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.
