Meta’s Quest 3 and Quest 3S headsets have just received a major upgrade to their Windows 11 Remote Desktop feature — now including custom aspect ratio settings and an immersive Ultrawide Mode.
This feature, developed as part of Meta and Microsoft’s ongoing XR partnership, first launched as an experimental option about a year ago. It allows users to mirror their Windows 11 PC directly inside VR with a simple tap of a virtual button that appears above the keyboard. When activated, the physical monitor automatically turns off and is replaced by a massive virtual display, giving users a productivity-focused immersive workspace.
You can even spawn up to three virtual monitors, each functioning as windows within Horizon OS, allowing seamless multitasking between VR and mixed reality environments.
Inspired by Apple’s visionOS
The concept behind this setup clearly takes inspiration from Apple’s Mac Virtual Display on visionOS — where users can turn their MacBook screens into virtual monitors inside Apple Vision Pro.
Previously, Quest 3’s advantage was its ability to create multiple side monitors, while Vision Pro offered the option of transforming the screen into a single ultrawide virtual display. With this new update, Meta and Microsoft have combined both ideas, giving users the best of both worlds.
New Aspect Ratio Options
By default, Quest’s virtual monitors display in the familiar 16:9 widescreen format, labeled as “Compact.” But users now have two more options to choose from:
- Portrait (3:4) – ideal for coding, reading, or document editing
- Wide (21:9) – perfect for cinematic experiences or video editing
You can mix and match aspect ratios across your three screens — for example, having a 16:9 main display with a portrait-oriented side monitor for vertical content.
Introducing Ultrawide Mode
One of the most exciting additions is the Ultrawide Mode, which turns a single screen into a massive curved virtual display that wraps around your field of view. This feature offers a truly immersive experience for gaming, multitasking, or deep focus work.
When activated, Ultrawide Mode automatically enables Focus Mode (previously known as Theater Mode), allowing you to adjust the brightness and background dimming for a distraction-free workspace.
Still Room for Improvement
While this update brings Quest 3 closer to the experience offered by Apple Vision Pro, one key feature is still missing — automatic wireless connection.
Unlike Apple’s instant ad-hoc connection between the headset and Mac, Quest 3 still requires a wired display cable for PC streaming. That means while Vision Pro users can effortlessly create a private wireless display on the go, Quest 3 users must rely on a cable setup for now.
Final Thoughts
Meta and Microsoft’s new Remote Desktop enhancements mark another strong step toward merging productivity and VR. With the addition of aspect ratio flexibility and Ultrawide Mode, Quest 3 users now have even more control over their virtual workspace setup.
If Meta eventually introduces seamless wireless PC connectivity, Quest could easily become one of the most powerful VR productivity tools available.
