.
This is the point of no return, so if you think you may have any files on your Quest 2 that you'd like to back up, before erasing everything, now is the last time you can cancel this operation.
But if you're ready to reset your Quest 2 to its factory state, and erase everything on it, go ahead and press: "Yes, erase and factory reset".
Your headset will erase everything and reset itself.
Now you're ready to give it away or sell it, for the next person to log into their Meta account and start using it as new.
Nope! As mentioned earlier, all of your purchased content, be it games, game DLC, or apps, is tied to your Meta account.
So although hard resetting a Quest 2 will delete all of the content from that particular device, you can always log into your Meta account on another Meta VR headset, and download your purchases again.
Unfortunately you can not go back to a previous software version on the Quest 2, even if you hard reset the device. It will still remain on its current software version.
The time depends on how much data the Quest 2 has, and might additionally vary depending on your internet connection speed, but in general, a Quest 2 factory reset shouldn't take more than a few minutes.
Don't worry, hard resetting your Quest 2 will not void its warranty.
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How to factory reset the Quest 2
What is factory reset? It's basically returning the Quest 2 back to its "brand new, clean and ready to be set up for the first time" state.
When the new person receives the headset, they'll expect it to be in it. So let's get it there…
Step 1: Turn off your headset
This might sound unintuitive, but you'll need to enter a secret boot menu on your headset, so first – you have to turn it off.
Use one of the touch controllers to select "Power off".
Step 2: Enter the Quest 2's boot menu
Now this is a bit tricky, so first thing you'll need to do is look at the bottom of your headset to see where the volume down button is. It's on the bottom right, with a "minus" icon barely visible on it.
Put on your headset, then press the volume down button and the power button together, and hold them.
Let them go immediately as the Meta logo appears.
You should now be in the boot menu. You'll notice it looks pretty barebones, but that's okay.
Step 3: Click "Factory reset" and start the process
You can navigate the boot menu by using the volume keys on your headset, like arrow keys. Navigate down to "Factory reset", then press the power button to select that.
But if you're ready to reset your Quest 2 to its factory state, and erase everything on it, go ahead and press: "Yes, erase and factory reset".
Your headset will erase everything and reset itself.
Now you're ready to give it away or sell it, for the next person to log into their Meta account and start using it as new.
Will factory resetting delete all my purchased content?
Nope! As mentioned earlier, all of your purchased content, be it games, game DLC, or apps, is tied to your Meta account.
So although hard resetting a Quest 2 will delete all of the content from that particular device, you can always log into your Meta account on another Meta VR headset, and download your purchases again.
Can I restore my Oculus Quest 2 to a previous version after a factory reset?
How long does the Quest 2 factory reset process take?
Will factory resetting my Quest 2 void the warranty?
Don't worry, hard resetting your Quest 2 will not void its warranty.
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