For Some Reason You Can Now Use Microsoft Office on Your Meta Quest Headset
When it comes to virtual reality devices like the Meta Quest headsets, the biggest advantage is gaming. But did you know that the headset can also be used for work? With the recent launch of select Microsoft Office applications for Meta Quest headsets, you can now work on a Word document, crunch some numbers in an Excel spreadsheet, or put together a PowerPoint presentation, all in virtual reality. These Office VR apps are just the beginning for Microsoft: the company recently released the Xbox Game Pass app and is working on other VR apps like Teams .
Products to pay attention to:
Interested in purchasing a new Meta Quest headset? You can buy Meta Quest 2, 3 or Pro on Amazon:
Requirements for using Microsoft Office applications
Before you dive into Microsoft Office, there are a few requirements to consider. First, you’ll need a Microsoft account if you don’t already have one. Next, you’ll need a Quest headset; the apps are available on the original Oculus Quest, Meta Quest 2, Meta Quest Pro, and the recently released Meta Quest 3. Finally, you’ll need to make sure you have an internet connection since these versions of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint run over the cloud.
Getting started with Microsoft Office applications
Once you’ve got all that sorted out, you’ll need to download the Word , Excel , and PowerPoint apps from the Meta store. The apps are quite small in size (less than 2MB each), so storage space shouldn’t be much of an issue. Once the apps are downloaded, each one will walk you through the process of setting up and signing into your Microsoft account. It’s worth noting that you don’t need a Microsoft 365 subscription to use the new apps in VR, but Microsoft will still try to push you into signing up through in-app advertising.
Using Microsoft Office Applications in Virtual Reality
Using each of the Word, Excel and PowerPoint applications was fairly easy for me. Signing into apps was easy, and if you sign in to your Microsoft account in one app, you’ll be automatically signed in to other Office apps. When you open one of the applications, a window will appear with the web version of that Office application. You can resize windows by dragging them sideways using controllers, or change the spacing using a shortcut in the Quest’s Universal Panel. (Look for the icon next to the bell/notification icon on the left.) The biggest problem I encountered was the long loading time when I opened a new, blank document. With every new app release, some speed bumps are expected, so this isn’t too shocking.
To get started working with documents, you can use the Quest headset controllers and the virtual on-screen keyboard. If that’s too much trouble for you, you can connect a physical Bluetooth keyboard and mouse to get the job done. To pair your keyboard and mouse with your headset, go to Settings , then Devices , then select Pairing and put your mouse and keyboard into pairing mode. Once they’re paired, you’re done.