🛠️ Installing VRChat

You can play VRChat for free on various devices and platforms, even without a VR headset! Let's start this guide by reviewing the platforms VRChat is compatible with and providing installation instructions on each.

Click any of the links below to find VRChat on your respective platform:

• 1. Download and Install Steam
  2. Navigate to the Store page
  3. Type "VRChat" into the search bar
  4. Add VRChat to your Steam Library
  5. Find VRChat in your library and click "Install"
• 1. Open the Meta Quest Store
  2. Type "VRChat" into the search bar
  3. Click "Get" to install
• 1. Open the Google Playstore
  2. Type "VRChat [Beta]" into the search bar
  3. Click "Install"
• 1. Open the Viveport store
  2. Type "VRChat" into the search bar
  3. Click "Install"
• 1. Open the Pico app store
  2. Type "VRChat" into the search bar
  3. Click "Get" to install

📝 Creating a VRChat Account

Congratulations on installing VRChat! You’re almost ready to step into its amazing virtual world. The next step is to create your VRChat account. Follow these simple steps to get started:

• Begin the Registration Process
  Click here to start creating your VRChat account
• Fill in Your Information
  Complete the required fields with your details
• Verify Your Email
  Check your email for a verification link to finalize your account
  Note: If you don't see it in your inbox, read this article for help with receiving our emails.
  

Once your account is set up, you can log in to VRChat on any supported platform, including our website. You’ll also gain the ability to upload Worlds and Avatars you’ve created using the VRChat SDK in Unity.

You can also create a platform account using Steam, Meta, Google, VIVE, or Pico to gain instant access to VRChat. You can start with a platform account and later create a VRChat account, which you can merge with your platform account. After merging, whenever you log in with your platform account, it will automatically log you in to your VRChat account!

🧭 Navigating Menus

Now that you've successfully set up your official VRChat account, it's time to log in and start exploring the menus! VRChat offers three different types of menus to help you navigate the platform.

1. 1. Quick Menu
   2. Main Menu
   3. Action Menu

Each menu serves a unique purpose and has distinct features while sharing similar functions and settings, offering various formats to accommodate different contexts and user needs.

Quick Menu

The first menu we will cover is called the Quick Menu, which provides easy access to frequently used options and actions. Often referred to as the "Small" or "Square" menu, it includes unique features like buttons for visiting your Home World or respawning and is opened by default with the Escape key on PC, B/Y buttons on VR controllers, and the Menu button on gamepads and mobile.

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  The Quick Menu allows you to access various essential features and options within VRChat. The menu includes a clock, displays your current VRChat Credit balance, and can show performance metrics like FPS and ping. You can also quickly mute or unmute your microphone and activate Safe Mode for enhanced security.
  
  

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  • Worlds: Opens the Worlds menu, where you can search for new Worlds or explore various categories.
  • Avatars: Opens the Avatars menu, where you can view and manage your uploaded or favorited Avatars.
  • Social: Opens the Social menu, allowing you to see what your friends are up to and join their current instances.
  • Groups: Opens the Groups menu, allowing you to view your existing groups and discover new ones to join.

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  • Go Home: Returns you to your Home World or default VRChat Home World, and exits the current World quickly.
  • Respawn: Takes you back to the spawn point set within the current World.
  • Select User: Opens a list of users in the same instance, allowing you to view their profiles
  • Change Shield Level: Switches between four shield safety settings.

Main Menu

The next menu we will explore is called the Main Menu, the most comprehensive menu in VRChat, providing access to all available options within the platform. The slideshow below will guide you through each tab, offering a brief overview of its offerings.

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  Launchpad

  The Launch Pad displays the Quick Menu banner, an overview of online friends, pending invites, friend requests, recently visited friends and Worlds, recently updated favorites, and users you've interacted with.
  

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  Notifications

  The Notifications section shows an overview of received notifications, sorted into categories like Friend Requests, Invites, Replies, Group notifications, and "Other" for system alerts or pending votekicks.
  

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  Profile

  The Profiles section displays personalized information about a user, including Status, Trust Rank, Bio, Current Instance, Languages, Social Links, Badges, and Group Memberships.
  

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  Worlds

  The World tab in VRChat allows users to explore, join, or create instances of different Worlds, access favorited Worlds, and search for Worlds using tags, author profiles, and a variety of categorized lists.
  

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  Avatars

  The Avatar tab allows users to browse, organize, and change Avatars within categories like Recently Used, Uploaded, Favorites, Fallbacks, Other, Public, and Legacy. Features vary for standard and VRChat Plus users.
  

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  Social

  The Social tab features access to Friends, Groups, user profiles, and lists such as Friend Locations, Group Activities, Online Friends, and more.
  

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  Groups

  The Groups tab lists all groups you've joined and allows you to search for new groups or group instances. Selecting a group opens its profile, where you can view info, gallery images, and active instances.
  

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  Safety

  The Safety tab controls your shield levels with four presets: Maximum, Normal, None, and Custom, which adjust surrounding users' visuals and audio for performance or safety.
  

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  Settings

  The Settings menu offers advanced options beyond the Quick Menu, covering categories like Audio, Graphics, Avatars, and more. You can also log out, exit VRChat, or use the Search button to find specific settings.
  

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  Search

  The Search tab helps you find Worlds, Avatars, Users, and Groups by entering a prompt. It also offers suggestions that can be shuffled for more search topics.
  

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  VRChat+

  The VRChat+ tab allows you to manage your subscription, customize your UI, and access perks like extra Avatar slots and a Trust Rank boost.
  

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  Help & Info

  The Help & Info tab offers guides, articles, and videos for new VRChat users, along with news and events similar to the Launch Pad banner.
  

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  Marketplace

  The Marketplace tab allows you to acquire and manage VRChat Credits, highlights Groups and Worlds with products to purchase, and provides a purchase history.
  

Action Menu

The last menu we will cover is the Action Menu, a circular, nested menu used for quickly accessing Avatar features like expressions, sending emojis, and toggling tools like the Personal Mirror. Often called the “Radial” or “Circle” menu, it's opened by default using the R key on PC, B/Y buttons on VR controllers, the Right Thumbstick on gamepads, and the Menu button on mobile.

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  Action Menu

  The Action Menu provides quick access to Avatar controls and other functions. For Avatars 3.0, these controls are fully customizable, allowing you to set parameters that influence your Avatar's reactions.
  

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  Tools

  The Tools menu gives you quick access to essential tools like the camera, chatbox, face mirror, and personal mirror.

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  Emojis

  The Emojis menu lets you access our default set of emojis or Custom emojis that you can upload if you have a VRChat+ Subscription. 

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  Options

  The Options menu lets you open the chatbox, toggle nameplates, adjust your Avatar, bring up a personal mirror, access the Action Menu, manage OSC settings, or mute your microphone.
  

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  Expressions

  The Expressions menu gives access to expressions and other features that have been added to the Avatar you are currently wearing.
  

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  Expressions - Quick Actions

  The Quick Actions section of the Expressions menu lets you adjust Avatar height, reset your Avatar, and release poses with ease.

👤 Choosing an Avatar

VRChat offers an impressive variety of user-created Avatars, making it easy to discover something that truly reflects your personality! There are a few ways to find and wear Avatars.

🤝 Adding Friends

Now that you've found the perfect Avatar, it's time to start making friends! One of the greatest benefits of VRChat is the ability to connect with people from all over the World, anytime, without leaving the comfort of your home. In the next step, we'll cover how to add friends in VRChat.

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  Adding Friends while in an Instance

  You can easily add people you meet in an instance as friends. Just select them in-game and click Friend Request in the Quick Menu. 
  

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  Searching for a Friend

  If you know the name of a friend you'd like to add, follow these steps in the Social Menu:
  

  • Select User Search
  • Enter their name
  • Locate their account and click Friend Request on their profile

Removing friends from your list is just as simple! Head over to the profile of the friend you'd like to remove and click Unfriend. Easy as that!

🌐 Joining or Creating an Instance

Now that you know how to add friends, let's meet up with them! In this section, we'll explore instances, which are unique sessions of a VRChat World. When you join an instance, you can interact with others in that same session, but not with users in different instances. Instances have settings that control who can join or see the instance, and each instance is connected to a region, which is a server managing the connections between users.

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  Joining an Instance

  You can join Public instances by selecting a world and looking through the list of Active Instances.
  

• 

  Creating an Instance

  You can create an instance by clicking New Instance and selecting the instance type that suits your needs.
  

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  Joining a Friends Instance

  In the Social menu, you can view where your friends are and easily join their instance.
  

Instance Types and Permissions

You have full control over the privacy level of the instances you create, allowing you to choose who can join and interact in your session. Here's a breakdown of the available privacy levels:

• 1. Public
     A publicly listed instance for anyone to join.
  2. Friends+
     An instance your friends can join and invite their friends to.
  3. Friends
     An instance only your immediate friends are allowed to join; Friends of friends are excluded.
  4. Invite+
     Users and their friends must request to join; however, if you or an invited user's social status is set to Join Me, they can join without approval.
  5. Invite
     Users must send a join request unless their social status is set to Join Me. Friends of friends are excluded.
  6. Group
     Restricted to only certain group members or specific roles within that group.
  7. Group+
     An instance hosted by a group, allowing group members, friends of members, and others to join. Membership in the hosting group is not required.
  8. Group Public
     A publicly listed instance hosted by a group and open for anyone to join. Group public instances may have moderators.

• 

🔒 Adjusting Safety Settings

Safety is vital in VRChat, and various options ensure a secure and customizable experience. The Safety menu provides quick access to pre-set configurations.

The Safety Shield, which is detailed further in the VRChat Safety and Trust System documentation, is the primary protection when interacting with new users and Avatars, adjusting features based on the user's Trust Rank and Avatar Performance level.

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  Maximum Safety Setting

  This is the safest mode! It turns off most Avatar features for all user Trust Rank. This setting is an excellent option for beginners who want to avoid feeling overwhelmed by other users' Avatars
  
  

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  Normal Safety Setting

  This setting turns off Avatar features for less trusted users and enables more features for Trusted Users. It is an excellent choice for players who want more interactaction with Trusted Users' Avatars.
  
  

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  No Safety Setting

  This setting allows you to see almost all Avatar features on all users, excluding those with the nuisance rank. It is NOT recommended, as it exposes you to everything on all users' Avatars!
  
  

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  Custom Safety Setting

  This setting allows you to customize which Avatar features you want to see for each user Trust Rank. It is an excellent choice for experienced players who want to fine-tune their experience.
  
  

🚨 Reporting Users or Worlds

While exploring VRChat, you might encounter users who violate our terms of service and community guidelines. To keep your experience positive and secure, you have several tools at your disposal to moderate your environment. Here are some options you can use to protect yourself and others:

• You can report users, Avatars, Worlds or groups through the Quick Menu's Report button. For more detailed reports, contact the Trust and Safety team. 
  
  
  
  

• Mute users by opening Quick Menu, pointing at them, and selecting User Voice.
  
  

• Remove users from your view by selecting them and clicking Block User. They will no longer be able to see you, and you will no longer be able to see them. Blocked users can still interact with the World in ways you may be able to perceive. Other users can still see both of you.
  
  

• Hide features of other user's Avatars like sounds, visuals, animations, and more using the Safety System.

• In the Main Menu, under Comfort & Safety, turn on Personal Space to make nearby users disappear. You can still hear them.
  
  

💎 Subscribing to VRChat+

Congratulations on completing the Getting Started guide! We hope this guide has helped you navigate the captivating world of VRChat and made your experience more enjoyable.

Are you looking to elevate your VRChat experience? A VRChat+ subscription unlocks exclusive features like a personal gallery, extra Avatar slots, and custom UI themes—your key to an even more personalized and immersive experience.

Subscribe to VRChat+ in 3 easy steps!