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In Windows 11, open Settings > System > Display > Color profile, select the monitor you want to configure, then add an existing profile, set a listed profile as that display’s default, or run the calibration flow. Adding a profile and activating it are separate actions. The available controls depend on your display and system support.
Open Color profile for the correct display
- Open Settings > System > Display.
- Select the display you want to manage near the top of the page. In a multi-monitor setup, check the selected display before changing any profile; profiles are associated with individual displays.
- Open Color profile.
Add and set an existing profile
Use this route when you already have a profile file intended for the specific display.
- Choose Add profile and locate the profile file.
- After it appears in the profile list, choose Set profile on that profile to make it the default for the selected display.
Adding a profile makes it available to select; it does not, by itself, make it the active default. A profile intended for a different monitor may produce inaccurate results, so use one matched to the display and check the colors in the apps that matter.
Remove a profile or create one through calibration
Remove a profile
On the selected display’s Color profile page, expand the profile entry and choose Remove.
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Run Windows display calibration
Choose Calibrate display and follow the on-screen steps. Windows creates a profile for the display on which you run the calibration flow. For an HDR-enabled external display, Microsoft says the flow prompts you to use the Windows HDR Calibration app.
A colorimeter can measure a display’s actual output for measurement-based calibration, but it is not required for the basic profile-management steps or the built-in calibration route. Microsoft Learn describes measurement-based calibration as measuring output for known color values, deriving a correction transform, then storing and applying it.
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Turn on automatic color management if it is available
On the selected display’s Color profile page, look for Automatically manage color for apps. If the toggle is present, turning it on enables Windows automatic color management for supported displays. The option is not available on every Windows 11 PC or display.
Microsoft describes the feature as helping apps render a wider range of colors with more precision, with a stated range of 10–16 bits of precision. That figure describes what the feature can make available; it is not a promise that every display or app will use or show that precision. Microsoft also notes that systems with displays limited to 8-bit color can use techniques such as dithering.
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Choose the right route for your situation
| Your situation | Use this route | Important distinction |
|---|---|---|
| You have a profile file for the monitor | Add profile, then choose Set profile | Adding and setting are separate steps. |
| You want Windows to create a calibration profile | Choose Calibrate display | The calibration profile is for the display selected when you run the flow. |
| You are calibrating an HDR external display | Start with Calibrate display | Windows prompts you to use Windows HDR Calibration. |
| You want Windows to manage color for apps automatically | Enable Automatically manage color for apps, if shown | Availability depends on display and system support. |
What to know about HDR and hardware support
Advanced Color changes how display ICC profiles behave in ways that are not backward-compatible, including HDR and automatic color management scenarios. If colors differ between apps, the app’s color-management behavior and whether Advanced Color is active may be relevant.
Microsoft Learn’s hardware and driver requirements apply to its documented newer GPU color-transform pipeline, not to simply opening Settings or selecting an ordinary profile. That pipeline requires a capable GPU and display driver; Microsoft lists supported GPU generations and WDDM 2.6-or-later drivers, while some vendors may require a newer driver.
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Official Windows guidance
Microsoft’s Windows color management settings guidance describes the controls to add or remove profiles, set default profiles for connected displays, access calibration, and enable automatic color management. Microsoft Learn provides technical background on Windows color management and Advanced Color.
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