Windows 11 keeps forcing Dolby Vision every time I start up, even though I turned it OFF

Anonymous
2025-06-05T17:36:51+00:00

Hi all,

I have an LG OLED G4 connected to my PC (Windows 11, NVIDIA 4090 graphics card). In Windows settings I’ve turned off “Use Dolby Vision mode,” and on the TV I’ve also disabled the Dolby Vision option for that HDMI port. Despite that, every single time I power the TV and PC back on, Windows starts in Dolby Vision anyway.

The picture looks brown, dim, and washed-out until I manually go into Windows, turn the Dolby Vision toggle on and then off again. After that, it switches to the normal HDR mode I actually want (“HDR Game Optimizer” on the TV) and everything looks fine—until the next restart, when the whole problem repeats. If I turn the TV off and on again while the PC is still on, it says in HDR Game Optimizer; it's when I restart the PC and the TV that it reverts to Dolby Vision again. It'll even revert to Dolby Vision if I just restart the PC, leaving the TV on the entire time. I've also tried hard power-cycling the TV (unplugged for one minute) after getting all the settings the way I want) and the problem still occurs.

In short:

  • Dolby Vision is OFF in Windows.
  • Dolby Vision is OFF in the TV’s input settings.
  • Yet Windows still chooses Dolby Vision at every cold boot or wake-up.
  • Manually flicking the toggle fixes it temporarily, but the setting never sticks.

This started after a recent Windows and graphics-driver update. It’s making HDR on my PC basically unusable.

Please let me know how to stop Windows from forcing Dolby Vision at startup, or escalate this as a bug. I just want my system to stay in regular HDR when I’ve told it to.

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Devices and drivers

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

0 comments

116 answers

Sort by: Newest
Most helpful Newest Oldest
  1. Anonymous
    2025-06-06T11:31:54+00:00

    Hello Alec,

    Welcome to the Microsoft community.

    I understand that you want to stop Windows from forcing Dolby Vision at startup.

    Here are 2 ways you can try to see the results:

    First, please try to change the settings from the NVDIA control panel:

    1. Right-click on the desktop and select NVIDIA Control Panel. 2.
    2. Go to Display > Change Resolution. 3.
    3. On the right hand side, find “Use NVIDIA Color Settings” and make sure the output dynamic range is “Limited” (not “Full”). 4.
    4. If you see Dolby Vision related options, disable them.

    Another way to disable it is by modifying the registry.

    1. Press Win + R and type regedit to open the registry editor.
    2. Navigate to the following path:
    3. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\VideoSettings
    4. Find the key value related to DolbyVision or HDR and change it to 0.

    Disclaimer: Generally, modifying registry subkeys or work group is intended for advanced users, administrators, and IT Professionals. It can help fix some problems; **however, serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Therefore, make sure that you follow these steps carefully. For further protection, back up the registry before you modify it. Then, you can restore the registry if a problem occurs.**For more information about how to back up and restore the registry, click How to back up and restore the registry in Windows - Microsoft Support to view the article.

    If anything is unclear, please feel free to drop us a line.

    Thank you for your patience and understanding.

    Best regards.

    Julie-Hu - MSFT |Microsoft Community Support Specialist

    Was this answer helpful?

    10 people found this answer helpful.
    0 comments