How to Enable the Windows 11 HDR Mode for Compatible Monitors

If you recently purchased a high-end gaming monitor or a premium television, it likely supports HDR (High Dynamic Range). Unlike standard SDR (Standard Dynamic Range), HDR vastly increases the color volume and peak brightness of your display, resulting in incredibly lifelike video playback and deeply immersive gaming graphics.

However, simply plugging an HDR-compatible monitor into a Windows 11 computer does not automatically activate the feature. Windows defaults to SDR for all displays to ensure maximum software compatibility. You must manually force the operating system to send an HDR signal to your new screen.

How to Enable HDR

1. Open the Windows 11 Settings app by pressing Windows Key + I.
2. In the left-hand navigation pane, click on System.
3. In the main right-hand menu, click on Display.
4. If you have multiple monitors connected to your computer, look at the graphical diagram at the top of the page and click on the specific square that represents your new HDR monitor to highlight it.
5. Scroll down to the “Brightness & color” section.
6. Locate the toggle switch explicitly labeled Use HDR. Toggle it to the On position.

Your screen will likely go completely black for one or two seconds as the graphics card aggressively switches rendering modes. When the picture returns, you will be in full HDR mode.

Configuring Auto HDR for Gaming

Now that the core engine is active, you should enable Microsoft’s excellent Auto HDR feature, which uses artificial intelligence to artificially inject HDR lighting into older video games that were never originally designed to support it.

1. Click directly on the words Use HDR (or the small arrow next to the toggle switch) to open the advanced configuration page.
2. Scroll down the page until you find the toggle switch labeled Auto HDR.
3. Toggle it to the On position.

Note: If you are simply browsing the web or typing a Microsoft Word document, the desktop might look slightly washed out or strangely dim in HDR mode. HDR is optimized specifically for full-screen video playback and video games. Many professional users choose to toggle HDR off during normal office work, and only toggle it back on when they launch a video game or open Netflix.