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Enroll Meta Quest Devices through Horizon Managed Services

Steps to enroll Meta Quest devices using the Horizon managed services integration.

Written by Josh Franzen

Who can use this feature?

👤 Organizations Owners, Admins, Group Admins, and custom roles with the "Create Enrollment Files" permission.
🚩 Available on all plans.

Overview

💡 New to Horizon managed services? Check out our FAQ, Horizon managed services FAQ 1 (Orientation), for frequently asked questions about Meta's changes and what it means for your organization.

Enrolling Meta Quest devices into ArborXR through Horizon managed services requires three simple steps:

  1. Create an enrollment file in ArborXR either:

    • Option 1: at the group level (recommended)

    • Option 2: at the organization level

  2. Create a Third-Party Enrollment in Horizon managed services

  3. Complete enrollment by entering the device code (displayed in the headset) into the Horizon managed services portal.

Before enrolling your Horizon managed service (HMS) devices into ArborXR, it's crucial to understand Meta's device modes (shared and individual). Having a clear plan for your desired device mode will help you choose the correct enrollment method: using a device code or Meta's Device Setup App. Click Shared Mode and Individual Mode to learn more about the different modes offered by Meta.

Step 1: Create Enrollment File in ArborXR

Option 1: Create the Enrollment File at the Group Level (Recommended)

⚠️ For a more efficient enrollment process, generate an enrollment file for each group in ArborXR where you intend to enroll devices. Devices are automatically assigned to the group associated with the enrollment file, which removes the extra step of manually adding them later.

  1. In ArborXR, navigate to the group you wish to enroll devices into.

  2. Ensure the group is configured to either ArborXR Home or ArborXR Kiosk Mode (i.e., shared mode) prior to continuing to step 3.

  3. Select the Enrollment tab.

  4. Navigate to the Enrollment Files section, then click Create JSON File.

  5. Under Format, select Horizon managed services.

  6. Enter a unique title.

  7. Click Create.

  8. Download the enrollment file.

Option 2: Create the Enrollment File at the Organization Level

⚠️ With this option, devices are enrolled without a group. This means you'll have to manually assign each device to a group once enrollment is complete.

  1. In ArborXR, navigate to organization Settings.

  2. Select the Enrollment tab.

  3. Click Create JSON File.

  4. Under Format, select Horizon managed services.

  5. Enter a unique title.

  6. Click Create.

  7. Download the enrollment file.

Step 2: Create Third-Party Enrollment in Horizon managed services

⚠️ In Horizon managed services, create a unique Third-Party Enrollment for each enrollment file generated in ArborXR. For instance, if you have two device groups in ArborXR and download separate enrollment files for each, you'll need two distinct Third-Party MDMs in HMS, one for each group.

  1. Log in to the HMS's Device Manager.

  2. Navigate to Managed Devices in the side navigation menu.

  3. Select Third Party MDMs in the secondary side navigation menu.

  4. Click Create third-party enrollment.
    ​

  5. Select ArborXR from the dropdown.
    ​

  6. Enter a unique name, then click Next.

  7. Upload the enrollment file downloaded from ArborXR, then click Next.

  8. Click Save.

Step 3: Enroll devices

Option 1: Meta Horizon Device Setup App (Recommended)

⚠️ This option is recommended because it eliminates the need to put on the headset and manually enter the device code into Horizon managed services, streamlining the enrollment process.

The Meta Horizon Device Setup app will enroll Quest devices only in Shared Mode, even if a group is set to ArborXR's Device Home Environment. If you would like to enroll a headset directly into a group set to Device Home Environment (HMS's Individual Mode), see Option 2 below.

  1. Log in to the Horizon managed services Device Manager.

  2. Navigate to Managed Devices in the side navigation menu.

  3. Select Enroll Devices.
    ​

  4. Select In the Device Setup app.

  5. Download the Setup app for either MacOS or Windows.
    ​

  6. Once installed, log in.

  7. Click on the 3-dot more options icon in the bottom left.
    ​

  8. Select Settings.

  9. Configure the Device Language (set to English by default) and Network details. This will automatically provision the Wi-Fi network to the devices during enrollment.
    ​

  10. Connect the device via USB.

  11. Press and hold the volume down and power buttons until the device enters fastboot mode.
    ​

  12. Select the Third Party MDM configuration created in Horizon managed services in Step 4 by clicking Select in Admin Center. You will be redirected to the Horizon managed services web application, where you can select the Third Party MDM configuration.

  13. Once the Third Party MDM has been selected, click Confirm to be redirected back to Meta's Device Setup app.

  14. Click Enroll.
    ​

Option 2: Device Code

⚠️ When you enroll devices using the device code, their mode (shared or individual) is determined by where the enrollment file was generated: either from a specific group or from your organization's general settings.

If the enrollment file is generated from a group:

  • Shared Mode: The device will be configured to shared mode if the group is set to ArborXR Home, ArborXR Kiosk Mode, or In House Launcher.

  • Individual Mode: The device will be configured to individual mode if the group is set to Device Home Environment.

If the enrollment file is generated from organization settings:

  • When the enrollment file comes from your organization settings, devices are initially configured in Individual Mode.

  • They will remain in individual mode until they are manually assigned to a group that is configured for ArborXR Home, ArborXR Kiosk Mode, or In House Launcher. Once assigned to such a group, the device will then automatically switch to Shared Mode.

  1. Put the headset on.
    ​

    Important ⚠️: If the device is already set up, you will need to factory reset it, as MDM enrollment via Horizon managed services can only be done during the initial out-of-box device setup experience.

  2. Follow the initial in-device instructions. Do not download the Meta Horizon mobile app.

  3. If the device was purchased as a Meta Horizon managed services device, select Continue when you reach the Connect your headset to your organization screen.

    • If you are repurposing a Meta Quest device for your organization, when you reach the Pair your headset to the Meta Horizon mobile app to continue screen, first select Connect to your organization at the bottom.

  4. You’ll see an 8-digit device code on screen.

  5. Take off the headset. On your PC, navigate to the Horizon managed services Device Manager and log in.

  6. Navigate to Devices in the side navigation menu.

  7. Click + Enroll Devices.
    ​

  8. In step 1, Select how the device will be configured, select the ArborXR third-party enrollment created in Step 2.

  9. In step 2, Enter 8 character temporary device code, and enter the 8-character code displayed within the headset.
    ​

  10. Click Enroll device.

  11. After completing the enrollment by accepting all prompts within VR, the device will appear in both Horizon managed services and in ArborXR. It may take up to 1 minute before it appears in ArborXR.

Troubleshooting common enrollment issues

Spinner doesn't complete when uploading the enrollment file in Meta HMS

This is almost always caused by using the wrong Meta portal. Meta has two separate portals — Admin Center and Device Manager — with no redirect between them. The third-party MDM page may appear to load correctly from the old address, but the JSON upload never completes.

Fix: Go directly to https://devicemanager.meta.com/device_management/third_party_mdms. Close any other Meta portal tabs, create your third-party enrollment from that page, and upload a freshly downloaded JSON file.

If the spinner persists at the correct URL, your network may be blocking Meta's enrollment endpoints. Retry on a phone hotspot — this takes two minutes and confirms whether network filtering is the cause. Meta's full list of required endpoints is at https://work.meta.com/help/278069664862989.

"Can't setup device" error on the headset during enrollment

This error means the headset couldn't download the ArborXR admin app during the Meta handoff step. It typically happens when the HMS enrollment file is out of date — the download URL embedded in the file may have changed as part of a platform upgrade.

Fix: Re-download a fresh enrollment JSON file from ArborXR (following Step 1 above) and re-upload it to your existing HMS Third-party MDM configuration. You don't need to delete and recreate the configuration — uploading a new file overwrites the existing one without affecting any already-enrolled devices.

💡 If you generated your enrollment file several months ago and are seeing errors at the Meta download step, refreshing the file is the recommended first troubleshooting step.

Device enrolled in Individual Mode or doesn't appear in ArborXR after enrollment

This means the headset was enrolled directly through Meta rather than through the ArborXR MDM chain. It usually happens when:

  • The group was not set to ArborXR Home or ArborXR Kiosk Mode before the JSON file was generated.

  • No ArborXR third-party enrollment was selected when enrolling the device, or the dropdown was left empty.

Fix: A factory reset is required. Meta only allows MDM enrollment during the initial out-of-box setup, so the device can't be converted in place.

  1. In ArborXR, open the target group and set the Kiosk Experience to ArborXR Home or ArborXR Kiosk Mode.

  2. In the group's Enrollment tab, generate a new JSON file (Horizon managed services format) and download it.

  3. In Meta Device Manager, create or update the Third-party MDM entry with the new JSON file.

  4. Remove the device's existing record from Meta Device Manager (three-dot menu on the device row) to avoid a stale entry.

  5. Factory reset the headset.

  6. Follow the in-headset setup. At the pairing screen, choose Connect to your organization — do not use the Meta Horizon mobile app.

  7. In Meta Device Manager, click Enroll Devices, select the ArborXR third-party enrollment, and enter the 8-digit code.

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