By
Delia
/ Last
update
January 5, 2022
Auto HDR was originally introduced in Microsoft's 9th generation gaming consoles, the Xbox Series X and S, and is now included in the Windows operating system. Compared to Windows 10, HDR works better in Windows 11, where it greatly surpasses the standard photography techniques used in the past to light up games, and is very useful when recording real scenes or playing games.
However, HDR (High Dynamic Range) is first and foremost a feature of your monitor. In other words, your TV or monitor needs to have the physical capabilities needed to display HDR images. So does your Windows 11 PC support Auto HDR, and how do you enable it?
Hardware requirements to turn on Auto HDR in Windows 11
To enjoy these new graphics effects, you first need HDR-enabled hardware, or more precisely, an HDR-enabled monitor. In addition, you need to make sure you have the best connection quality. Check that your monitor has an available port, and if you have an HDMI or Display port, connect via those ports. Ideally, DisplayPort 1.4 will yield the best results in terms of connectivity and graphics. HDMI and USB-C will also suffice. You should also purchase a quality cable.
Official requirements for external displays:
♦ HDR monitor with HDR10 support
♦ DisplayPort 1.4 or HDMI 2.0 or higher
♦ An integrated or dedicated GPU with PlayReady 3.0 support, such as:
- Intel UHD Graphics 600 series or higher
- NVidia GeForce 1000 series or higher
- AMD Radeon RX 400 series or higher
How to turn on Auto HDR in Windows 11
Windows 11 doesn't change the Auto HDR settings much, you can set it up in a similar way to Windows 10. Here are two common methods. 1.
1. Enable Auto HDR using keyboard shortcuts
The easiest way to enable HDR in Windows 11 is to use the keyboard shortcut Windows + Alt + B.
After pressing this key combination, your screen may go black for a second. When it turns back on, you may see a screen indicator with the word HDR on it. Also, your screen colors will look more vibrant when HDR is turned on.
If you don't like the visual effect when HDR is on, you can also choose to turn it off.
2. Enable Auto HDR from Settings
Press the Windows+ key or click the Start menu icon in the middle of the taskbar and select Settings.
When the Settings window opens, go to "System". Then go to "Display" from the right pane.
Click on "HDR" to expand the settings menu.
You can find if your display is supported to "Use HDR" or "Play streaming HDR video" under "Display capabilities". If yes, you can turn on them, and scroll down to enable "Auto HDR" option.
For some video games that support HDR, you can also enable or disable HDR directly in the settings without leaving the game.