External Monitor · Display & Sound

Turn on HDR for expanded brightness range and color in supported content

HDR (High Dynamic Range) lets a compatible monitor display a wider range of brightness and color than standard SDR content, producing brighter highlights and deeper shadows in games, video, and photos that were mastered for HDR.

What you should know

  • Windows: Settings → System → Display → toggle "Use HDR" on for the connected monitor (only appears if both the monitor and the connection support it).
  • Windows 11: after enabling HDR, open "HDR settings" and use the "HDR/SDR brightness balance" slider — without this adjustment, everyday SDR content like websites and documents can look washed out or dim once HDR is on.
  • macOS: System Settings → Displays → select the monitor → enable "High Dynamic Range" if the option is present; not all macOS versions or Mac models expose this toggle for third-party HDR monitors.
  • Confirm the monitor's own OSD has HDR enabled or set to "Auto" — many monitors require HDR to be turned on both in the OS and in the monitor's own picture-mode menu before it actually activates.
  • Verify the cable and port support the required bandwidth (HDMI 2.0a or newer for 4K HDR at 60Hz, HDMI 2.1 or DisplayPort 1.4 for higher refresh rates) — insufficient bandwidth can cause the HDR toggle to fail silently or force a lower resolution/refresh rate.

Many budget monitors are only certified to the entry-level "DisplayHDR 400" tier, which has no local dimming and limited peak brightness — on these panels, HDR content can actually look flatter than well-tuned SDR, so it's worth comparing both before assuming HDR is strictly better on a given monitor.

Why it matters

HDR support varies enormously between monitors even within the same marketing tier, so knowing where to enable and calibrate it — and recognizing when a specific monitor's HDR implementation isn't strong enough to be worthwhile — prevents chasing a setting that a given panel can't meaningfully deliver on.

Best practices

  • Adjust the HDR/SDR brightness balance slider immediately after enabling HDR in Windows; skipping this step is the top reason people conclude HDR "ruins" their screen and turn it back off.
  • Enable HDR only when watching HDR-mastered content or playing HDR-capable games if your monitor's SDR-under-HDR handling looks poor — toggling it off for regular desktop use avoids the washed-out look entirely.
  • Check both the OS-level toggle and the monitor's own OSD HDR setting — a mismatch between the two is the most common reason HDR appears to do nothing.

Common problems and fixes

HDR toggle is missing in Display settings
Confirm the monitor is DisplayHDR/HDR10 certified, that the cable and port support the needed bandwidth, and that you're connected via HDMI 2.0a+ or DisplayPort 1.4+ rather than an older cable or a USB-C dock that doesn't pass through full bandwidth.
Everything looks dim or gray after turning HDR on
Open Windows HDR settings and raise the "HDR/SDR brightness balance" slider, or check the monitor's OSD for a separate HDR brightness/peak-brightness setting.

Tips and tricks

  • Use the built-in Windows "HDR Calibration" app (search Start menu for "HDR Calibration") to fine-tune peak brightness, black level, and color values specifically for your monitor's HDR mode.

Frequently asked questions

Does HDR affect refresh rate or resolution?

It can, indirectly — HDR at high resolution and refresh rate together may exceed a cable or port's bandwidth, forcing the system to drop resolution, refresh rate, or color depth (chroma subsampling) to compensate.

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