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RabidHobbit
Inspiring
November 27, 2025
Solved

Audio no longer works when connecting to Windows 11 via AirLink/Link Cable

[Note as of 12/6/2025 - For me, this was fixed by the latest update to the Horizon Link software, and joining the Beta Channel is no longer needed.]

The Problem: As of 11/26, I no longer get any audio through my Quest3 headset while I'm connected to my Win11 PC via AirLink. This has worked for me for years, and this is the first time I've had an issue with it. The only change I'm aware of, is that I did a 'Repair' using the Oculus Installer to solve a different issue I was having (a "can't find OculusClient.exe" error). After the Repair (which looked successful), I started having this audio issue. To be clear, audio works fine for me in the headset when I'm not connected over AirLink. Once in AirLink, I get no audio from any desktop Oculus app that I run. I've tested a few. When I leave AirLink, I get local audio in my headset again.

Solutions I've Tried: There are a fair number of support threads on this kind of issue here and in Reddit, and I believe I've Googled and found them all. None of them have solved my issue. Here is the list of things I've done:

[Note: Just because a solution didn't work for me doesn't mean these are bad solutions. Some of these have worked for others. Indicated by a (*). As of 12/4 the solution marked with (***) now works for me!]

(Last updated 12/4/25)

  • Use cable instead of AirLink
  • (*) Run the repair using the Meta Quest Link (Oculus) Installer
  • (*) Uninstall Meta Horizon Link, reboot PC,  reinstall the app, reboot PC and Quest 3, and try again
  • Scan the Setup and Driver install logs for errors (I don't see a smoking gun, but the logs are attached to this post)
  • (*) Manually uninstall the Oculus Virtual Audio Device input driver from device manager, then uninstall and reinstall Horizon Link (also rebooting in between steps again, to be sure)
  • (*) Rename my Oculus Virtual Audio Device to "Headphones" (It used to be named "Quest VR", and it worked fine, but I changed it back to Headphones after reading another forum post)
  • (***) Join the Horizon Link Beta Public Test channel, let the app update, reboot my PC and Quest, and trying again
  • Unpair my Quest3, uninstall Horizon Link, delete ...AppData\Local\Oculus directory, reboot, reinstall, repair the Quest and try again
  • Uninstall Horizon Link using Revo Uninstaller, let it do a complete post uninstall clean, reboot, reinstall, try again
  • Reboot my PC and Quest 3 many times by now during various troubleshooting steps
  • Obvious steps: make sure I can get audio on my PC through other outputs, make sure the volumes are correct, make sure that correct audio devices are selected at the right times, etc.
My Settings

Here are what the relevant settings on my PC look like when I'm connected via AirLink.

Audio Devices

 

Meta Link Program

I have also tried all the combinations of Hear VR Audio from Computer and Hear Computer Audio in VR, but the screenshot below shows what used to work for me and now no longer works.

Audio Devices

The Virtual Audio device is present, enabled, and can get audio. It is also named "Headphones". NOTE: Something I find a little bit weird is that when I'm connected via AirLink, the volume is always showing at 1/2 level, even when I have no audio playing on my PC. When I disconect from AirLink, it stops doing this, and only shows the audio bar when something is actually playing. I don't know if this behavior occurred before my issue started, or if it coincides with it.

Audio Devices

Here are all the audio devices on my PC. I don't know exactly what I'm looking for, so I don't know if this is correct or not. It looks correct, although I do find it a bit strange there is no Oculus Virtual Audio Device under the Sound, video and game controllers section

Drivers

I can tell that the drivers are being updated whenever I install the Meta Quest Link Program, because the timestamp of these files is always updated

NOTE: I do find it a bit strange that the Oculus Virtual Audio Device shows different driver information depending on where I look.

Here it is in Win11 basic settings:

Here it is in the Device Manager:

When I click 'Update Driver', it takes me here, which also seems a bit weird (is 'Audio Endpoint' the normal name?)
Worth Mentioning (Windows error after Installation)

Whenever I finish an installation or repair, I always get this error. I don't believe this is related to my audio issue, because my installation seems successful, as shown in my previous screenshots. But it's worth mentioning. 

NOTE: the Meta Quest Client is NO LONGER called 'oculus-client\OculusClient.exe', but simply 'oculus-client\Client.exe'. I don't know where on my PC there is old data pointing to the old filename, but it clearly affects the installer (even though I just downloaded the latest version from the website). I also had to manually fix my Meta Quest Link shortcut that had this same problem. I've been a user since the original retail Oculus, so maybe that's why this happened to me once the devs changed the client exe name; not sure. Again, I doubt it's even relevant. Obviously I didn't have this issue way back when I first bought my Quest 3 and set all this up.

What I see when I click 'Next' and the installer tries to open the client

Thanks for any help with this issue.

    RabidHobbitAnswer
    Inspiring
    December 4, 2025

    fofocho​ I tried this a couple days ago and it didn't work, but there's a new update on the Public Test channel, and it fixed me! I'm going to go ahead and mark this as the solution, but I want to give you a chance to try again and I'll check back here and see your results. It's not necessarily an immediate update, here's how it went for me:

    1. Switch to Public Test Channel
    2. Wait 30s (nothing)
    3. Close and reopen client
    4. Wait 30s
    5. See that I have a new notification and click on it
    6. It's downloading a new update; I waited for it to finish
    7. A popup to install an Update finally appeard
    8. I let the update install and it prompted me to reboot
    9. I let it reboot the PC and I rebooted the headset at the same time

     

    It's now working for me. Several things of note!

    1 - The client has a new version: 83.0.0.311.349

    2 - I now have Oculus Virtual Device listed under Sound, video and game controllers in Device Manager:

    (I think this was the case before my audio broke, but nobody in the thread who fixed their audio bothered to check this for me; to be fair, my post was very long)

    3 - My Oculus Headphones driver has been rolled back to an old version:

    If you do manage to get this update, and it does not fix you, please check all of these things to see if there any discrepancies.

    View in thread

    87 replies

    Show previous replies
    HelloBloops
    New Participant
    November 30, 2025

    Have the same issue, described as the one here. Its definitely on Meta's end, their code is not the best as you probably know. The only solution for now is to use some external audio device (probably wireless).

    bipcopter
    New Participant
    November 30, 2025

    Having the same issue as well, tried all the above troubleshooting steps without any success.  The sound works fine going through the steam app and windows desktop, however when going through the airlink it for whatever reason shows my wifi as (average) and once it loads up I don't have any sound in the headset.  Even when inside the airlink I can change the sound to different sound outputs (other headphones, desktop speakers, etc)... no issues.  However, when clicking on the oculus headphones I get nothing.

      MetaStoreHelp
      MetaStoreHelp
      Community Manager
      November 30, 2025

      Hello bipcopter!

       

      We saw that you are having the same issue as a lot of our community members and we would ask you to please submit a detailed bug report of your issue so our engineers can have a look into this for you.

       

      We thank you all for your patience and understanding while we work on getting this resolved for you.

      If you're the author of a thread, remember to mark a reply as the Accepted Solution to help others find answers!
      RabidHobbitAuthor
      Inspiring
      November 30, 2025

      Hi there. The bug reporter is really inadequate. I couldn't possibly include all the relevant information for this issue in a single field from the mobile app or the device. However, if you think it would be helpful, I can submit the bug report and link to this thread where all the information is.

      Do you have a web reporter that allows providing more thorough information in a proper bug report format?

      IvyPearson
      IvyPearson
      New Participant
      November 30, 2025

      Hi — it sounds like the repair may have messed up the Oculus Virtual Audio Device registration, which is why AirLink audio isn’t routing correctly. Try these steps:

      Completely uninstall Meta Quest Link (including the Oculus folders in C:\Program Files and C:\ProgramData) and all virtual audio drivers.

      Reboot your PC.

      Reinstall the latest Meta Quest Link freshly downloaded from Meta’s site.

      After installation, go to Sound Settings → Playback Devices and ensure the Quest audio device is set as default communication device while connected via AirLink.

      Optional: Disable any third-party audio software that may conflict (Voicemeeter, Nahimic, etc.).

      This usually restores proper AirLink audio routing. If it still doesn’t work, check that the Oculus Virtual Audio Device appears under both Playback and Recording devices—sometimes Windows hides it under 'Audio Inputs and Outputs' instead of 'Sound, video and game controllers'.

      RabidHobbitAuthor
      Inspiring
      November 30, 2025

      Thanks, Ivy_Pearson​ . I know my post was very long, but if you read through it, you'll see that I did remove all VADs. Well, Oculus was the only one I had, so that is what I removed. And I have uninstalled and reinstalled since then. I always reboot after an uninstall and after a reinstall just to be sure everything is cleared out after an uninstall, and that things still work after a new installation -- when troubleshooting something like this I mean (I'm not normally that obsessive 😉).

      I will try again*, however, could you look over my screenshots to see if anything stands out to you as incorrect in my Device Manager? That screenshot was taken after I had exhausted all the troubleshooting steps that I listed (except testing the Beta Channel, which I did afterward).

      If it still doesn’t work, check that the Oculus Virtual Audio Device appears under both Playback and Recording devices—sometimes Windows hides it under 'Audio Inputs and Outputs' instead of 'Sound, video and game controllers'.

      If you check out my screenshots, I have both the input and the output device listed there. This doesn't seem to any indicator at all over whether this issue is fixed or not. Again, if you see something suspect in any of my screenshots, please mention it!

      Edit: * I tried again and it made no difference. Of course as mentioned in my other post, running the uninstall procedure removes all the drivers, so it's not possible to remove the drivers manually after doing that. Otherwise I ran your steps again exactly as you wrote them (and of course all the other combinations of ways I've run uninstall/install and repair!)

      PS -- I didn't mention this earlier as to not overcomplicate things, but just before I began troubleshooting, I also uninstalled SteelSeries GG. I guess that was technically my first troubleshooting step. Of course GG did not cause any issues before, but I figured it will be easier to troubleshoot my Quest issue with GG uninstalled, and then reinstall it after I get the Quest Link working again. That was the only 3rd party audio software/driver that I had previously, and I have none on my system now.

        diegomendez9619
        New Participant
        November 30, 2025

        i also have the no sound problem common meta solve this...

         

          klauone
          New Participant
          December 1, 2025

          For me what worked was changing the 'oculus-client\Client.exe' filename to 'oculus-client\OculusClient.exe', then doing  

          Method 2

          1. Navigate to "C:\Program Files\Oculus" (use cmd.exe or just browse to the folder)
          2. Run OculusSetup.exe
          3. (This also runs the Link Setup app)
          4. Select Repair

          (Method 2 from Rabid.Hobbit)

          While not a long term fix (changing filenames and whatnot) my audio playback was fixed after that.

            RabidHobbitAuthor
            Inspiring
            December 1, 2025

            Thanks for reporting. I thought this one might actually work for me, too, but it didn't. I also rebooted after it didn't work just to see if that helped, but it didn't.

            During the repair, it replaced OculusClient.exe with Client.exe, but I suspect it did that in your case too if you check. So you probably don't have to worry about your fix being a hack.

            OomPiesang
            New Participant
            December 1, 2025

            having EXACT same issues as u so ill keep my eye on this thread for a fix

            GoldSrc3
            New Participant
            December 1, 2025

            I'm having this exact problem, everything you showed is the same on my end.

            Tried to repair and reinstall everything, but nope.

            One day everything was perfect, then next day zero audio. Steam Link and ALVR both have no problem sending audio.

            It sucks because AirLink is the only way I can play Crysis VR, it never works with ALVR or Steam Link.

              MetaStoreHelp
              MetaStoreHelp
              Community Manager
              December 1, 2025

              Hey GoldSrc3,

               

              We saw your post and, as you've tried all the troubleshooting available, wanted to invite you to chat with us privately to look into other options!

               

              You can get in touch with us by clicking our name, navigating to our page and selecting 'Send a Message'.

               

              We look forward to hearing from you!

              If you're the author of a thread, remember to mark a reply as the Accepted Solution to help others find answers!
              mezanu
              New Participant
              December 1, 2025

              After update oculuslink v83, having this exact problem, everything tried, but not sound.

                DevinWyldeheart
                New Participant
                December 1, 2025

                Having the same problem with my quest 2, neither mic or audio working after updating.

                SpikeVR31
                New Participant
                December 1, 2025

                Hello, 

                I had the same issue for days but it seems I was able to fix it or maybe Meta Devs fixed the installer.
                Here is the fix :

                •  Open Uninstall or Modify programs (appwiz.cpl ) in Windows
                • Right click on  Oculus   (editor Facebook Technologies, LLC) and select Modify
                • Click Repair
                • You will see the full download of the application and the install starts
                • During the installation , check the content of the folder
                  C:\Program Files\Oculus\Support\oculus-client (or two level higher C:\Program Files\Oculus until support and oculus-client folders appear)
                • When it is there, open it and copy/paste client.exe then rename the copy OculusClient.exe
                • Wait for the installation to finish without any error. 
                • Meta Quest link application will start and perform updates (I had 7 small ones)
                • OculusClient.exe will dissapear from C:\Program Files\Oculus\Support\oculus-client so I created it again doing a copy of client.exe + rename into OculusClient.exe
                • Meta Quest Link will ask for a restart of the computer after drivers installation
                • After restart it works !

                • or just repair your application and restart after updates because they repaired the installer and my fix was just a coincidence .

                  Good Luck
                  RabidHobbitAuthor
                  Inspiring
                  December 1, 2025

                  I just gave this a try; clever idea. It didn't work for me, though. After I made the copy and renamed it, and the installation completed, but unlike you I didn't have any updates when the Link app started. It also didn't ask for a restart. I restarted anyway just in case, but no dice.

                  Perhaps the renaming didn't do anything in your case and you just needed a repair. A number of people have solved this issue by doing a repair or an uninstall/install, but not everyone.

                  The bootstrap installer is still the same one as it has been for the last several days, but the actual downloads are handled on some backend, so it's possible they updated those. But unfortunately no luck for me yet. Thanks for sharing your results.

                  veato
                  New Participant
                  December 1, 2025

                  Exactly the same issue as described in the original post only via USB cable. I've also tried everything. It was working fine around a week ago the last time I used it. Funnily enough the Quest Link app did have a notification of an update around 4 days ago I think it was. They must have broke something in that update surely.

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