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VR Overlays

Overlay management lives in VR, not in the Desktop Control Center. The vrOS dash overlay is the primary surface for refreshing, re-laying-out, and switching between full and compact dash modes.

Manage overlays from the vrOS dash icon
  • Single-click — refresh overlay titles
  • Double-click — cycle layout (Titles / Icons / Hidden)
  • Long-hold — switch between full and compact dash
  • Compact mode single-click — enter layout mode

Full reference: Shortcuts & Gestures.

vrOS ships an overlay stack for practical control rather than novelty windows.

Common overlay roles​

Capture​

Bring app windows or displays into VR so they can be positioned and interacted with in-space.

Dashboard and tools​

Use dashboard and tool overlays for quick control, utility actions, and workflow management.

Keyboard​

Use the in-VR keyboard when a physical keyboard is inconvenient, but verify focus first so text lands in the correct target.

Chat and utility surfaces​

Chat, audio, and other creator-adjacent tools are meant to stay close to your active workflow rather than becoming separate full-screen tasks.

Practical guidance​

  • Start with fewer active overlays and add them gradually.
  • Keep overlay count and capture resolution reasonable on midrange GPUs.
  • If a single overlay misbehaves, rebuild that overlay before restarting the entire stack.
  • Treat overlay placement and readability as comfort decisions, not just space-filling decisions.

If the dash is unreachable​

Right-click the vrOS icon in the Windows system tray → Reset vrOS Dashboard Overlay. This recenters the dash to its default position and is the canonical recovery when the dash isn't visible in SteamVR.