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How to put a person from a video into your room on Meta Quest

Updated 29 October 2026 · About 10 minutes the first time

Short answer: cut the person out of the background, then play the cut-out in passthrough. CutoutXR for Mac does both. You click the person, on-device AI cuts them out of every frame, and the Quest Browser shows them standing life-size on your real floor when you press Enter AR (or Enter VR for VR). It works from ordinary videos and photos, with no green screen, no app to install on the headset, and nothing uploaded.

What you need

• A Mac with Apple silicon (M1 or newer) on macOS 14 Sonoma or later, with about 2 GB free.
• A Meta Quest 2, 3, 3S or Pro on the same Wi-Fi as the Mac.
• A video or photo with the whole person in view. Phone clips are perfect; a steady camera helps.

Steps

1. Install CutoutXR. Download it free and open it. It's notarized by Apple, so macOS opens it after a one-time "Open" prompt.
2. Add a video or photo. Drop it in: MP4, MOV, MKV, WebM, AVI and GIF videos, or JPEG, PNG, HEIC, WebP and TIFF photos. Up to 5 minutes of each video is used.
3. Click who to keep. Click the person, or each person if you want more than one, or an object or pet. On-device AI follows them through every frame of the video.
4. Check it and fix any slips. The Problem buttons jump to moments worth a look. If tracking slipped, jump to that moment and add a click: only that moment is re-tracked, not the whole video. Choose 2D, or 3D with AI depth (CutoutXR Pro; the free version makes 20-second 3D previews).
5. Open CutoutXR on the Quest. Put on the headset, open the Quest Browser and type the https address CutoutXR shows on your Mac. The first time, the browser shows a privacy warning for this private, local address; CutoutXR explains how to continue and shows the certificate fingerprint to check. Enter your passcode, and bookmark the page for next time.
6. Enter AR, or Enter VR. Pick the cut-out and press Enter AR. The cut-out appears in front of you, standing on your floor, life-size. Drag it with your right controller to move it, and use the menu to resize it, replay it, slow it to half or quarter speed, or mirror it. Press Enter VR instead to watch it in VR.

Tips for a clean cut-out

• Keep the whole body in shot, feet included, so the cut-out stands properly on your floor.
• A steady camera works best. A moving camera is fine too; CutoutXR can steady the cut-out.
• Low-resolution video? Turn on the free AI HD upscale, which makes 480p and 720p videos into sharp 1080p cut-outs.
• Two people together? Click each one. To keep just one of two dancers, click only the one you want.

Other ways to watch on Quest

CutoutXR can also export a cut-out for the HereSphere video player (transparent, using a mask file beside the video) or DeoVR (green screen, keyed out by the player with passthrough turned on). Open CutoutXR in the Quest Browser and save these exports there, and the files land straight on the headset.

Questions

Does it work on Quest 2?

Yes. Quest 2 shows your room in black and white; the cut-out itself is always in full colour. Quest 3, 3S and Pro show your room in colour.

Can I watch it in VR instead of passthrough?

Yes. Press Enter VR instead of Enter AR to see the cut-out in VR.

Do I need to install anything on the Quest?

No. CutoutXR plays in the Quest's built-in browser using WebXR. Your Mac streams the cut-out over your own Wi-Fi, encrypted and passcode-locked.

Is it free?

The free version has every 2D feature, makes cut-outs up to 20 seconds with a small watermark, and gives 20-second 3D previews. Paid one-time versions (opening soon) remove the watermark and the length limit; CutoutXR Pro adds 3D. See pricing.

No Mac?

CutoutXR for iPhone and iPad, coming to the App Store in late 2026, makes cut-outs on an iPhone or iPad and shows them life-size through its camera, with no headset. A Windows version is planned.

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