Microsoft’s Windows 11 is a pretty operating system on almost any PC. But if you have a monitor that’s capable of running in high dynamic range (HDR) mode, you’ll get a brighter, more vivid experience–whether you’re mousing around the desktop, watching your favorite HDR movies, or hunkered down with your favorite HDR game. So you’ll want to make sure it’s enabled.

So whether you’re looking to enable HDR on Windows 11 for the first time, or you had it enabled and it went away, we’ll show you how to turn on HDR (or just make sure it’s enabled) in Microsoft’s latest OS below. Don’t worry, it’s a simple process that only takes a couple of steps.

2. Flip the switch labeled Use HDR. One item down on the Windows 11 Display settings window, you should see a Use HDR item. To the right of the label is a toggle switch. If your monitor is capable of HDR, you’ll be able to switch it and bathe in the glow of extra colors, contrast and brightness.  

If you’d like to play with Windows 11’s HDR settings, rather than just turning HDR on, there’s also a more advanced HDR menu. You can get to by clicking the Windows logo (or pressing the Windows key) to open the Start menu, typing HDR and pressing Enter.

From this HDR settings window, you can enable or disable HDR, and change the HDR settings on all of your available HDR-capable monitors. You can also select which type of content you want to play in HDR, turn on Auto HDR (which attempts to make SDR games look more like HDR), and more. 

More Windows 11 Tutorials:

1. How to Get a Windows 11 ISO File and Do a Clean Install
2. How to Enable God Mode in Windows 11 or 10
3. How to Uninstall Windows 11 and Return to 10
4. How to Clean Install Windows 11, No Product Key Required
5. How to Install Windows 11 in a Virtual Machine

Matt began piling up computer experience as a child with his Mattel Aquarius. He built his first PC in the late 1990s and ventured into mild PC modding in the early 2000s. He’s spent the last decade covering emerging technology for Smithsonian, Popular Science, and Consumer Reports, while testing components and PCs for Computer Shopper and Digital Trends. When not writing about tech, he’s often walking—through the streets of New York, over the sheep-dotted hills of Scotland, or just at his treadmill desk at home in front of the 50-inch 4K HDR TV that serves as his PC monitor.