How to Turn On or Off HDR on Battery in Windows 11

What is HDR?

HDR, which stands for High Dynamic Range, makes your screen show brighter colors and more detail than regular displays.

HDR shows a much wider range of colors and light. You can see details in both the bright and dark parts of an image. Colors look more vivid and real. Bright parts are brighter and dark parts are darker, without losing any details.

HDR and Battery Life

Running HDR on your Windows 11 laptop uses more power, so it usually turns off automatically when you’re not plugged in.

If HDR is on when your laptop is plugged in, it will turn off automatically when you unplug it. When you plug it back in, HDR turns back on automatically.

Reference

HDR settings in Windows – Microsoft Support

Learn how to control HDR settings in Windows, turn on HDR, and fix common HDR display problems.

Option 1Use Settings

Turn On or Off HDR on Battery in Settings

1. ⚙️ Open Settings by pressing Win+I.
2. Click System on the left side, then click Display on the right side.
   

   You can easily control HDR on battery in Windows 11 through ⚙️ the Settings app to balance picture quality and battery life.

3. Click HDR or Use HDR on the right side.
4. Under Battery options, choose one of these:
   

   
   
   • Select Optimize for image quality from the drop-down menu.
   
   
   • Select Optimize for battery life (default) from the drop-down menu. Then check or uncheck Allow HDR games, videos, and apps on battery.

   
   

   If you uncheck Allow HDR games, videos, and apps on battery, the HDR toggle will turn off and become gray when on battery.

   
   

   Starting with Windows 11 build 25346 in the Canary Channel, build 26200.5581 (Dev) and build 26120.3950 (Beta 24H2), it is now easier to set up HDR when running on battery.
5. You can now close Settings.

Option 2Use Registry

Turn On Disable HDR on Battery

You’ll need administrator privileges for this step.

reg add "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\VideoSettings" /v DisableHDROnBattery /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f

Turn Off Disable HDR on Battery

You’ll need administrator privileges for this step.

This is the default setting.

reg add "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\VideoSettings" /v DisableHDROnBattery /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f

Summary

Windows 11 lets you choose if HDR stays on or turns off when your laptop is on battery power, helping you manage battery life and picture quality.