Your Xbox Series X|S HDR Settings Are Probably Wrong. Here's How To Get Them Right

The Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S come equipped with plenty of settings to ensure that games look the best they can on a user's display, and arguably one of the most important features of the bunch is the option to use high dynamic range. HDR allows Xbox owners to enhance the visual quality of their games by allowing for more variation in the lighting of extremely dark or extremely bright scenes without any sacrifice to fidelity. Proper use of HDR can make a considerable difference when it comes to a game's visual identity and atmosphere, such as making the caverns in "Resident Evil 4" all the more dark and dingy or the gorgeous vistas of "Microsoft Flight Simulator" more vivid.

With all of that said, there's a fair chance that many users' Xbox systems don't have their HDR settings properly optimized and consequently aren't experiencing the full breadth of what this graphical feature has to offer. While there are multiple key settings buried in the Xbox Series menus that merit looking over, setting them to the correct configuration is fairly straightforward once users have identified what's wrong with their current configuration.

Even before jumping into the HDR settings of the Xbox Series X or Xbox Series S, it's crucial to make sure that HDR is working properly on the system's connected monitor or display. Unfortunately, even if a user has all the correct settings selected on their Xbox for HDR, it won't matter if the monitor itself doesn't support HDR at a fundamental level. As such, it's important to determine whether your display supports HDR before proceeding any further. In the event that it doesn't, it's best to keep any HDR-related settings on the Xbox turned off so as to avoid incorrect colors and overly dark or bright lighting in games.

Even if your monitor does support HDR, there's a chance that the feature isn't turned on by default. Regardless of the model, try accessing the HDR settings in the display's menu and ensure that it is either activated or set to automatically detect HDR-compatible inputs. Some displays, including certain TV sets, include the option to selectively turn on HDR for certain HDMI ports. If this is the case with your setup, make sure that the HDMI port that the Xbox console is plugged into has HDR enabled.

Once you've made sure that your display has HDR turned on and ready for use, it's time to delve into the Xbox system's settings and ensure that it's set to take full advantage of the screen's HDR capabilities.

Having HDR enabled on a connected display is only part of the process for making sure that your Xbox Series X or Xbox Series S is making proper use of the technology. Just as having HDR enabled on a console won't matter much if the monitor doesn't have it turned on, the opposite is also true. More specifically, if a user's Xbox console doesn't have the HDR10 or the Dolby Vision features turned on, compatible games won't be able to make full use of HDR. Here's how to make sure everything is set properly:

1. Turn on your Xbox Series X or Xbox Series S.
2. Press the central Xbox button on the Xbox controller and move to the right-most Profile & system user icon on the dropdown menu.
3. Under Profile & system, select Settings to open the Settings app.
4. Select the General tab.
5. Select TV & display options.
6. Under the Advance column, select Video modes.
7. Check the box next to Allow HDR10.
8. Check the box next to Allow Dolby Vision.
9. Check the box next to Dolby Vision for Gaming.
10. Your Xbox now has HDR enabled.

Having these specific boxes checked allows any HDR-compatible game that is played on the Xbox Series X or Xbox Series S to use the best available HDR tech possible — be it HDR10 or Dolby Vision — depending on the display's capabilities. If these options are grayed out and the user is unable to check these particular boxes, it means that their connected display likely does not have HDR enabled at the moment.

If you're noticing that HDR isn't displaying properly on your Xbox Series X or Xbox Series S despite already having it enabled on the system and the corresponding display, it's possible that your HDR configuration is inaccurate. Fortunately, the Xbox consoles feature a system-level tool to manually configure the HDR range.

1. Press the Xbox button on your controller and move to the right-most Profile & system user icon on the dropdown menu.
2. Under Profile & system, select Settings.
3. Select General.
4. Select TV & display options.
5. Select Calibrate HDR for games.
6. Ensure that the start screen for HDR Game Calibration confirms that your TV is currently in HDR mode. If applicable, follow the instructions to set your TV to Game Mode, disable any picture-sharpening settings, and ensure that the lighting in the room is normal.
7. Select Next.
8. A screen to select the Minimum Luminance for HDR will display. Press left or right on the directional pad to adjust the brightness level.
9. Ensure that the checkerboard pattern for Minimum Luminance is just barely visible to your eye and select Next.
10. A screen to select the Maximum Luminance for HDR will display. Press left or right on the directional pad to adjust the brightness level.
11. Make sure that the checkerboard pattern for Maximum Luminance is just barely visible to your eye and select Next.
12. A screen will display comparing your newly calibrated HDR image to an uncalibrated image. Select Done.

As a general rule of thumb, if the checkerboard patterns on the HDR configuration tool are clearly and easily visible, they're not configured correctly. Some Xbox games also feature their own in-game tool that allows for HDR configuration. Generally speaking, the same rules apply to those tools as the system-level calibration process.

Before users jump into their Xbox games with all the proper HDR settings enabled, there's one last optional feature worth a look: Auto HDR. Unlike the settings outlined above, there's technically no incorrect configuration for Auto HDR. Essentially, this feature forces a basic form of HDR in Xbox games that normally aren't compatible with the enhanced lighting feature — and whether the effect it creates is preferable is a matter of personal opinion. Some users don't think the artificial HDR effect looks particularly good in many games, while others swear that it can make some older titles, such as certain original Xbox games, look brand new.

Deciding whether Auto HDR is something you want enabled comes down to a bit of user experimentation on how affected games look when it's turned on. As such, here's how to enable and disable the feature at a moment's notice.

1. Press the central Xbox button on the Xbox controller and move to the right-most Profile & system user icon on the dropdown menu.
2. Under Profile & system, select Settings.
3. Select the General tab.
4. Select TV & display options.
5. Under the Advance column, select Video modes.
6. Check the box next to Auto HDR to turn it on or uncheck it to turn it off.

One good way to compare how a game looks with Auto HDR enabled or disabled is to open a compatible game and keep the screen focused on visual content that relies on lighting, such as a landscape. Use the above instructions to quickly enable Auto HDR and compare how the same in-game image looks when it's turned on and when it's turned off. Opt for whichever setting looks more natural or is ultimately preferable.