mixed-reality

Get help with PC compatibility in Windows Mixed Reality

When you’re setting up Windows Mixed Reality or using the Mixed Reality Portal, you’ll get a report on whether your PC is up to the task. We’ve broken out specific details on what you might see in the sections below.

Before going any further, try the most common fixes below:

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If you want to get in contact, you can ask the community, contact support, or go over the troubleshooting information.

You’re good to go

Good news, if you see the You’re good to go message, your PC can run Windows Mixed Reality! There’s still variation among computer hardware and configuration, so the Mixed Reality experience might not be the same on every PC.

Supports some features

If you’re seeing the Supports some features message, your PC can run some Windows Mixed Reality experiences, but might not provide the best possible experience. Possible downsides include lagging graphics, performance hits, and some applications and games that you can’t run at all. We’ve listed messages you might see and what to do about them below:

This PC has an integrated graphics card with single-channel RAM

Integrated graphics cards will provide the best Windows Mixed Reality experience on PCs with dual-channel RAM. If you run into performance problems:

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PCIe stands for Peripheral Component Interconnect Express, which is the connection that a PC uses to communicate with a graphics card. Your configuration might work, but if you run into problems you’ll need to switch to a compatible PC.

This PC’s graphics driver might not work well with Windows Mixed Reality

Try downloading a new graphics driver using Windows Update by:

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If that doesn’t work, you’ll need to:

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This PC’s processor might not work well with Windows Mixed Reality

Your PC’s processor might not work well with Windows Mixed Reality because it doesn’t have enough cores. If Windows Mixed Reality doesn’t run well:

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This PC might not have a compatible USB configuration

For problems running Windows Mixed Reality:

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If the problems persist:

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  1. Select Start, and then type “device manager” in the Search box.
  2. Select Device Manager from the results.
  3. Expand the category for Universal Serial Bus controllers, look at the devices listed, and uninstall any incompatible drivers.
    • If the list includes an “eXtensible Host Controller” item that doesn’t have “Microsoft” at the end of the device name, that driver isn’t compatible with Windows Mixed Reality. You’ll need to uninstall it. To uninstall a driver, right-click the device in the list and select Uninstall device. Select the Delete the driver software for this device check box, then select Uninstall.
    • If the list includes an “eXtensible Host Controller” item that includes “Etron” in the name, that USB controller isn’t compatible with Windows Mixed Reality. You’ll need to use a different USB port on the PC or purchase a different USB 3.0 host controller.
  4. Restart your PC.
  5. Return to Device Manager and locate the eXtensible Host Controller item again. If you now see “Microsoft” at the end of the device name, you’re good to go. If not, repeat the uninstall steps to remove any extra non-Microsoft versions of the driver.

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This PC doesn’t have Bluetooth 4.0 for controllers

2018 and newer Windows Mixed Reality headsets already have the built-in Bluetooth, but if you have older headset, bluetooth 4.0 is required for mixed reality motion controllers. You can still use Windows Mixed Reality with an Xbox controller, a mouse and keyboard, or a USB Bluetooth adapter to connect motion controllers to your PC. See recommended adapters

Depending on your headset, you may need a Bluetooth adapter to use motion controllers

Some headsets have Bluetooth built in so controllers can pair directly to the headsets. Others require a Bluetooth radio in the PC (or a separate dongle) to use motion controllers. For more information, see the recommended adapters page.

This PC doesn’t have a self-powered USB port

A self-powered USB 3.0 port is needed to connect a Windows Mixed Reality headset. Connect a powered USB 3.0 hub to the PC and use that to connect your headset.

This PC’s graphics card won’t work with Windows Mixed Reality

This PC’s graphics card isn’t compatible with Windows Mixed Reality. You’ll need to:

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This PC’s graphics driver won’t work with Windows Mixed Reality

This PC’s graphics driver won’t work with Windows Mixed Reality. Try downloading a new graphics driver using Windows Update by:

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If that doesn’t work, you’ll need to:

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This PC’s processor won’t work with Windows Mixed Reality

This PC’s processor doesn’t support AVX/Popcnt instructions. To run Windows Mixed Reality, you’ll need to:

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This PC doesn’t have enough free disk space to run Windows Mixed Reality

Windows Mixed Reality requires 10 GB of free disk space for setup and best performance. Clear some space on your drive and then try setting up again from the beginning.

This PC is running an edition of Windows that doesn’t support Windows Mixed Reality

Windows Mixed Reality works on Windows 10 Home, Windows 10 Pro, and Windows 11. You’ll need to install one of those editions to use Windows Mixed Reality.

This PC isn’t running the latest version of Windows 10

Windows Mixed Reality requires the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update. Update your PC and try again.

This PC isn’t running the latest version of Windows 11

Windows Mixed Reality requires the Windows 11 latest release. Update your PC and try again.

This PC has no USB 3.0 port

You’ll need a USB 3.0 port to connect a Windows Mixed Reality headset. If you’re using a desktop PC, add a PCIe USB card. For laptops, you’ll need to switch to a compatible PC.

You can’t run this app via remote desktop

To use Windows Mixed Reality, you need a PC with a monitor connected. If you’re using a virtual machine or don’t have a monitor, try using a virtual display adapter. This is a device that plugs into the PC’s DisplayPort and emulates a computer display.

Getting the best performance

Some hardware configurations might cause performance problems with Windows Mixed Reality. For problems like slow loading, choppy visuals, or poor visual quality, try these common fixes:

If you’re still having performance issues, update the following Windows Mixed Reality settings for an optimal user experience:

[!NOTE] If you see a message that says, “This hardware configuration might work with Windows Mixed Reality, but it hasn’t been tested yet,” you could run into some performance issues when running Windows Mixed Reality for long sessions.

Working with SteamVR

Enjoying games from SteamVR is a great way to experience everything VR has to offer. However, you’ll want to make sure that you’re getting the best performance out of your immersive device. After you’ve installed Steam:

Next VR checkpoint

If you’re following the VR journey we’ve laid out, you’re almost ready to buy a device. From here, you can continue to the last before you buy checkpoint:

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Or jump right into the getting started section:

[!div class=”nextstepaction”] Setting up Windows Mixed Reality

You can always go back to the VR journey at any time.

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