Microsoft is improving its HDR support in Windows 11 thanks to the Xbox. A new calibration app should improve HDR, alongside new windowed gaming optimizations.

First up, Microsoft is adding support for Auto HDR, VRR (variable refresh rates) and better latency for windowed games. Previously, those were only features you could use in full-screen mode.

Enable HDR Before Launching: For many games that use HDR, you need to enable HDR in Windows before launching the game. This ensures that the game recognizes and uses the HDR mode correctly.

Other Windows 11 gaming improvements introduced on Wednesday include Auto HDR and Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) for a better HDR gaming experience.

Microsoft has a dedicated Windows HDR calibration app that lets you calibrate your HDR display and optimize it for HDR games and other content on your Windows 11 PC.

This includes Xbox HDR calibration and the ability to play older games in windowed mode with features like Auto HDR, Variable Refresh Rate and with less input lag.

Learn how to use the Windows HDR Calibration app on Windows 11 to calibrate the HDR display to optimize color accuracy of HDR games & apps.

In Windows desktop mode I'm always running with HDR enabled on the laptop panel, and it always looks the same (looks great thanks to a Lenovo-provided colour profile) ...

Here are some HDR settings that you can configure on your TV or Xbox for gaming in order to get the best HDR gaming experience.