How to import and export screen color profiles in Windows 11

If you work with photo or video editing , play HDR games, or are simply a bit of a color accuracy pedant, you've probably noticed that Windows 11 doesn't always handle ICC profiles well . Sometimes it applies them, sometimes it doesn't, and switching between HDR and other modes can get a bit chaotic. Luckily, there are several ways to import, export, and manage color profiles, both with built-in Windows tools and more advanced solutions.

In this article you will see in detail how to install, import, export and switch ICC/ICM color profiles in Windows 11 , including a basic method using the system's Color Management and a more advanced one with DisplayCAL, ArgyllCMS, scripts and silent shortcuts to switch between SDR and HDR with a double click (or even with a button on a Stream Deck).

What is an ICC color profile and why does it matter in Windows 11?

An ICC color profile is, simply put, a file with a mathematical description of how a device—monitor, printer, scanner, etc.—reproduces color. These files usually have the extension .icc or .icm and follow the standards of the International Color Consortium (ICC).

Windows 11 and compatible applications use these profiles to accurately translate colors between different devices and color spaces . For example, between the color space of an image (sRGB, Adobe RGB, DisplayP3, etc.) and the actual capabilities of your monitor.

ICC profiles are used to make what you see on screen look as close as possible to the original file or the printed result . Without color management, on wide-gamut monitors it's very common for an sRGB photo to appear oversaturated because the screen displays "everything it can" without converting to the correct color space.

Many monitor manufacturers offer specific ICC profiles for each model , and there are also generic profiles from organizations such as the International Color Consortium or profiles created with calibration probes using tools such as DisplayCAL and ArgyllCMS.

In addition, some applications like Microsoft Photos in Windows 11 include their own internal color management , using the monitor's ICC profile (or EDID information, if there is no profile) and the profile embedded in the image, to display the colors as the content creator intended.

Basic ways to install ICC profiles in Windows 11

Installing an ICC profile on your PC is like installing a font: it doesn't do anything on its own until a program or the system itself decides to use it , but it remains available in the Windows profile "library" so that any compatible software can select it and thus adjust the screen colors.

In Windows 11, you have several easy ways to add ICC/ICM profiles to the system . They all end up in the same place: the Windows color profiles folder and the Color Management tool listing.

Method 1: Install using the right mouse button

This is the quickest and easiest way for most users. You just need to have the profile file unzipped in .icc or .icm format (if you downloaded it in a ZIP or RAR file, extract the contents first).

Steps:

• Locate the .ICC or .ICM file corresponding to the profile you want to add to Windows 11.
• click with it Right-click on the file.
• In the context menu, select the option “Install color profile” or simply “Install” (depending on the version).

This automatically copies the profile to the system folder and makes it available in Color Management . You don't need to manually change paths or move files.

Method 2: Install using Windows Color Management

Windows 11 includes a specific tool to view and manage all installed color profiles : the classic Color Management (colorcpl).

To open it, you can go to the Control Panel or use the search function:

• In the search box on the taskbar, type “colorcpl” or “Color Management”.
• Open the application “Color Management” that appears in the results.

Once inside, you'll see several tabs. The most common way to work is from:

• Devices: where profiles are associated with monitors, printers, etc.
• Advanced: where the overall behavior of the system's color management is controlled.

If you want to add a profile to have it available in Windows, you can do so from the advanced options tab:

• Go to the tab "Advanced Options".
• Push the button "Add…" in the profiles area.
• Navigate to the folder where you have downloaded and unzipped the ICC/ICM file.
• Select the profile and confirm with "To accept".

From there, the profile is added to the system and can be chosen as the default profile for a monitor or other device from the same Color Management tool.

Method 3: Copy the profile to the color library folder

Another, slightly more "manual" method involves directly copying the profile file to the Windows color profiles folder . This is useful if you want to perform a mass installation or if, for some reason, the "Install" context menu doesn't appear.

Profiles are saved, by default, in:

C:\Windows\System32\spool\drivers\color

To use them in this way:

• Open File Explorer and navigate to the route previous, or paste it into the address bar and press Enter.
• Drag or copy into that folder the .ICC/.ICM file that you want to install.
• From that moment on, the profile becomes part of the Windows profile library.

Please note that this folder is in a system area, so you may need administrator privileges to paste the file.

Importing, exporting, and backing up ICC profiles in Windows 11

In addition to installing profiles, it is very practical to be able to export the color settings of a monitor (for example, from a calibrated computer) to take it to another PC, or simply to have a backup in case you reinstall Windows.

In Windows 11, you can do this either from the Color Management tool or by directly copying the .icm files from the system folder . Both options are valid, but the graphical tool greatly simplifies the process.

Exporting profiles from a monitor using Color Management

To save the profiles associated with your monitor from the graphical interface:

• Opens Color management (colorcpl).
• Go to the tab "Advanced Options".
• Press on “Change system defaults…”.
• In the "Devices" From the new window, choose the calibrated monitor from the list.
• Make sure you have selected the associated profile that you want to export.
• Click on the "Profiles" (In the bottom right).
• Choose the option for save or export The settings: it usually allows you to export both the standard and advanced settings.

The system will save that data in .icm files that you can take to another computer and import using the same wizard , with the difference that instead of saving, you will choose "Load" or "Import".

Manual backup from the system folder

If you prefer a direct approach, you can back up the profiles by copying the .icm files from the color folder . This is a very useful method when you want to make a complete backup of all installed profiles.

You will find them in:

C:\Windows\System32\spool\drivers\color

It is enough to:

• Open that folder from File Explorer.
• Copy the .icm files that interest you (or all of them, if you want full support).
• Paste them in a safe location, such as an external drive or a backup folder.

When you want to restore them on another computer, you can reverse the process : copy those .icm files to the same colored directory of the new system, or install them by right-clicking on each file.

How to assign and change ICC profiles for the monitor in Windows 11

Once installed, you need to tell the system which profile to use for each monitor. This part is key, because simply installing the file isn't enough; you have to associate it with the correct device.

To assign an ICC profile to a specific monitor:

• Opens Color management (colorcpl).
• In the "Devices"Use the drop-down list to select your monitor. If you have multiple monitors, it may appear as “Monitor 1”, “Monitor 2”, or by model name.
• Check the box “Use my settings for this device”This indicates that you want to explicitly control the profiles of that monitor.
• Push the button "Add…" to choose one of the available profiles (for example, a standard sRGB or a manufacturer-specific profile).
• Once added, select it from the list and click on “Set as default profile”.

It's normal for the screen to flicker or briefly go black when applying or changing a profile . This is simply Windows refreshing the color settings for that device.

If you have downloaded a special profile (for example, from Adobe or the ICC), the flow is the same, with the difference that you first install it (right-click or copy to color folder) , and then you can select it from Color Management.

Color management in applications: why Microsoft Photos looks different from Paint

If you compare the same image opened in Microsoft Photos and in a simple application like Paint, you will most likely notice variations in color, especially on wide-range monitors.

The reason is that Microsoft Photos in Windows 11 (from recent versions onwards) integrates a comprehensive color management engine that takes into account:

• El ICC profile of the monitor that is configured in the system.
• La EDID information from the monitor if no ICC profile is available, to estimate its color space.
• El ICC profile embedded in the image (if it exists) to know in which color space it was generated.
• The default color space (sRGB) when the image does not have an attached profile.

With all that data, Photos performs a color transformation between the image space and the screen space , trying to make what you see as close as possible to the creator's intention, even if your monitor is wide gamut (for example, Display P3) and the image is sRGB, and also makes it easy to adjust the color temperature for more comfortable viewing.

In contrast, basic applications like Paint typically don't use color management . They simply send RGB values ​​directly to the monitor, which displays the colors within its maximum capabilities. On a wide-gamut monitor, this results in oversaturated images designed for sRGB, which is why they appear different compared to Photos.

If you want consistent display across applications, the ideal solution is to use programs that respect ICC profiles (Photos, Adobe editors, etc.), have your screen properly calibrated, and assign the correct profile to your monitor in Windows 11.

Advanced solution: Manage different profiles for SDR and HDR with DisplayCAL and ArgyllCMS

When you enter the realm of HDR monitors, especially OLED and high-end panels and 4K displays , an additional problem arises: Windows 11 doesn't cleanly manage the switch between SDR and HDR profiles . The system can behave inconsistently and doesn't always apply the correct profile for the mode.

A very powerful solution is to combine DisplayCAL and ArgyllCMS with some .bat scripts and a silent launcher, so that you can automatically switch between an SDR and an HDR profile for your monitor with a single shortcut.

Prerequisites: Updated DisplayCAL and ArgyllCMS

For this solution to work properly, you need to have DisplayCAL and its profile loader installed . DisplayCAL internally uses ArgyllCMS, which is a set of command-line tools for calibrating and profiling devices.

Some profiles, especially those generated by the Windows 11 HDR calibration tool, may not work correctly with older versions of ArgyllCMS . Therefore, it's advisable to update the folder used by DisplayCAL to a more recent version of Argyll, such as 3.3.0.

The general process would be:

• Close DisplayCAL and its profile loader from the system tray.
• Download the latest version of ArgyllCMS (for example, 3.3.0) and extract it.
• Locate the folder that DisplayCAL uses for Argyll, something like:
  C:\Users\YOUR_USER\AppData\Roaming\DisplayCAL\dl\
• Inside you'll see a folder like Argyll_V2.3.1 (The number may vary.) Rename it, for example, to Argyll_V2.3.1_old to keep a copy.
• Copy the extracted folder into that same path Argyll_V3.3.0.
• Rename the new folder to Argyll_V2.3.1 (or the name DisplayCAL was using), so that DisplayCAL thinks it's still using its old version, but it's actually running version 3.3.0..

Thus, the DisplayCAL profile loader will begin using Argyll's new tools, with better compatibility with modern HDR profiles.

Organize SDR and HDR profiles in a user folder

To ensure everything runs smoothly and avoid permission issues, it's best to save your custom profiles in a user folder, for example:

C:\Users\YOUR_USERNAME\Documents\ColorProfiles\

Inside you can place, for example:

• A file for your SDR profile, For example: MySDR_Monitor.icm.
• Another file for your HDR profile, For example: MyHDR_Monitor.icc.

It doesn't matter if one is .icm and the other .icc, the important thing is to write the name exactly in the scripts and that they are in a path where your user has access without needing administrator permissions.

Create .bat scripts to switch between SDR and HDR

The key to the trick is using ArgyllCMS's dispwin.exe tool , which allows you to install and uninstall color profiles from the command line. This way, with a simple .bat script, you can tell it which profile to load for each mode.

First, choose a folder in your user space where you want to save the scripts, for example:

C:\Users\YOUR_USERNAME\Documents\ScriptsColor\

Inside, create a blank text file and change its extension to .bat, for example: Enter_HDR.bat . Open it with Notepad and add three lines (adjusting the paths to your actual situation):

@ Echo off
C:\Users\YOUR_USER\AppData\Roaming\DisplayCAL\dl\Argyll_V2.3.1\bin\dispwin.exe -d 1 -v -U «C:\Users\YOUR_USER\Documents\ColorProfiles\MyMonitor_SDR.icm»
C:\Users\YOUR_USER\AppData\Roaming\DisplayCAL\dl\Argyll_V2.3.1\bin\dispwin.exe -d 1 -v -I «C:\Users\YOUR_USER\Documents\ColorProfiles\MyMonitor_HDR.icc»

What each line does:

• @ Echo off It prevents the console from displaying each command as it is executed, leaving the output cleaner.
• The second line tells dispwin that uninstall the SDR profile (“-U”), removing it from the profile loader for that monitor (identified here with “-d 1”). It doesn't delete the file from your user folder, but it does remove it from the system configuration and may even delete copies from C:\Windows\System32\spool\drivers\color.
• The third line indicates that Install/Apply the HDR profile (“-I”) as the active profile for that monitor.

Next, save the file and create a copy, for example Exit_HDR.bat , editing it to reverse the profiles (uninstall HDR and install SDR):

@ Echo off
C:\Users\YOUR_USER\AppData\Roaming\DisplayCAL\dl\Argyll_V2.3.1\bin\dispwin.exe -d 1 -v -U «C:\Users\YOUR_USER\Documents\ColorProfiles\MyMonitor_HDR.icc»
C:\Users\YOUR_USER\AppData\Roaming\DisplayCAL\dl\Argyll_V2.3.1\bin\dispwin.exe -d 1 -v -I «C:\Users\YOUR_USER\Documents\ColorProfiles\MyMonitor_SDR.icm»

Verify that in this second script the first line with dispwin uninstalls the HDR profile and the second installs the SDR profile , and that the paths to the files are correct, including dispwin.exe.

Once created, you can test both scripts by double-clicking them. They should change the active profile. You can verify this in the DisplayCAL profile loader (icon in the system tray) using the "Profile Associations" option, or from Windows Color Management.

Run scripts in the background with SilentCMD

It's quite annoying that a console window opens every time you switch modes. To avoid this, you can use a small utility called SilentCMD.exe , which allows you to run .bat files without displaying the terminal.

The idea is the following:

• Download and unzip SilentCMD in some folder, for example in Downloads.
• Finds SilentCMD.exeRight-click and select “Create shortcut”.
• In the newly created shortcut, open the Properties.
• In the “Destination” field, leave the path to SilentCMD.exe and, right after a space, add the path to your .bat script in quotation marks, for example:
  C:\Users\YOUR_USER\Downloads\SilentCMD\SilentCMD.exe «C:\Users\YOUR_USER\Documents\ScriptsColor\Enter_HDR.bat»

Apply the changes and close the properties. Now, double-clicking that shortcut will run the script that switches to the HDR profile without the console appearing.

Repeat the process by creating another shortcut for the output script to SDR, for example pointing to:

C:\Users\YOUR_USER\Downloads\SilentCMD\SilentCMD.exe «C:\Users\YOUR_USER\Documents\ScriptsColor\Exit_HDR.bat»

This will give you two shortcuts that you can place on your desktop, pin to the taskbar, or even assign to physical buttons on devices like a Stream Deck , so switching between SDR and HDR is as simple as pressing a button.

Tips and practical advice for using HDR in Windows 11

In practice, many users find it more reliable to first enable HDR mode in Windows and on the monitor , and then run the script that loads the HDR profile. Otherwise, Windows sometimes fails to recognize the profile as "HDR" correctly.

It's also possible that the DisplayCAL profile loader won't show the HDR profile as applied , even though it appears correctly in the Windows Color Manager as an active profile. This is a minor visual detail, but color management is still functioning.

In any case, with this combination of DisplayCAL, updated ArgyllCMS and scripts, you achieve something that Windows 11 still doesn't do natively : a controlled and reproducible change between different profiles depending on whether you are in SDR or HDR, ideal if you have calibrated the monitor specifically for each mode.

Ultimately, mastering ICC profiles in Windows 11, knowing how to install, export, and back them up, and, if necessary, combining tools like DisplayCAL with ArgyllCMS, allows you to have fine control over color reproduction , minimize surprises between what you see on screen and what you print, and ensure that HDR and SDR look as they should, without the system making decisions for you.