When switching to only the second screen, the second screen mistakenly uses the HDR calibration profile from the first screen

Question

When switching to only the second screen, the second screen mistakenly uses the HDR calibration profile from the first screen

Giresharu Fan 5

This is a chain reaction between a long-unresolved bug and a new bug.

First, I need to raise another issue: Many users have noticed that since a certain version, Windows recognizes the order of video signals opposite to the BIOS. Specifically, when using two displays, the screen displaying BIOS is recognized by Windows as screen #2, while the screen not displaying BIOS is identified as screen #1.

When one of my screens is in landscape orientation and the other in portrait, I undoubtedly need BIOS displayed on the landscape screen. Therefore, my landscape screen must be set as screen #2, and the portrait screen as screen #1.

This means that even if I set screen #2 as the primary display in Windows, Windows still considers screen #1 to be the actual "PC screen" (perhaps a term designed for laptops, though I'm using a desktop). Consequently, when I wish to save power and performance by selecting "Show only on second screen," a critical bug emerges:

Windows mistakenly identifies screen #2 as screen #1, applying screen #1’s ICC profile. In the "Found profiles" list, it even fails to locate screen #2’s own ICC profile. This results in extremely severe and intolerable color distortion on the display.

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Giresharu Fan 5 Reputation points

2025-06-16T20:08:49.9266667+00:00

Actually, the first bug has also been quite annoying in my work:

When I disconnect the vertical screen (recognized as Screen 1), Windows has to set the horizontal screen as Screen 1. Although the DPI hasn't changed and the main screen has always been horizontal, many software becomes very strange due to the reload caused by this switch. This forces me to cut off the power to the horizontal screen and restart it, or restart Windows.

I urgently need a method to have Screen 1 recognized as my horizontal screen, but I also must have the BIOS display on this screen, so I cannot swap their interfaces on the graphics card.

2 answers

Giresharu Fan 5 Reputation points

2025-06-16T20:08:49.9266667+00:00

Actually, the first bug has also been quite annoying in my work:

When I disconnect the vertical screen (recognized as Screen 1), Windows has to set the horizontal screen as Screen 1. Although the DPI hasn't changed and the main screen has always been horizontal, many software becomes very strange due to the reload caused by this switch. This forces me to cut off the power to the horizontal screen and restart it, or restart Windows.

I urgently need a method to have Screen 1 recognized as my horizontal screen, but I also must have the BIOS display on this screen, so I cannot swap their interfaces on the graphics card.

Answer 1

Smith Pham 2,795 Independent Advisor

Dear Gireshaur

This is a known issue in Windows 11, and you're right, it appears to be a combination of bugs. When you switch to "Second screen only" mode, Windows can mistakenly apply the color profile (including HDR calibration) from the primary display (Screen 1) to the secondary display (Screen 2).

The core of the problem lies in how Windows identifies and prioritizes displays, which can conflict with the BIOS/UEFI output. The bug you described, where Windows reverses the monitor order from what the BIOS shows, is a long-standing annoyance for users with specific multi-monitor setups.

Unfortunately, there isn't a single, universally effective fix for this bug, as it's deeply embedded in the OS. However, here are some workarounds that have helped other users:

Manually Set the Correct Color Profile:
1. With only the second screen active, go to Settings > System > Display > Advanced display.
2. Select the correct display at the top.
3. Under "Display information," click on Display adapter properties for Display [your screen number].
4. Go to the Color Management tab and click the Color Management... button.
5. In the new window, select your second monitor from the "Device" dropdown.
6. Check the box for "Use my settings for this device".
7. Click "Add..." and find the correct ICC/HDR profile for your second monitor. If it's not listed, you may need to browse to the location where it's saved.
8. Select the correct profile and click "Set as Default Profile".
Third-Party Display Management Software: Tools like DisplayFusion or Custom Resolution Utility (CRU) can sometimes offer more granular control over how Windows handles multiple monitors and their settings. These tools might help in forcing the correct profile or managing display identification more effectively.
Updating Graphics Drivers and Windows: Ensure both your graphics card drivers (NVIDIA, AMD, or Intel) and your Windows 11 installation are fully up to date. Sometimes, driver or OS updates can contain fixes for such color management issues.

Best Regards,

Giresharu Fan 5 Reputation points

2025-06-17T18:29:42.64+00:00

I've indeed tried not only the Windows 11 display settings but also manually configured HDR ICC profiles for each monitor using the Legacy Color Management tool. However, the reality is that every time I turn off one monitor, there's a chance Windows will replace the ICC profile of the remaining display with that of the other monitor. Manual configuration doesn't work – the Legacy Color Management tool shows the correct ICC profile, but the actual display output is wrong. The Windows 11 display settings also show incorrect information. Worse, in Windows 11 display settings, I can't even modify the currently active ICC profile; I can only add new ones. But after adding, it doesn't use them – it stubbornly keeps applying the wrong ICC profile.

These tools you mentioned don’t even support ICC management. I strongly suspect you're using AI-generated answers. If so, stop turning this place into an AI dumping ground.
Mohit Kumar 5 Reputation points

2026-07-02T15:10:21.32+00:00
I can confirm this, I am facing the same issue as well,

System is running windows 11 Version 25H2 (OS Build 26200.8737)

I have a Legion Pro 5i (RTX 5070 Ti) connected to an external monitor via USB-C DisplayPort.

In Extended mode everything works perfectly:

Laptop display uses its own ICC profile

External monitor uses its own ICC profile

The moment I switch to Second Screen Only, things break.

The Windows 11 Settings app starts showing me ICC profiles that belong to the laptop display, even though the external monitor is the only active screen.

What's even stranger is that the classic Color Management panel shows the correct ICC profile assigned to the external monitor, but changing profiles or clicking "Reload current calibration" does absolutely nothing. I can switch between completely different profiles and the image never changes.

So it feels like:

Windows Settings is showing the wrong display's profiles

Classic Color Management shows the correct profile

But Windows isn't actually applying it
Burak 0 Reputation points

2026-08-31T04:18:18.7333333+00:00

I’ve been having exactly the same issue for a long time.

I can get it to assign the correct profiles by shutting down the PC, connecting the monitor i want to use, and disconnecting the other one.

What a shame!

Answer 2

Francisco Montilla 31,820 Independent Advisor

Hi all!

You and Mohit are hitting a real bug in the modern Windows 11 color pipeline. I want to check a couple of things about your hardware before suggesting anything.

What graphics card are you using, and what exact cable interfaces are the horizontal and vertical monitors plugged into, like two DisplayPorts or a mix of HDMI and DisplayPort? Also, is your motherboard booting in pure UEFI mode with CSM turned off, and do you run HDR enabled on both screens or only on the landscape one?

Please let me know!

Francisco Montilla 31,820 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-11-03T17:15:46.9533333+00:00
Burak 0 Reputation points

2026-11-03T19:22:17.7866667+00:00

Hi Francisco,

This is a problem that almost everyone who uses multiple monitors experiences, and it’s not even that hard to debug. If Microsoft had paid even a little attention to it, this problem would have been solved long ago...

To solve this problem, I developed an app myself, and I’m using it works flawlessly. It corrects incorrect color profile assignments. I’ll be releasing it publicly soon...