Calibrating your HDR display in Windows 11 is crucial for optimizing the visual experience. Proper calibration enhances color accuracy, shadow detail, and overall immersion by adjusting brightness, contrast, and color settings. However, it’s important to note that some monitors labeled as “HDR” may not meet the necessary standards, rendering calibration ineffective. Additionally, Windows 11’s handling of HDR for regular desktop usage may not be satisfactory.
HDR (High Dynamic Range) is a technology that expands the color and contrast range of digital displays, promising a more immersive and realistic visual experience. However, to harness its full visual potential, you need to calibrate your HDR settings correctly. Here’s how to do so in Windows 11
Windows 11 HDR Calibration Step-by-step
Calibrating an HDR display in Windows 11 requires a few steps, including installing the Microsoft calibration app, enabling HDR on the monitor, and using the app to calibrate the display.
First, Install the HDR Calibration App. Open the Windows HDR Calibration tool store page by searching for it in the Microsoft Store, click “Get “, and wait for the installation process to complete.
Next, Enable HDR. Assuming you have an HDR-capable display, right-click anywhere on the desktop, and select Display Settings from the menu that pops up.
Tip: For detailed steps, refer to our full guide to enabling HDR in Windows 11.
Select the HDR monitor.
Scroll down to find the “Use HDR” option.
Optionally, if you click the little arrow to the right of “Use HDR” you’ll get more fine-grained control over how HDR operates and looks. However, since we’re going to do
Tip: Windows 11 now has a simple keyboard shortcut to toggle HDR on and off. Just press Win + ALT + B and your screen will switch modes.
Now, calibrate Your HDR Display. Open the Windows HDR Calibration app and click the “Get started” button.
You will then be prompted to adjust several settings. For each setting, drag the slider left or right until the pattern is no longer visible to calibrate the screen, then click the “Next” button.
Finally, confirm a profile name and click the “Finish” button, followed by the “OK” button.
Why Calibration Matters for HDR in Windows 11
Calibrating your HDR display can significantly enhance your viewing experience. Proper calibration adjusts the brightness, contrast, and color settings to optimize the display’s output.
This can result in more accurate color representation, improved shadow detail, and a more immersive and realistic viewing experience. In other words, by calibrating your display you make sure that you’re getting what you paid for when you bought an HDR panel.
When you first tried HDR in Windows 11, you may have been disappointed by the look of HDR on your desktop in particular, but also in games and HDR media like video. Calibration might just mean the difference between HDR being great or completely unusable.
Why Calibration Might Not Help
Calibration is definitely something everyone should do before giving up on HDR in Windows 11, but even with calibration, you may still find the results underwhelming. The fact of the matter is that there are many “HDR” computer monitors and TVs out there that really have no business using that label.
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While they might be capable of color and brightness values outside of the SDR standard, they lack the specifications to present HDR content as intended. There are plenty of screens that have nowhere near enough peak brightness or contrast to meet the most basic HDR standards. Why this has happened and how such monitors can have an “HDR” logo on them is a story for a different day, but suffice it to say that you should probably look up your display model on specialized websites such as RTINGS to see whether it passes the HDR sniff test. If not, no amount of calibration can overcome hardware limitations.
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There’s also something to be said for Windows 11’s handling of HDR as a whole. Even on good HDR monitors, I have yet to find a way for the regular desktop environment to look remotely acceptable in HDR mode.
This is why the new HDR keyboard shortcut in Windows 11 mentioned above is such a godsend. It means you can use your desktop in SDR, and quickly toggle the feature on before you launch a game or a movie. Unless you’re editing HDR content, there’s little benefit to having HDR on for desktop work.
But with a little effort on the front end and a quick toggle to switch between work and play mode, you’ll get the most out of your HDR monitor.
