6 Ways to Fix ColorSync Not Working on Mac
Have you noticed that the color accuracy of your device changed? Well, you might be having issues with ColorSync on Mac.
ColorSync is a technology developed by Apple that is available for macOS and macOS X. What it does is it matches the color profiles of your input and output devices. This means that whatever color you see on your screen would also be the same when you print it.
As we all know, display manufacturers have their own individual color profiles. If you are using multiple screens to do post-processing on photos and videos, then you might have a hard time with color matching.
This is where ColorSync comes into play. Mac users can take advantage of this feature so that you can see the exact same color profiles even on different displays.
However, there have been reports from several users who are experiencing problems with ColorSync. If you are among these users who encounter errors while using ColorSync, you can calm your nerves now. We got you!
In this guide, we are going to show you a couple of troubleshooting techniques that you can do to fix ColorSync not working on Mac.
Let’s get started.
1. Restart Your Mac.
2. Run Profile First Aid.
3. Update Your Mac.
4. Boot in Safe Mode.
5. Disable High Dynamic Range.
6. Use the Terminal.
1. Restart Your Mac.
Before diving into more advanced system settings on your computer, try to restart your operating system first. System resources related to ColorSync might have encountered a temporary error while you are using your computer, which causes the feature to malfunction.
In this case, a simple restart would give your operating system the chance to reload all of its resources which can help in removing temporary bugs and glitches.
First, click on the Apple logo located at the top-left corner of your screen.
After that, click on Restart.
Lastly, wait for your computer to reboot.
After your operating system has completely restarted, try to activate one of your ColorSync profiles to see if you would still encounter errors while using it.
2. Run Profile First Aid.
If you have noticed a weird change in the color of your screen or on your secondary display, you can use ColorSync utility to diagnose and repair broken or corrupted color profiles which can be the cause of your problem.
To use the ColorSync utility on macOS, follow the steps below to guide you through the process:
On your computer, open the ColorSync Utility.
After that, click on the Profile First Aid button.
Lastly, click on the Repair button at the bottom of the Profile First Aid page.
Wait for the repair to complete, then restart your computer. Now, try to observe if your screen would still display weird and inaccurate colors.
However, if you are still having problems with ColorSync on macOS, you can proceed to the next method below to resolve the issue.
3. Update Your Mac.
If you are running an outdated version of macOS, it is possible that the version installed on your system already has an issue with ColorSync. In this case, you can try updating your operating system to the latest version possible to fix existing bugs and errors with your system.
For users who are running macOS Mojave or later, you can update your system by following the steps below:
On your Mac, click on the Apple logo at the top of your screen and select System Preferences.
Inside System Preferences, click on Software Update.
Lastly, click on the Update Now button if available.
On the other hand, if you are using an earlier version of macOS, you can update your operating system and other applications using the App Store.
4. Boot in Safe Mode.
Booting your Mac in safe mode would allow your operating system to automatically repair itself and clear system caches. If ColorSync on your computer is encountering errors, there is a good chance that booting in safe mode can repair these issues.
To boot your Mac in safe mode, follow the guide below:
First, turn off your computer completely.
After that, press on the Shift key on your keyboard and hit the Power button.
Continue holding the Shift key until your Mac boots up completely.
Now, try to activate your color profiles while in safe mode to see if the problem is already fixed. Once the error is gone, you can now use your computer normally.
5. Disable High Dynamic Range.
If you are using an external display and you are having issues using ColorSync, then the HDR option on your external display might be enabled which can affect the color profile that you use since HDR uses its own image processing already.
To ensure that high dynamic range is disabled on your external display, follow the step-by-step guide below:
On your computer, click on the Apple logo located at the top left corner of your screen.
After that, click on System Preferences.
Inside System Preferences, click on Displays.
Lastly, click on the Display tab and make sure that the High Dynamic Range option is disabled.
Now, observe if disabling HDR on your external display fixed ColorSync not working on your Mac.
6. Use the Terminal.
For the last method, you can try running a few terminal commands that would launch ColorSync in root mode where you can verify and repair damaged color profiles.
To run ColorSync using the terminal, follow the guide below:
First, open the Terminal app on your Mac by going to Applications > Utilities.
Inside the Terminal, copy the text below and paste it on the Terminal.
sudo /Applications/Utilities/ColorSync\ Utility.app/Contents/MacOS/ColorSync\Utility
Next, press the Enter key to execute the command.
After that, ColorSync will launch in root mode. Click on Verify to start the scan.
Lastly, if errors were found on your color profiles, click the Repair button to start repairing your profiles.
Once done, restart your computer and try to use it as usual to see if the issue with ColorSync not working on Mac is already fixed.
This ends our guide on how to fix ColorSync not working on Mac. If you know of any other solutions on how to fix this issue, share it in the comment section below, and we would give you credit for the solution once this article gets updated.
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