To calibrate display color in Windows 11, open Settings > System > Display > Color profile, select Calibrate display and follow the steps for gamma, brightness, contrast and color balance. Windows saves the result as a new color profile for that display. In Windows 10, search for “calibrate display color” in Settings. For color-critical work such as print or photo editing, use a hardware colorimeter instead.
This guide walks through the built-in tool, HDR calibration, resetting a profile, and how calibration differs from brightness and color temperature, the hardware settings that apps like MonitorPilot change.
How do I calibrate my monitor in Windows 11?
Microsoft’s display brightness and color page gives the route:
- Reset your monitor’s picture settings to factory defaults in its on-screen menu, and let it warm up for a while.
- Go to Start > Settings > System > Display > Color profile.
- Select the display you want to calibrate at the top.
- Select Calibrate display and follow the steps.
Microsoft notes this “will create a new color profile for the display where the calibration tool is located,” so move the calibration window to the screen you are calibrating. For HDR-enabled external displays, Calibrate display sends you to the Windows HDR Calibration app instead (see below).
The tool behind this is the Display Color Calibration tool, Dccw.exe, in %Windir%\System32. Microsoft describes it in its tools index as letting users “adjust their display color to be closer to” the sRGB color space. Because it lives in System32, you can also start it by pressing Windows logo key + R and typing dccw.
How do I calibrate display color in Windows 10?
Microsoft’s instruction for Windows 10 is: “search for ‘calibrate display color’ in the Settings search box and follow the directions.” It opens the same Display Color Calibration tool, so the steps below apply to both versions. Windows 10 support ended on October 14, 2025.
What does each calibration step do?
The tool is visual: it shows reference images and you adjust until they look right. In plain terms, the four areas it covers are:
| Step | What it controls | What you are aiming for |
|---|---|---|
| Gamma | How quickly the image moves from dark to light | Midtones that look natural, neither muddy nor washed out |
| Brightness | How dark the darkest tones are | Dark detail visible without turning black into grey |
| Contrast | How bright the brightest tones are | Bright detail visible without clipping white |
| Color balance | The mix of red, green and blue | Neutral greys with no color cast |
Follow the on-screen instructions for each step; some use your monitor’s own buttons and some use sliders in Windows. Laptop screens usually have no separate contrast control, so follow the tool’s prompts for what to do on a built-in display.
How do I calibrate an HDR display?
On Windows 11, Microsoft’s Windows HDR Calibration app handles HDR screens. The requirements:
- Windows 11 and an HDR-capable display, built-in or external.
- HDR turned on in Settings > System > Display > HDR.
- The app running full screen on the HDR display.
- A newer GPU and a WDDM 2.7 or later display driver.
Install it from the Microsoft Store, open All apps > Windows HDR Calibration, and work through the three test patterns, recommended by the HDR Gaming Interest Group, that find the darkest visible detail, the brightest visible detail and the maximum brightness. A final slider sets color saturation for SDR and HDR content. Microsoft suggests calibrating in your normal lighting, turning off post-processing effects in the monitor menu, and re-running the app whenever your display setup changes.
If you have a built-in display that plays streaming HDR video but does not support HDR games and apps, Microsoft points you to Display calibration for HDR video on the same HDR settings screen. For how HDR brightness settings relate to the monitor’s backlight, see SDR content brightness vs monitor brightness.
When do you need a hardware colorimeter?
The built-in tool relies on your eyes, so it is good for removing an obvious color cast or setting a sensible gamma. It cannot measure what the panel actually outputs.
Buy or borrow a colorimeter if you:
- Edit photos or video for clients, or prepare work for print.
- Need two monitors to match closely in color, not just brightness.
- Want to verify accuracy over time as a panel ages.
A colorimeter sits on the screen, measures test colors and writes an accurate profile with its own software. Windows then uses that profile like any other.
How do I reset display color calibration?
Calibration creates a profile; resetting means choosing a different one or removing it.
- Switch back: go to Settings > System > Display > Color profile, select the display, then choose a different profile and select Set profile.
- Remove it: on the same page, expand the calibration profile and select Remove.
- HDR Calibration profiles: Microsoft says to remove these from Color Management in Control Panel: search for
color management, open the All Profiles tab and remove the profile.
Also check Automatically manage color for apps on the Color profile page. When on, Windows applies system-level color management on supported displays, which can change how colors look in apps.
Calibration vs brightness, color temperature and Night light
These are often confused:
- Calibration changes how Windows renders color on a display, stored as a color profile.
- Monitor brightness and color temperature are hardware settings inside the monitor, changed with its buttons or over DDC/CI.
- Night light shifts the screen to warmer colors at night. It is in Settings > System > Display > Night light settings and is separate from calibration.
If you want warmer evenings without touching calibration, see night dimming and warm monitors on Windows 11. If two screens differ mainly in brightness, see how to match brightness on two monitors, and for brightness controls in general, see how to adjust screen brightness in Windows.
To switch an external monitor’s hardware presets from the desktop, PowerToys Power Display is a free option that changes brightness, contrast and color temperature over DDC/CI. MonitorPilot does the same on Windows 11 with profiles and per-app rules, according to its Store listing. Neither calibrates or measures your display; they change the monitor’s own settings. If they cannot reach your monitor, see DDC/CI not working on Windows 11.
Switch external monitor brightness and color temperature presets from the tray on Windows 11. It does not calibrate or create color profiles.
Get it from Microsoft
Frequently asked questions
How can I reset my display’s color settings?
Set a different profile, or remove the calibration profile, in Settings > System > Display > Color profile. Then reset the monitor’s own picture settings to factory defaults in its menu.
Does Windows calibration create an ICC profile?
Yes. Microsoft says calibrating creates a new color profile for the display. You can see and manage it on the Color profile page.
Can I calibrate an HDR monitor with Windows?
Yes, on Windows 11 with the Windows HDR Calibration app from the Microsoft Store. HDR must be turned on and the app must run full screen.
Is the built-in tool accurate enough?
For everyday use, usually. Microsoft describes it as bringing color closer to sRGB by eye. For print, photo or video work, use a colorimeter.
Why did my colors change after calibrating?
The new profile is now active, or Automatically manage color for apps is on. Check which profile is set on the Color profile page and switch back if you prefer.
Try MonitorPilot
MonitorPilot is in the Microsoft Store for Windows 11 and external monitors with DDC/CI. More detail is on the MonitorPilot product page.
Keep calibration in Windows and put your monitor’s hardware controls in the tray.
Get it from Microsoft
Windows and PowerToys are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies. MonitorPilot is not affiliated with or endorsed by Microsoft.
Last updated 23 October 2026. Published by Automata Labs, a software company in Canada.