Fix: Oculus Quest 2 Hand Tracking Not Working

The Oculus Quest 2 is a VR device that uses cameras, lights, and sensors built in it to track where the controller is to allow users to perform specific specified actions on a game. Yes, when the controllers are set up correctly with the Quest 2 headset, you can use your actual hands as virtual hands in a game and perform any possible action with it. This comes in as the Hand Presence feature, activated once the controllers are correctly paired with the headset. And using your hands to control game movements is an absolute treat and takes the gaming experience to a different level.

However, if the controllers lose track of the headset, the hand presence feature will get deactivated, which removes everything from having an authentic VR gaming experience. So if you are someone who is struggling with the hand tracking feature on the Oculus Quest 2, this article will help you out. Here, we have listed all the possible solutions that you can try from your end to resolve the problem. So without any further ado, let’s get into it.

How to Fix Oculus Quest 2 hand tracking feature not working?

The feature’s not working with your headset could be related to bad lighting, sensors not working, app compatibility, etc. So we have listed all the solutions for all possible causes. And it would be best if you tried all of them one after the other until you find the one that works for you.

Remove the batteries:

You have batteries inside your Oculus Quest 2 controllers, and they need replacement from time to time. So, remove the batteries installed on your controllers and place new ones in them. Ensure that the Oculus Quest 2 is turned off during this battery replacement process. Once everything is done, turn on the Oculus Quest 2 again and connect it to the controllers. If your problem with the hand tracking was related to faulty batteries on the controllers, it should work fine now.

If your problem persists after trying this fix, try the next solution.

Enable hand tracking:

The hand tracking feature on your Oculus Quest 2 might be disabled in Settings. It would be best if you turned it on to make use of it.

• Open Settings.
• Select Devices.
• Scroll and select the option Hands and Controllers.
• Enable Hand tracking.

If your problem persists after trying this fix, try the next solution.

Rerun the hand tracking tutorial:

Rerunning the tutorial will reset all settings related to hand tracking. So this is one of the first things you should try to fix any hand tracking-related issue.

• Open library options.
• Scroll down and find the option Tutorial.
• Play Use your Hands in VR.

If your problem persists after trying this fix, try the next solution.

Get your hands closer:

Oculus Quest 2 has a range of 15 meters for hand detection. So if your hands are further than that, it won’t detect them no matter what you try. So get your hands closer to the device and try using the hand tracking feature. It should work if the range were the issue causing the problem.

If your problem persists after trying this fix, try the next solution.

Limit hand motion:

If you move them too fast, your VR headset will have difficulty tracking your hands. It would be best to keep the movement precise and slow to ensure that the hand movements are detected correctly.

If your problem persists after trying this fix, try the next solution.

Check for obstructions on the camera:

The headset uses cameras to detect hand movements accurately. So if there are any obstacles between your hands and your headset, or if there are any smudges, the hand tracking feature won’t work. So clean up the camera sensor and remove any obstacle that you have between your hands and your headset.

If your problem persists after trying this fix, try the next solution.

LEDs and Mirrors in Your Home:

The camera and sensors on the headset will have problems detecting hand movements correctly if there are mirrors or LED lights flashing around you. So you need to look at your surroundings and ensure that nothing obstructs your headset’s range of detection.

If your problem persists after trying this fix, try the next solution.

It’s Too Bright, or It’s Too Dark:

As mentioned above, the sensors on your headset will require proper lighting to ensure it detects hand movements correctly. So if the room is too dark or too bright, the feature won’t work. You need to ensure that the lighting in the room is appropriate for the headset to detect the hand movements properly.

If your problem persists after trying this fix, try the next solution.

Tracking Frequency Too Low:

Tracking frequency is how frequently your Oculus Quest 2 tracks your movement per second. Some games require fast and rapid movements, and if the frequency on your headset is set to low, it will face difficulties tracking the movement. So as per your game requirements, you should set the frequency correctly. By default, this setting is set to auto, which lets your headset automatically adjust its frequency to meet the requirements. But sometimes, this auto function lowers the frequency too much to function correctly.

So it is best to set the tracking frequency on your headset manually at a high number to ensure there is no delay. Yes, this will result in increased energy consumption on your end. But your hand tracking feature will work smoothly if the number is set to high.

Now how can you see the tracking frequency on your headset? There are two ways to go about it. You can either use the Oculus app or the Quest 2 headset.

Using the Oculus app:

• Open the Oculus app on the phone that is paired to your headset.
• Ensure that your headset is turned on and connected to the app on your phone.
• Open up Settings.
• Select More Settings.
• Go to Advanced Settings.
• Select Tracking Frequency and set it to 60 Hz.

Using the Quest 2 headset:

• Strap on your headset.
• Press the Oculus button on the right controller.
• Go to Settings.
• Select Device.
• Select Tracking Frequency.
• Set it to 60 Hz.

If your problem persists after trying this fix, try the next solution.

Unpair and Re-pair Controllers:

If none of the above solutions worked for you, it is time to unpair your controllers and pair them again. Re-pairing controllers can sometimes fix otherwise unfixable issues.

Synchronization errors between controllers and headsets are pretty standard. So this re-pairing method could fix the hand tracking issue on your device.

To unpair the controllers and the oculus quest 2 device, follow the steps mentioned below.

• Open the Oculus app on the phone that is paired to your headset.
• Select Devices.
• Select your headset.
• Tap on Controllers.
• Now tap the left controller.
• Select Unpair controller.
• Now repeat the process, and instead of the left controller, select the right controller.

To pair the controllers to your headset again, follow the steps below.

• Open the Oculus app on the phone that is paired to your headset.
• Select Devices.
• Select your headset.
• Tap on Controllers.
• Select left.
• Press and hold the add buttons simultaneously to pair the left controller.
• You will see LED light blink up, indicating that the pairing process for the left controller is complete.
• Now repeat the process with the right controller.

Once the re-paring process is complete, try using the hand tracking feature again. It should work fine this time around.

If your problem persists after trying this fix, try the next solution.

Reset Controllers:

After the repairing process, you can try resetting the controllers altogether. If any bug or inconsistency prevents your controllers from functioning correctly, the reset should fix it for you.

To reset your controllers, follow the steps mentioned below.

• While your Oculus Quest 2 device is turned on, press and hold the Oculus button on the suitable controller. This will reorient the controller.
• Remove the battery from your controller and put them back in after a while.
• Now restart the Quest 2 device, and your reset is complete. You might need to pair the controllers again. Just follow the pairing guide mentioned in the above fix for that.

If resetting the controllers also does not fix your problem, try the next solution.

Reset Guardian:

Guardian is a feature on Oculus Quest 2 that uses a tracking system to detect your current position. If you are going out of the playing area, or if there is any moving obstacle like another human or pet, it will inform you via an alert. This feature is handy in ensuring you do not face any issues while using the hand tracking feature. But any inconsistency with this feature could result in the hand tracking not working. So even in your case, it could be the fault of the Guardian.

So it is best to reset Guardian and see if that fixes the hand tracking on your headset.

• Open the Oculus app on the phone that is paired to your headset.
• Select Devices.
• Select your headset.
• Go to Guardian Setup.
• Select Reset Guardian.

If resetting Guardian also does not fix your problem, try the next solution.

Clear Guardian History:

Guardian has a history section that acts like cache memory. It stores all the guardian settings that you have used on your Quest to facilitate a quicker game loading time in the future. But if there is any inconsistency in the data stored here, that could lead to Guardian malfunctioning. And this will eventually result in the hand tracking feature not working correctly.

So you need to clear the Guardian history and see if that solves your problem. To do that, follow the steps mentioned below.

• Open up Settings on your Quest 2 headset.
• Select Guardian.
• Scroll to the bottom and find the option Clear.
• Select it, and it will clear the history for you.

If your problem persists after trying this fix, try the next solution.

Update Firmware:

Like every other device, your Quest 2 also needs the latest firmware to ensure it works flawlessly. So if you are on an older firmware, you need to update it to the newest version to ensure that no bugs are causing the issue with the hand tracking feature.

Follow the steps below to check for the latest updates on your Oculus Quest 2.

• Press the Oculus button on your right controller.
• Hover over the clock on the left side till you see the Quick Settings option appear there.
• Once that happens, click on it to open the Quick Settings panel.
• Now, select Settings.
• Go to System.
• Select Software Update. If any new update is available for your device, it will show up here, and then you can install it on your device.

Once the update is complete, the hand tracking feature should work fine. But if your problem persists after trying this fix, try the next solution.

Poor Internet Connection:

A slow internet connection can also cause the hand tracking feature not to work correctly. So it would be best if you did all on your end to ensure that your headset is getting the proper bandwidth for it to function correctly.

Firstly, ensure that your headset is close to the router. Then disconnect the other devices that are connected to the router. It would be best if you also tried resetting the router by unplugging it from the power source and then plugging it back in after two minutes.

After trying all this, check if your connection is getting proper bandwidth by streaming a video online at a higher resolution. It would be best if you got an idea of your internet speed from the video playback on that.

Try the next solution if working with an internet connection does not solve your problem.

Restart the Headset:

Resetting the headset is an all-out solution that has solved many issues related to the Oculus Quest 2 for many users. It could also possibly solve your problem with the hand tracking feature. So give this fix a try if none of the abovementioned solutions worked for you.

Now there are two resets for your headset. There is a soft reset and a hard reset. First, give the soft reset a try and then try the hard reset if the soft reset does not work.

To perform the soft reset, follow the steps mentioned below.

• Press and hold the power button on your headset until you see the shutdown menu.
• In the shutdown menu, select restart.

If this does not work with your problem, try the hard reset steps mentioned below.

• Press and hold the power and volume down button on your headset.
• Don’t let go of the buttons until you see the boot menu on your screen.
• Use the volume buttons to navigate through the boot menu and go to the option Boot Device.
• Use the power button to select the Boot device option.

Once this process is complete, try using the hand tracking feature. If it still does not work, it is certainly a hardware issue, and you need to contact support for further assistance.

Contact support:

Contact Meta Store support and let them know about your issue. They will undoubtedly provide some solution to your problem with hand tracking. They should also be able to help you with a hardware fix if that is indeed the case. And if your device is under warranty, they won’t even charge you for fixing your device.

So this is all about the different solutions one can try to fix the Oculus Quest 2 hand tracking feature not working issue. If you have any questions or queries about this article, comment below, and we will get back to you. Also, check out our other articles on iPhone tips and tricks, Android tips and tricks, PC tips and tricks, and much more for more helpful information.