🥽 Meta XR Plugin – Unreal Engine Integration Guide¶

This document explains how to install and configure the Meta XR Plugin for Unreal Engine 5.
It also compares the plugin to the default OpenXR Plugin, and provides full setup steps for both Windows and macOS.

Overview¶

Meta XR Plugin is Meta's official integration for Unreal Engine.
Unlike the generic OpenXR plugin, Meta XR provides:

Full optimization for Quest devices (Quest 1, 2, 3, Pro)
Native hand tracking
Passthrough & Mixed Reality support
Scene Understanding (Scene Mesh)
Spatial Anchors
Better standalone VR performance
Meta-specific rendering & tracking improvements

If you are building VR for Meta Quest standalone,
Meta XR Plugin is strongly recommended over OpenXR.

Why Meta XR Plugin is Better Than OpenXR¶

Feature	OpenXR Plugin	Meta XR Plugin	Notes
Quest standalone optimization	⚠️ Basic	✅ Full	Better FPS + stability
Hand tracking support	Limited	Full	Joint tracking, gestures
Passthrough (MR)	Very limited	Full Passthrough API	Essential for MR
Scene Understanding	❌ No	Yes	Scene mesh + anchors
Mixed Reality depth blending	❌ No	Yes	MR compositing
Spatial anchors	❌ No	Yes	Persistent room positions
Controller haptics	Basic	Advanced	Meta haptic feedback modes
Standalone performance	Moderate	Optimized	Foveated rendering pathway

Summary¶

Meta XR = Maximum performance, full Quest features & MR support
OpenXR = Works everywhere but limited on Quest

Installation Guide (Windows + macOS)¶

This section explains the correct way to install the Meta XR Integration Package from Meta’s official website.

Windows Installation¶

✔ Step 1. Disable OpenXR Plugin¶

Open Unreal Engine
Go to: Edit → Plugins
Search for OpenXR
Disable all:
OpenXR
OpenXR Input
Any related OpenXR extensions
Restart Unreal Engine

✔ Step 2. Download Meta XR Integration¶

Download the official plugin from Meta:
👉 https://developers.meta.com/horizon/downloads/package/unreal-engine-5-integration

Download the .zip package for UE5.

✔ Step 3. Install the Plugin¶

Navigate to your UE installation location:

UE5 Installation Folder/Engine/Plugins/Marketplace/

Example:

C:/Program Files/Epic Games/UE_5.5/Engine/Plugins/Marketplace/

If Marketplace folder does not exist → create it manually
Unzip the downloaded Meta XR package
Move the extracted folder into:

Engine/Plugins/Marketplace/

Restart Unreal Engine

You should now see Meta XR plugins in the Plugin Manager.

macOS Installation¶

macOS cannot build Android APK,
but it can still edit, test, and run Meta XR preview via streaming.

✔ Step 1. Disable OpenXR Plugin¶

Same as Windows:

Go to Edit → Plugins
Disable all OpenXR-related plugins
Restart Unreal Engine

✔ Step 2. Locate Unreal Engine on macOS¶

Unreal is installed here:

/Users/Shared/Epic Games/UE_5.x/

Example:

/Users/Shared/Epic Games/UE_5.3/Engine/Plugins/

✔ Step 3. Install Meta XR Plugin¶

Download from Meta:
https://developers.meta.com/horizon/downloads/package/unreal-engine-5-integration
Unzip it
Move the extracted folder to:

/Users/Shared/Epic Games/UE_5.x/Engine/Plugins/Marketplace/

Create Marketplace manually if missing.

Restart Unreal Engine

Plugin Verification¶

In Unreal:

Edit → Plugins → search “Meta”

You should see:

Meta XR
Meta XR HMD
Meta XR Utilities
Meta XR Hands / Hand Tracking
Meta XR Passthrough
Meta XR Scene / Spatial / Anchors

Enable what you need → Restart UE

Unreal Engine Project Configuration¶

Once installed, the following project settings are required.

✔ 4.1 XR and HMD Settings¶

Enable Meta XR Support:¶

Project Settings → XR → Meta XR

Disable OpenXR completely:¶

Plugins → OpenXR → Disable

(Optional but recommended to avoid conflicts)

✔ 4.2 Android & Packaging Settings (Windows only)¶

Go to:

Project Settings → Platforms → Android

Set:

SDK API Level: 33+
Enable Support Vulkan
Disable OpenGL (if using Vulkan only)
Accept Android SDK licenses

✔ 4.3 Rendering Optimization¶

Recommended Meta XR settings:

✔ Enable Late Latching
✔ Enable Fixed Foveated Rendering
✔ Enable Mobile Multi-View
✔ Anti-Aliasing: TSR or FXAA for performance

Input & Interaction Setup¶

Controller Input¶

Use Meta XR input classes:

MetaXRControllerInput

DO NOT use:

OpenXR Input
OculusInput (deprecated)

Hand Tracking Setup¶

Enable in:

Project Settings → Meta XR → Hand Tracking

Blueprint components:

MetaXRHandComponent
MetaXRHandTrackingSubsystem

Provides:

Joint poses
Pinch gestures
Hand mesh tracking
Tracking confidence

Passthrough & MR Features¶

Meta XR Plugin unlocks all MR tools:

Available MR Features¶

✔ Passthrough API (color camera feed)
✔ Scene Understanding (mesh reconstruction)
✔ Plane detection
✔ Spatial anchors
✔ Depth-based MR composition
✔ Boundary & guardian APIs

To enable:

Project Settings → Meta XR → Passthrough

Packaging & Deployment¶

Windows Build (APK)¶

Connect Quest via USB (Developer Mode ON)

Build from:

Platform: Android → Development/Shipping

Package → Install using:
Unreal’s built-in installer
Or Meta Quest Developer Hub (recommended)

macOS Build Notes¶

macOS cannot produce Android APKs
You must:
Build on Windows, OR
Use remote build system (GitHub Actions, CI/CD)

macOS is still fine for:

Asset creation
Blueprint systems
UI development
Gameplay programming
VR preview (via Link/AirLink)

Troubleshooting¶

❗ Black screen on headset¶

OpenXR is still enabled → disable it
Meta XR HMD plugin missing → enable it

❗ Tracking origin floating too high/low¶

Set:

XR Origin = Floor Level

❗ MR not working¶

Ensure:

Passthrough is enabled
Vulkan is enabled
Hand tracking is enabled (if used)

❗ Build error on macOS¶

macOS cannot build Android → build on Windows

Summary¶

Meta XR Plugin is the recommended solution for Meta Quest development.

Benefits:

Better performance than OpenXR
Quest-specific rendering optimizations
Hand tracking, passthrough, scene understanding
MR depth & anchor support
Native platform tools and improved tracking stability

For any VR or MR project targeting Quest standalone,
Meta XR Plugin is the correct and optimized choice.

End of Document¶

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