VantaCode420 / SmartHdrManager

# Smart HDR Manager
Turns Windows HDR on automatically when you need it – HDR games, HDR videos on YouTube, local videos in your video player (including SDR videos with NVIDIA RTX Video HDR) – and back to SDR when you are done. It lives in the system tray.
**New in 2.6:** the app only switches back HDR that it turned on itself – HDR you (or madVR, a game, another tool) turned on stays on. New **Apps** tab: one mode per video player, browser, creative app and recording app – programs that are not listed are never touched. **Check for updates** with one-click install, a hint when a game closes right after HDR came on (e.g. a crash with NVIDIA RTX HDR), and a choice how often the app looks for new games. **2.6.1:** games set to *Never HDR* can be restored (Settings › General › Never HDR games); cs2 and valorant are no longer excluded by default. **2.5.2:** games with a launcher (The Witcher 3 from GOG, …), HDR stays on while a video is paused, *SDR for this video*. See CHANGELOG.md.
> **Beta.** Tested on Windows 11 25H2 with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti and one HDR monitor (ASUS PG32UCDMR); RTX Video HDR tested with MPC-HC, VLC and PotPlayer.
> Not tested yet: AMD and Intel graphics, Windows on ARM (Snapdragon), Windows 10 / Windows 11 24H2 and older, several HDR monitors, laptops.
> If something does not work on your PC, please report it (see *Reporting a problem*).
 ☕ **Like the app?** You can support development on Ko-fi.
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## Download – which file?
| File | Size | Use it if … |
|---|---|---|
| `SmartHdrManager-v…-win-x64-standalone.zip` | large | **You are not sure.** Runs on any 64-bit Windows 10/11, nothing else to install. |
| `SmartHdrManager-v…-win-x64.zip` | small | You already have the **.NET 10 Desktop Runtime** installed (download → ".NET Desktop Runtime", x64). |
| `SmartHdrManager-v…-win-arm64-standalone.zip` | large | *Experimental, untested.* Windows on ARM (e.g. Snapdragon X laptops), nothing else to install. |
| `SmartHdrManager-v…-win-arm64.zip` | small | *Experimental, untested.* Windows on ARM with the .NET 10 Desktop Runtime **Arm64** installed. |
Not sure if your PC is ARM? *Settings › System › About › System type* says "ARM-based processor" on ARM PCs – everyone else takes x64.
Requirements: Windows 10 or 11 (64-bit) and an HDR-capable monitor with HDR available in *Windows Settings › Display*.
## Installation
1. Unzip to a permanent folder, e.g. `C:\Tools\Smart HDR Manager`. (Don't run it from inside the zip or from Downloads – "Start with Windows" remembers the location.)
2. Start `SmartHdrManager.exe`.
3. **"Windows protected your PC"?** The app is not code-signed (signing costs money every year), so Windows does not know it yet. Click **More info › Run anyway**. You can check the file first: compare it with `SHA256SUMS.txt` from the release, or look at the VirusTotal link in the release notes.
4. Optional: in **Settings**, turn on **Start with Windows**.
**Updating:** from 2.6 on, *Settings › Updates › Check for updat