How to Configure Color Management Profiles in Windows 11 Display Settings

Open Color Management

Color Management opens from the Start menu ⊞. From there you can assign ICC profiles, change rendering intents, and manage default system color behavior. It’s a classic Control Panel 🎛️-style window, so it looks different from the rest of Windows 11. That’s normal.

1. Open the Start menu, type Color Management, and press Enter. The Color Management window opens on the Devices tab.
2. If Windows asks for administrative permission, click Yes. On a standard account, you’ll need to enter an administrator’s password.
3. Look at the Device drop-down menu at the top of the window and check that the right monitor is selected. If you have multiple displays attached, choose the screen you want to work on from this list. If you’re not sure which is which, use Identify monitors in the same window.
4. Check the Use my settings for this device box. This lets your custom configuration override the default Windows color setup. If the box is unticked, the profile buttons below it stay greyed out, so tick it before you try to add or change anything.

Add a Color Profile

Adding a color profile means putting a manufacturer file or calibration result into the system’s profile list so Windows can apply it to your display. Typical sources are a profile downloaded from your monitor maker or one saved by a calibration tool. Each profile applies only to the device selected in the Device list, so pick the right monitor first.

1. Open Color Management and select your display from the Device drop-down menu.
2. Click the Add button beneath the profiles list. The Associate Color Profile window opens and lists the profiles already installed on the PC. If your profile is in the list, select it and click OK.
3. If your profile isn’t listed, click the Browse button and locate the downloaded ICC or ICM file on your local drive.
4. Select the profile file and click Add. The profile is imported, and you return to the main Color Management window, where it now appears in the list for that display.

To undo this step, select the profile in the list and click Remove. That only removes the association with the display and doesn’t delete the file.

Set a Default Profile

A default profile tells Windows which color file to use for the selected display. If you’ve associated several profiles, only the one marked as default is applied.

1. Open Color Management and click the profile you want in the list of associated profiles.
2. Click the Set as Default Profile button on the right side of the window. If the button is greyed out, you may have the wrong monitor selected, or Use my settings for this device may be unchecked.
3. Check that "(default)" now appears next to your chosen profile name in the list.
4. Click Close. The new color mapping applies to your display immediately, and you don't need to restart. The screen may flicker or shift tone for a moment.

To go back, select your previous profile and click Set as Default Profile again.

Configure Advanced Color Settings

They matter most for apps that aren't color-aware, since those apps rely on what Windows sets. Change these only if you know why you need to. The defaults suit most people.

1. Open Color Management and click the Advanced tab at the top of the window.
2. Find the WCS Gamut mapping setting and pick the rendering intent you prefer for gamut clipping adjustments. Rendering intent decides how colors outside your monitor's range are handled.
3. Click the Change system defaults button to change color settings for all user accounts on the machine. This needs administrator privileges, so approve the prompt if one appears.
4. In the system defaults window, move through the sub-tabs to adjust device profiles and calibration settings globally. Anything you set here affects every user who signs in to the PC.
5. Click Close to apply your changes and exit the utility.

Troubleshooting Missing Profiles or Display Shifts

Sometimes Windows reverts your custom color settings after an operating system update, a driver reinstall, or waking from sleep. The usual causes are a scheduled calibration task that has been disabled or isn't running, or a conflict with a third-party calibration tool. Check both.

1. Open the Start menu, type Task Scheduler, and press Enter. Task Scheduler opens.
2. Expand the folder tree in the left pane and go to Task Scheduler Library › Microsoft › Windows › WindowsColorSystem. The tasks in that folder appear in the middle pane.
3. Check whether any automatic calibration tasks are disabled or failing when you log on. Look at the Status column and the Last Run Result column. If a task is disabled, right-click it and choose Enable.
4. Open Color Management, click the Advanced tab, and click Change system defaults.
5. Click the Advanced tab inside the system defaults window. If a third-party calibration tool manages your loading curves, uncheck Use Windows display calibration so the two don't fight over the same settings. If you don't use such a tool, leave it checked.

If the problem returns after an update, open Color Management and confirm your profile is still marked "(default)". Reapply it if it isn't.

Calibrate Your Display Using Built-In Tools

Windows includes a calibration wizard that adjusts gamma, brightness, contrast, and color balance by eye. It doesn't need a hardware colorimeter. A colorimeter will be more accurate, but the wizard is a decent improvement over an uncalibrated screen. Let the monitor warm up for about 30 minutes first, and avoid strong light falling on the screen.

1. Open the Start menu, type Calibrate display color, and press Enter. The Display Color Calibration window opens.
2. Read the introductory instructions and click Next.
3. Follow the prompt to reset your monitor to its factory default color settings, using the buttons on the monitor or its on-screen menu if it has a reset option. Then click Next.
4. Follow the on-screen steps to adjust gamma, brightness, and contrast, using the reference test images the wizard shows. Move the slider or monitor controls until the image matches the description on screen.
5. Adjust the color balance sliders until the neutral gray bars look free of unwanted color tints, then click Next.
6. Compare your new calibration with the previous one using the Previous calibration and Current calibration buttons. Then click Finish to save the custom profile. If you're not happy with the result, click Cancel instead to keep your old settings.

The wizard creates a new profile and adds it to your display. Use the Color Management window to check it or switch back to another profile.

What to do next

With your display profile configured, the screen should now render accurate, consistent colors in apps that support color management. Next, you could adjust your display refresh rate or set up a multi-monitor arrangement to suit your workspace.