Even when you have an HDR-capable display, you may not be able to see HDR due to settings. This page is meant to serve as a reference for troubleshooting HDR to ensure you are set up properly. Before you get to anything below, be sure to see my HDR test #1 to understand your current level of support (1b and 1c are helpful if you are on a mobile device that won’t support the first option).

My test #1 cannot be used on a mobile phone. For an iPhone, iPad, or supported Android device (Pixel), you can get the actual headroom from the mobile version of Adobe Lightroom. Edit an image in HDR mode (bottom of the “light” edit tab on a phone or the “HDR” button next to B&W on a tablet). Then view the histogram by using two fingers to tap on the image twice (the background of the HDR region of the histogram will indicated HDR headroom).

 

General things to know about troubleshooting HDR:

There is a lot of variability across different scenarios and it is helpful to keep in mind that:

• Every app needs to be have its own updates for HDR support. It isn’t something you just have everywhere. For example, you might have support in one part of an operating system but not another (such as the Windows File Explorer or MacOS Finder).
• Support may vary within an app (such as working for a large image view but not a grid of thumbnails). This may be cause the app has not been fully updated yet, or a conscious design choice (such as to not mix HDR and SDR images next to each other).
• Support may vary by device (for example, Pixel Pro phones generally have more expansive HDR software support than Samsung phones – even though both use Android).
• Support may vary by file type. So one app might support AVIF and another might only support JPG with a gain map.
• Support may also depend on encoding, such as use of the ISO vs some other type of gain map encoding. In rare cases, little details like color space may expose a bug or limits of support.

Given that, it is best to work with know successful test cases (such as a certain image that already work in the same app on another similar device). Once you’ve established support on the device, then move onto more specific questions (such as support for a specific image or application).

 

Important Adobe settings for all users:

• Lightroom Classic:
  • enable Preferences / Presets / “enable HDR editing by default for HDR photos” (this will turn on HDR mode for you when initially importing capable images)
  • enable Preferences / Performance / “enable HDR in Library” (this will let you see HDR when viewing large images in the Library, grid is not yet supported)
  • Optionally, set Preferences / External Editing / colorspace to “Pro Photo“.
    • When you use “edit in / open as smart object in Photoshop”, it will use the Rec2020 colorspace if the image is edited in HDR mode (and will use Pro Photo if not).
    • So this is a hidden option to choose Rec2020 as your default for opening HDR in Photoshop. Ideally, this would be an explicit option (and available for SDR, as Rec2020 includes printable colors without the substantial wasted extra volume of ProPhoto).
• Lightroom (cloud):
  • enable Preferences / Import / “enable HDR editing by default for HDR photos” (this will turn on HDR mode for you when initially importing capable images)
• Photoshop: enable PS Prefs / Tech Preview / Precise Color Management for HDR Display (then restart PS, without this 32-bit HDR will look clipped)
• Adobe Camera Raw: Go to the gear icon at top-right / Defaults and turn on “enable HDR editing by default for HDR photos” (this will turn on HDR mode for you when opening capable images)

 

If test #1 or Lightroom shows 0 stops of HDR headroom on a computer:

• HDR mode may not be enabled in System Settings / Display for your monitor. (Apple displays support HDR by default and won’t show a specific HDR mode, but MacOS will show a “high dynamic range” toggle for 3rd-party displays).
• Your brightness may be set too high.
  • HDR is simply whatever capability your monitor has above the SDR brightness you set. On a less capable 400-600 nit monitor, setting high brightness will result in 0 stops of HDR headroom. On a more capable display, you will also see a reduction in headroom with increased brightness (but typically still have some support even at peak brightness).
  • MacOS v15 was the first to offer a brightness slider for 3rd-party HDR displays (found under System Settings / Display when in HDR mode).
  •  On Windows, go to System / Display / HDR and make sure “SDR content brightness” is between 0 and 50.
• “Force color profile” might used in Chrome / Brave / Edge / Opera. If you enable this feature, the result is that the browser will lose all HDR support (even though another browser or Lightroom may indicate HDR support). Type chrome://flags/#force-color-profile into the URL bar of your browser and ensure it is set to “default” (change from chrome to edge/brave/opera if you use those browsers).
• Apple-specific issues:
  • If you are mirroring, make sure System Settings / Display is set to “optimize for” the HDR display.
  • If using an Apple computer with an “XDR” branded display (such as M1+ MacBook Pro), make sure System Settings / Display / Preset is set to a mode that supports HDR (such as “Apple XDR Display (P3-1600 nits)”). These displays offer tremendous control and may of the presets (including custom ones you might create) can disable HDR support. If you are able to use the keys to adjust brightness, then you are using a mode which supports HDR (though you may need to reduce brightness if your’e using the limited range preset).
• Windows
  • HDR is not supported when mirroring, set System Settings / Display for extended displays.
  • You may not be allowed to turn on HDR mode if your refresh rate is set too high.
• Try toggling HDR mode off and on or restarting the computer. In rare circumstances, both MacOS and Windows have incorrectly shown HDR mode active when it was not (ie a bug).

 

Other HDR issues on a computer:

• Each and every application you use needs to support HDR.
  • So if you have support in Chrome or Lightroom but do not see it elsewhere, that application either lacks HDR support or does not support the specific HDR encoding of your image. For example, your software might support HDR encoded as a JPG gain map – but not AVIF or JXL.
  • This applies to parts of the operating system as well (such as previews in MacOS Finder – even though Previews has support).
• Do not use a custom ICC profile in HDR mode.
  • There is no standard and using a custom profile will cause HDR to clip to SDR.
  • You can calibrate in hardware, which is possible with the ASUS ProArt displays I recommend, a TV, or Apple Displays (via “fine tune” calibration in MacOS). This makes the display more accurate without relying on an ICC profile (calibration in hardware is always the ideal solution, even if profiling were already supported for HDR).
  • You may use a custom profile when HDR mode is off (such as for SDR print work), but do not enable anything but the factory profile in HDR mode.
    • On Windows, you can assign a custom profile while in SDR mode and just use the default for HDR mode.
    • On MacOS, toggling is possible via ColorSync Utility or the Display Settings. However, a simpler option is to use BetterDisplay Pro, which offers “auto switch color profile for SDR and HDR modes” (ie, you can set the factory profile in HDR mode and your custom profile in SDR mode).
• If the display looks “washed out“:
  • check that your monitor is also in an HDR mode to match the operating system.
  • Ideally, a monitor would only offer modes which are suitable for your current MacOS / Windows display setting for HDR, but it may not always toggle correctly. The HDR mode in the monitor settings may be labeled with “PQ”.
• If using a Windows laptop and HDR highlights are clipping:
  • Windows offers 3 different brightness sliders. They are very confusing, and it is easy to create problems.
  • laptops (this is where you can run into this clipping issue with the wrong slider values):
    • The main slider which is named “brightness” under System Settings / Display only applies to laptop displays. It controls the backlight for integrated displays (ie, this is a change at the hardware level).
    • When HDR mode is enabled, these internal laptop displays also have an “HDR content brightness” slider in the HDR sub-section of display settings. The default value for this slider is likely to cause problems.
    • This HDR content brightness slider causes some very complex and confusing behavior:
      • Every application may respond differently, and photos and video may not be treated consistently.
      • When you move the HDR brightness slider, content will either change significantly (such as videos in Chrome or 32-bit Photoshop).
      • Or it may remain constant (such as photos in Chrome or ACR) – but only once the app gains focus.
      • The reported headroom does not change.
      • I believe Windows needs a complete rethink of this experience, MacOS is vastly easier – HDR just works in a laptop (it is enabled by default, there is a single slider, and content never clips).
    • Go to System Settings / Display / HDR (click > to the right of the HDR toggle) and set “HDR content brightness” to at least 80 (100 is safe and easy).
  • For external displays, things work differently and you won’t have this problem. There is no main brightness slider (as the backlight can’t be controlled this way). In the HDR sub-section of display settings will be an “SDR content brightness”. This is very similar to the MacOS brightness control for external displays. It affects the reference white level (ie brightness of SDR white). As you increase it, SDR content gets brighter and headroom left over for HDR decreases.
• The Windows HDR calibration tool should be avoided.
  • If you use it, you will likely see significant issues. I have never seen a better outcome, and many cases of absurd results (limited displays reporting 7 stops of headroom, etc).
  • In addition to uninstalling it, you may need to manually navigate to the system folder for profiles and remove what it created.
• If you use Windows 10 and Photoshop’s colors do not seem correct (especially if PS does not match ACR / Lightroom), right click on the app and go to Properties / Compatibility and turn on “use legacy display ICC colo]or management“
• If you are using a TV as an HDR monitor and see that your mouse moves slowly, this is because the TV is doing some processing and therefore creating a delay. Try setting the TV to gaming mode or turning off features which may cause lag.

 

If you can’t see HDR on an iPhone:

The best way to test your HDR headroom is via the Lightroom mobile app.

• Open a photo and turn on “edit in HDR mode” (found in the Develop module at the bottom of the “light” tab).
• Show the HDR histogram (do a 2-finger tap twice on the image to cycle to it, or via … / View Options / Histogram at top-right).
• The lines right of the middle show the number of stops of HDR. The background will be greyed out above your level of support. So if you see grey starting at 1.5 stops, then you have 1.5 stops (which would usually be the case if your phone is set to 100% brightness).

 

If you do not see HDR support in iOS, then try the following:

• Make sure you are using a supporting device and have updated to the latest version of iOS:
  • iPhone: 12 or later
  • iPad: The 13″ gen 5+ has support, and the M4 iPad Pro has an outstanding XDR display.
• Make sure you are using an app which supports HDR photos:
  • WebKit (Safari) does not support HDR photos, which means that no browsers will show HDR on iOS / iPadOS until Apple updates WebKit / Safari (ie even Chrome is functionally Safari on mobile Apple devices). Note that Webkit/Safari does support HDR video (just not photos yet).
  • iOS have API support for HDR photos encoded as
  • The following native iOS apps support HDR photos: Photos, Camera, iMessage
  • Apple supports HDR photos encoded as AVIF, JXL, JPG (with ISO/Apple gain map), or HEIC (with ISO/Apple gain map).
  • The following 3rd-party iOS apps support HDR photos: Instagram, Threads, Lightroom, Photomator.
• Low power mode will disable HDR (and your phone will likely prompt you to do this at 20% battery or less).
• The “reduce white point” will disable HDR (under Settings / Accessibility / Display & Text Size).
• Bright ambient light may restrict you to SDR only (this can include cloudy days when outside).
  • The brightness of your display will affect headroom, with newer phones showing support for 3 stops at up to 80% brightness and at least 1.5 stops at 100% brightness.
  • I’d try pulling back to lower brightness on older phones as I am not sure how the iPhone 12 and 13 respond at full brightness.
  • Turning off “auto-brightness” should also allow HDR in bright ambient light (as it disables the light sensor input).
• Note that “true tone” and “night shift” are OK to use (they do not prevent HDR, but I would still recommend you turn them off for more accurate color on your phone).
• You can confirm system support for HDR in the LR iOS app by opening an image for editing, go to Edit / Light and turn on “edit in HDR mode” for the image, then click with two-fingers at the same time on the image to toggle the info overlay (should show text first and then the histogram). The HDR histogram shows the number of stops of HDR headroom available and will show red if there is no support.
• In the Instagram app, make sure you have not turned on “disable display of HDR media” (under settings / media quality). If you wish to prevent HDR while viewing in a dark room, it is better to use low power mode to temporarily disable HDR, so that you’ll be able to enjoy the benefit otherwise.

 

Why can’t I see HDR on Android?

The best way to test HDR headroom on Android is either to use Lightroom (if you have a supporting Pixel Pro phone) or by reviewing test #1b in Chrome (which does support HDR photos on Android).

If you do not see HDR support, then try the following:

• Make sure you are using a supporting device and have updated to the latest version of Android:
  • Pixel Pro 7 and later work great.
  • Samsung S24 and later are ideal (though S22+ may have some support in the browser).
  • Android 14 added initial HDR support, and it has expanded significantly in v15 and v16.
• The Instagram app for Android has a bug where it will not show HDR if you got to the image directly from a link. Just navigate to the same image manually in the app to work around this bug.
• Low power mode may disable HDR.
• There are occasional reports of a bug which may be resolve by restarting a phone.