DisplayCAL Latest Version: 3.9.19 (2026)

What Is the Latest Version of DisplayCAL?

As of 2026, DisplayCAL 3.9.19 is the latest version available. It belongs to the DisplayCAL-py3 branch, maintained by the community on GitHub (github.com/eoyilmaz/displaycal-py3) under the stewardship of Erkan Ozgur Yilmaz and contributors.

This sometimes causes confusion, so here is the short version of the story: the original DisplayCAL, written by Florian Höch, ended with version 3.8.9.3 in 2019. That release was built on Python 2, which itself reached end of life. The community ported the project to Python 3 as DisplayCAL-py3, and all development since then – including modern Windows 11, macOS, Apple Silicon, and Linux support – has happened on that branch. If you are comparing the two lines, see our DisplayCAL vs DisplayCAL-py3 guide.

What's New in DisplayCAL 3.9.19

Version 3.9.19 is a maintenance and packaging release that smooths out some of the rough edges users reported in 3.9.18:

• Linux AppImage and Flatpak packages. DisplayCAL-py3 now ships as AppImage and Flatpak builds, so Linux users on any distribution can run it without wrestling with system Python versions or missing dependencies. Download the file, make it executable, and launch it.
• Fixed displaycal.ini bloating crash. In some installations the settings file (displaycal.ini) could grow without bound until the application crashed on startup. 3.9.19 fixes the underlying issue, so the configuration stays lean and launches stay reliable.
• Fixed macOS crash on first measurement. macOS users previously hit a crash the first time they took a reading with a connected instrument. That first-run crash is fixed, so calibration now proceeds normally from the very first measurement.
• Fixed the false "Errors in…" dialog on Windows. Windows builds could pop up a spurious error dialog even when everything had actually worked. 3.9.19 no longer raises that false alarm after a successful run.

Under the hood, 3.9.19 keeps the ArgyllCMS 3.5.0 compatibility introduced in 3.9.18, so your existing colorimeters and spectrophotometers keep working with the current measurement engine. If you want the full requirements picture, check the DisplayCAL system requirements page.

DisplayCAL 3.9.18 Changelog

The previous release, 3.9.18, brought the bigger feature changes that 3.9.19 builds on:

• SpyderX2 (Spyder2024) support. Datacolor's current-generation SpyderX2 colorimeter is now supported for display measurements.
• ArgyllCMS 3.5.0 compatibility. Full compatibility with ArgyllCMS 3.5.0 (released February 2026 by Graeme Gill), the color management engine DisplayCAL drives. Read more on our ArgyllCMS overview page.
• Windows ARM64 builds. Native builds for ARM64 Windows machines, such as Snapdragon X-based laptops, alongside the regular 64-bit builds.
• Linux DEB and RPM packages. Native packages for Debian/Ubuntu-based and Fedora/RHEL-based distributions, in addition to the portable formats.
• More reliable HDR display detection on Windows 11 22H2 and later. DisplayCAL now detects HDR-capable displays on recent Windows 11 builds more reliably. HDR calibration support in DisplayCAL continues to improve, but full HDR workflows remain a work in progress rather than a finished feature.
• Fixed SMPTE 2084 (PQ) roll-off error when saving profiles. Saving a profile with PQ tone-curve roll-off no longer throws an error.

Should I Update to 3.9.19?

For most users, yes:

• On DisplayCAL-py3 3.9.18 or earlier: update. The 3.9.19 fixes target real crashes (macOS first measurement, settings bloat, the phantom Windows error dialog) and the Linux AppImage/Flatpak builds make installation simpler.
• Still on the original 3.8.9.3: update even more urgently. That release is built on Python 2, misses years of instrument support, and does not properly support current operating systems. Migrating takes a few minutes – see the comparison guide linked above.
• In the middle of a critical color job: finish the job first, then update. Calibration software changes are best made between projects, not during them.

Back up before you update

Before installing any new version, back up two things:

1. Your existing ICC profiles. On Windows, export them from Color Management; on macOS they live in ~/Library/ColorSync/Profiles; on Linux in ~/.local/share/icc. Keep your last known-good profile so you can roll back instantly if anything looks off after the update.
2. Your DisplayCAL settings (displaycal.ini), so your instrument settings, patch counts, and profile preferences survive the upgrade. (Ironic but true: back it up precisely because 3.9.19 fixes a bug where this file could bloat.)

After updating, run one quick verification measurement against your backed-up profile. If the numbers match, you are good to continue with the new version.

What About Older DisplayCAL Versions?

The original release line ended at 3.8.9.3 (2019, Python 2). It remains available for reference, and it is the only sensible choice for genuinely ancient systems that the py3 branch no longer targets – think Windows 7-era 32-bit hardware. For everything else, the py3 branch is faster to install, supports current instruments, and actually receives fixes.

Note that this site is an independent resource and is not affiliated with the original author or the py3 maintainers. Downloads here are provided as mirrors for convenience; the canonical source is always the GitHub repository.

Frequently Asked Questions

New to calibration? Start with the quick-start guide.