Unfortunately, it can take a little elbow grease to get SteamVR working the right way unless you’re one of the players who get lucky enough to link in and start playing. There are a few different avenues to fixing SteamVR problems, depending on what issue you’re experiencing.
Why Won’t SteamVR Work?
Fixing SteamVR Not Working
If SteamVR isn’t working for you at all, the following solutions might get it going again. Don’t give up on playing VR while linked into Steam when the fixes are generally super easy to perform.
Outdated Drivers: Your computer software and drivers are out of date. So often, problems with specific computer programs can be traced back to outdated drivers or uninstalled OS updates. Check whether you’re missing these if SteamVR won’t work with your VR headset.Corrupt Software: The SteamVR software itself is corrupt or missing necessary files. Sometimes even an often-used program experiences a problem that prevents it from working until the program is repaired. Steam does offer an option to try to fix the installation, but you can also reinstall it.Third-Party Application: Certain programs create conflicts that prevent SteamVR from operating the way it should. Finding and killing the conflicting programs should stop the issue from recurring.Incorrect System Settings: Depending on your specific issues, settings and selections in different menus may need to be changed. Device Lag: The headset can connect and work in SteamVR, but the lag can make it unplayable.
It’s impossible to narrow down the solution until you start trying a variety of fixes. Most of them should be easy enough to try so you can locate the problem, fix it, and get back to enjoying your games.
Enable Unknown Sources
If your VR headset requires you to turn on unknown sources manually, you need to activate that setting before you can play SteamVR. For example, Oculus players will not be able to use the program until they do these steps in the desktop program. Now you can try to connect to the program again. If it still isn’t working, proceed to the next steps.
Check for Updates
Both your drivers and your operating system need to be updated. If you aren’t in the habit of keeping them current, it’s worth considering because it can cut down on issues you run into with your system. To check for updates to Windows:
Update Your Drivers
The most important drivers to update are your GPU drivers regarding issues with SteamVR. The best way to update your Graphics driver is through their respective management programs. For NVIDIA NVIDIA uses a program called GeForce Experience to manage its driver downloads. For AMD AMD uses the AMD Radeon Settings to manage its driver updates. These operating system and driver updates may help SteamVR to work correctly again.
Power Cycle Your Router and Modem
Sometimes the issue with the connection isn’t the program or the headset. Sometimes it’s the connection the devices have to the internet. This is much more likely if you’re using a wireless connection between the computer and the headset. If that solves the problem, you’re probably good to continue using SteamVR without making any other significant changes.
Change Steam and SteamVR Settings
Sometimes running Steam as an administrator or disabling certain functions in the program settings for SteamVR can make it work again. Acting as an administrator means Steam has more access and control. Disabling settings that affect SteamVR’s performance can help fix problems running it. Now restart your computer and try to run SteamVR again to see whether the problem is solved.
Repair SteamVR
Steam offers a process to repair software by scanning the files for missing or corrupted pieces, removing them, downloading fresh copies, and installing them. Running a repair operation on SteamVR may find no error, or it may see many. Either way, the tool can help you fix problems that keep the software from running. Steam returned no errors when I did this and said that 6083 files were successfully validated. If you get a message saying files couldn’t be fixed, you may need to go further.
Reinstall SteamVR
If your VR headset and SteamVR aren’t working together, consider completely reinstalling SteamVR. The repair process can fix many issues, but a complete reinstallation is a go-to solution for complex software. Uninstalling SteamVR won’t remove it from your library. It will still be available to install and play again. The only caveat is that it’s a more than 5 GB download, so it may take some time to download it again, depending on your connection.
Fixing SteamVR Performance
If your problems with SteamVR are related to its performance, there are a few changes and tweaks you can make that might help it run better.
Check your PC’s parts against the required and recommended parts to run SteamVR. Sometimes the performance issues are related to a lack of power because VR programs require powerful components to run at their best. If you’re below the recommended settings, you’ll need an upgrade for smoother performance.If you’ve made many changes to your VR headset, SteamVR, or the related software for your headset, try changing everything back to default settings. Try using a wired connection if you aren’t yet. Wired connections can be more stable than wireless, leading to better performance. You can also switch from Wi-Fi to Ethernet for the PC’s internet connection. That can make the performance smoother too. If you aren’t using your best GPU in a multi-GPU setup or you aren’t using a high-performance power plan, make the switch before using SteamVR again.If you can’t access SteamVR and have add-ons installed, try reinstalling the program to see whether removing those helps fix the problem. You can also remove them from the program’s menu, if you have access. Close other programs that take up a lot of computer resources. You don’t want SteamVR to have to compete with others.Try changing the refresh rate on your headset. Some users had luck switching to 90 Hz on their Oculus headsets when SteamVR was particularly laggy.
