How to Turn Auto Color Management on or off in Windows 11
To turn on color management in Windows 11, open Settings System Display, select your monitor, click Color profile, and switch Automatically manage color for apps to On. Switch it to Off to turn it back off. Auto Color Management (ACM) matches colors across standard and high dynamic range (HDR) screens, so photos and videos look natural without extra setup.
To turn on Auto Color Management in Windows 11, open Settings System Display, select your monitor, click Color profile, and switch Automatically manage color for apps to On. Switch it off to turn it back off. You need Windows 11 version 22H2 or newer, and no restart is required.
ACM is built into Windows 11 version 22H2 and newer. It aims to make your monitor’s colors look right in every app, and you can change it in your display settings whenever you want. Leaving it on helps your screen show accurate colors for everyday web browsing and creative work.
Who benefits most:
- Creative professionals: Graphic designers, photographers, and video editors need colors to be exact. ACM keeps colors consistent from app to app.
- Enthusiasts: If you enjoy digital art or photography, or just like bright, true-to-life colors, you will likely notice the difference.
- General users: You don’t have to be a pro. Colors can look richer, and you may see fewer odd color patterns in dark areas.
ACM handles color profiles for the entire system, so colors look correct on compatible screens. It helps both modern and older programs render colors more faithfully. It also reduces color banding, which is the harsh, visible steps you sometimes see in smooth gradients, and it brings out subtle detail.
In short, this feature aims to:
- Keep colors the same across different programs.
- Make colors more accurate, for a more real-life look.
- Show more detail in pictures, especially where colors change slightly.
- Reduce visual problems like color stripes.
Enabling Automatic Color Management in 🪟 Windows 11
Turning on Auto Color Management takes a few clicks in the display settings. The setting is per display, so you work on one monitor at a time.
You need Windows 11 version 22H2 or newer. To see your version, go to Settings System About and look under Windows specifications. If you are on an older version, run Windows Update first. The option also depends on your graphics hardware and driver. A very old GPU or an outdated graphics driver can leave the toggle missing or greyed out, so update the driver if you don't see it.
- Open Settings. Click the Start button on the taskbar, then click the Settings icon (it looks like a gear). You can also press Windows key + I. The Settings window opens.
- Go to Display settings. Click System in the left menu, then click Display on the right. You should now see your monitor layout and brightness options.
- Choose your screen. If you have more than one monitor, select the one you want to adjust at the top of the page. Pick the right one before you change anything. If you aren't sure which is which, click Identify. A number appears on each screen to match the layout.
- Open the color settings. Scroll down in the Display settings and click Color profile. The color profile options for that monitor open.
- Turn on Automatic Color Management. Find Automatically manage color for apps and switch the toggle to On. The screen may flicker or go dark for a second while Windows applies the change. That is normal.
Once the toggle is on, Windows manages colors for that display automatically. Apps without their own color correction still benefit, because the system applies the display profile for them. You don't need to restart your PC.
To check the result, open a photo or video you know well and compare it with how it looked before. Colors should look more natural, and gradients should look smoother. If nothing seems to have changed, the difference may simply be small on your monitor. Toggle the setting off and on again to compare side by side.
A Quick Tip for Multiple Screens
With several monitors, you have to enable this setting for each display separately. Follow these steps:
- Open Settings System Display
- Select the screen you want from the drop-down menu or the monitor layout at the top of the page.
- Click Color profile.
- Switch Automatically manage color for apps to On for that screen.
- Repeat for each remaining monitor.
If it is missing for just one monitor, that is usually the reason, not a fault in Windows.
Summary
Auto Color Management makes colors look accurate and consistent across your apps. It helps creative professionals and everyday users get precise color without ugly gradient banding. With it on, pictures and videos look more natural on your screen.
To turn it off, follow these steps:
- Go to Settings System Display
- Select the monitor you want to change.
- Click Color profile.
- Switch Automatically manage color for apps to Off.
Colors return to how Windows handled them before. Turning it off is useful if you rely on a custom calibration profile and want to compare, or if you notice a color problem in a specific app. You can switch it back on at any time, and no restart is needed either way.
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About the Author
Richard
Tech Writer, IT Professional
Richard is a writer at Geek Rewind who turns complex IT tasks into clear, step-by-step guides. He draws on years of hands-on experience in system administration and enterprise IT operations, focusing on Windows, Linux and WordPress: the problems people actually run into, and the fixes that work. His server and WordPress guides come from systems he runs himself. Richard builds and maintains the platform behind Geek Rewind, from its Ubuntu servers and Nginx configuration to its custom WordPress plugins. Many new tutorials start with readers' questions, and he's always glad to answer them in the comments.
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