How to Use Oculus Mover (vrBackupper) to Transfer Games Between Drives

Oculus Mover (vrBackupper): Simple Guide to Moving Your VR LibraryMoving a VR library can feel intimidating: large files, quirky installation paths, and apps that expect content in specific folders. Oculus Mover (also known as vrBackupper) is a lightweight tool that simplifies relocating Oculus/Meta Quest PC VR games between drives — freeing up space, consolidating libraries, or moving to a faster SSD. This guide walks through what Oculus Mover does, when to use it, step-by-step instructions, tips to avoid problems, and quick troubleshooting.

What is Oculus Mover (vrBackupper)?

Oculus Mover (vrBackupper) is a utility that moves installed PC VR games and apps between folders or drives while preserving each app’s installation integrity and the Oculus/Meta runtime’s ability to launch them. It automates copying files, updating registry entries or configuration files (when needed), and ensuring the Oculus software still recognizes moved content.

Why use it instead of copying manually? VR libraries often include registry keys, manifest files, or app-specific config entries that point to absolute paths. Manual copying can leave those pointers broken, causing the Oculus desktop app or games to fail to launch or to attempt re-downloading files. Oculus Mover aims to handle these subtleties so you don’t have to.

When should you move VR content?

• Your system/drive is running out of space.
• You want faster load times by moving to an SSD.
• You’re consolidating games onto a single drive for easier backups.
• You’re migrating to a new PC and want to preserve installations.

If you have a few small apps and are comfortable with editing paths or re-installing, manual methods can work. For larger libraries or to avoid re-downloads, use Oculus Mover.

Prep: What to check before moving

• Back up any save files that aren’t cloud-synced. Some games store progress in separate directories; verify cloud save status or manually copy save folders.
• Close the Oculus/Meta PC app and any VR applications before moving files.
• Ensure you have enough free space on the destination drive to hold the largest app you plan to move.
• Note any apps that use custom launchers (e.g., SteamVR-dependant titles, Revive-wrapped apps). These sometimes need extra attention after moving.

Step-by-step: Using Oculus Mover (vrBackupper)

1. Download and install Oculus Mover (vrBackupper)

   • Obtain the tool from its official source or the developer’s release page. Verify the download’s integrity (checksums/signatures) if provided.

2. Launch Oculus Mover as Administrator

   • Right-click the executable and choose “Run as administrator” to ensure it can modify system entries if necessary.

3. Scan your current Oculus library

   • Use the tool’s scan or “detect installations” feature. It should list installed Oculus PC VR apps, showing current install paths and sizes.

4. Choose the app(s) to move

   • Select one or multiple entries from the list. For bulk moves, move apps in groups that fit the destination space and that you won’t need during the process.

5. Select the destination folder or drive

   • Pick an existing library folder or create a new folder on the target drive. Confirm the destination has adequate space.

6. Start the move operation

   • Click Move/Transfer. The tool will copy files to the destination and then either update manifests/registry entries or create junctions/symlinks to preserve original paths depending on options and platform behavior.

7. Verify completion

   • Once finished, open the Oculus/Meta PC app and attempt to launch moved games. They should start normally. If not, try restarting the Oculus software or running the repair option for that app.

8. Clean up (optional)

   • If Oculus Mover left junctions/symlinks, you may choose to remove originals after confirming everything works. If the tool used direct path updates, the original folders should be empty and removable.

How Oculus Mover handles paths (technical notes)

• Registry and manifest updates: Oculus desktop apps keep metadata and install paths in manifests/registry. Oculus Mover may update these to the new locations.
• Junctions/symlinks: In some cases Oculus Mover can create NTFS junctions from the old path to the new one. This is useful when software stubbornly expects the original path.
• Copy-then-delete: The tool typically copies files first, then verifies integrity before deleting originals to avoid data loss.

Common options and what they mean

• Dry run / simulate: Shows what would change without actually moving files.
• Copy only: Copies files but leaves originals intact (safe for testing).
• Move (copy + delete): Copies then removes originals after verifying success.
• Create junctions/symlinks: Leaves a link at the old location pointing to the new location to maintain compatibility.
• Update manifests/registry: Attempts to change software records to the new path rather than rely on links.

Troubleshooting

• Game won’t launch after moving:
  • Restart Oculus/Meta PC app.
  • Run the Oculus app’s repair/verify option for that title.
  • Check for missing files in the new folder. Re-run Oculus Mover with copy-only to restore files.
• Oculus desktop tries to re-download content:
  • Ensure manifests or registry entries were updated. If not, create junctions from old path to new path or let Oculus re-download only missing files.
• Missing save data:
  • Restore from your backup. Look for saves in Documents, AppData, or the game’s install folder depending on the title.
• Permission errors:
  • Re-run Oculus Mover as Administrator. Check destination drive’s permissions and that the user has write access.
• Slow transfers:
  • Moving across USB drives or over the network will be slower. Prefer local SATA/NVMe drives or use a fast USB 3.⁄₃.2 enclosure.

Best practices and tips

• Move one large title first as a test — verify launch and saves — before moving many at once.
• Keep a list of which titles were moved and their new paths.
• Use an SSD for the most demanding VR titles for reduced load times.
• If you plan to later uninstall, consider whether symlinks/junctions will complicate clean removal — prefer updating manifests if you want a tidy uninstall later.
• Regularly back up non-cloud saves; VR games sometimes store progress in non-obvious locations.

Quick reference checklist

• Backup saves.
• Close Oculus/Meta and VR apps.
• Run Oculus Mover as Admin.
• Scan, select, choose destination, and move.
• Verify by launching moved games.
• Remove originals only after confirming success.

Oculus Mover (vrBackupper) doesn’t eliminate all possible edge cases, but it greatly reduces the friction of relocating PC VR content. With a careful test-first approach and backups, you can reclaim space or gain speed with minimal disruption to your VR library.