How to Change Color Management Settings in Windows

Know when to change your color management settings., Download your new profile files., Open the Color Management tool., Click the "All Profiles" tab., Click the "Add" button at the bottom of the window., Find the color profile file that you want to...

13 Steps 3 min read Advanced

Step-by-Step Guide

  1. Step 1: Know when to change your color management settings.

    Windows' color management feature ensures that all of your devices display similar colors.

    This is necessary because different devices display color in different ways.

    Your printer and your monitor, for example, both produce color with very different methods.

    Color management ensures that these colors match up as closely as possible.

    Most users should not have to make adjustments to their color management settings.

    You'll typically only need to adjust your color management settings if you have a device that comes with a specific color profile.

    Some devices may come with specialized profiles, and some may not.

    For example, a printer may have multiple color profiles for different types of paper.

    Many devices install their color profiles automatically.
  2. Step 2: Download your new profile files.

    You'll need color profile files in order to add them to the Color Management utility.

    You may be able to find these on the device manufacturer's support page, or on enthusiast websites.

    Windows supports ICC, ICM and CDMP format files for color profiles. , There are two main ways to quickly open this tool:
    Press ⊞ Win and then type "color management".

    Select "Color Management" from the list.

    Open the Control Panel from the Start menu.

    Click the "View by" menu and select one of the icon options.

    Click "Color Management" in the list of Control Panel options. , This will display a list of all the color profile files currently installed on your computer. , This will open a file browser. , Browse your computer for the new color profile file. , The Color Management tool assigns color profiles to your devices that output color.

    These devices could include your monitor, your printer, and your scanner. , Use the drop-down menu at the top of the window to select the device you want to adjust. , This will allow you to make changes to that device's color profile settings. , This will open a list of all of the color profiles installed on the computer. , Scroll through the list and find the new profile that you added earlier.

    Select it and click OK. , If you want the device to use your new profile as the default one, select it in the device's list of profiles and click "Set as Default Profile". , If you want a color profile to apply to all users, you'll need to set it as a system default.

    This requires being logged in with an administrator account.Click the "Advanced" tab and then click "Change system defaults".

    If you aren't logged in as the administrator, you'll be prompted for the password.

    Follow the same steps above to choose a device and set the default profile.

    This will apply to all users on the computer unless they manually change them later.
  3. Step 3: Open the Color Management tool.

  4. Step 4: Click the "All Profiles" tab.

  5. Step 5: Click the "Add" button at the bottom of the window.

  6. Step 6: Find the color profile file that you want to add.

  7. Step 7: Click the "Devices" tab.

  8. Step 8: Select the device that you want to assign the new profile to.

  9. Step 9: Check the "Use my settings for this device" box.

  10. Step 10: Click the "Add" button.

  11. Step 11: Select the profile you want to add.

  12. Step 12: Set the new profile as the default.

  13. Step 13: Set a profile as the system default.

Detailed Guide

Windows' color management feature ensures that all of your devices display similar colors.

This is necessary because different devices display color in different ways.

Your printer and your monitor, for example, both produce color with very different methods.

Color management ensures that these colors match up as closely as possible.

Most users should not have to make adjustments to their color management settings.

You'll typically only need to adjust your color management settings if you have a device that comes with a specific color profile.

Some devices may come with specialized profiles, and some may not.

For example, a printer may have multiple color profiles for different types of paper.

Many devices install their color profiles automatically.

You'll need color profile files in order to add them to the Color Management utility.

You may be able to find these on the device manufacturer's support page, or on enthusiast websites.

Windows supports ICC, ICM and CDMP format files for color profiles. , There are two main ways to quickly open this tool:
Press ⊞ Win and then type "color management".

Select "Color Management" from the list.

Open the Control Panel from the Start menu.

Click the "View by" menu and select one of the icon options.

Click "Color Management" in the list of Control Panel options. , This will display a list of all the color profile files currently installed on your computer. , This will open a file browser. , Browse your computer for the new color profile file. , The Color Management tool assigns color profiles to your devices that output color.

These devices could include your monitor, your printer, and your scanner. , Use the drop-down menu at the top of the window to select the device you want to adjust. , This will allow you to make changes to that device's color profile settings. , This will open a list of all of the color profiles installed on the computer. , Scroll through the list and find the new profile that you added earlier.

Select it and click OK. , If you want the device to use your new profile as the default one, select it in the device's list of profiles and click "Set as Default Profile". , If you want a color profile to apply to all users, you'll need to set it as a system default.

This requires being logged in with an administrator account.Click the "Advanced" tab and then click "Change system defaults".

If you aren't logged in as the administrator, you'll be prompted for the password.

Follow the same steps above to choose a device and set the default profile.

This will apply to all users on the computer unless they manually change them later.

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