How to Completely Uninstall DisplayCAL (Windows, macOS, Linux)

Completely uninstalling DisplayCAL means more than deleting the app: you should also remove its ICC profiles, the Profile Loader autostart entry, any ArgyllCMS instrument drivers you installed, and leftover settings. This guide covers all of it on Windows, macOS, and Linux — useful when switching versions, fixing a broken install, or moving on.

Windows: Full Removal in 5 Steps

Step 1: Run the official uninstaller

Open the DisplayCAL installation folder (usually C:\Program Files (x86)\DisplayCAL) and run unins000.exe. Alternatively, use Windows Settings > Apps > DisplayCAL > Uninstall, which launches the same uninstaller. This removes the program files and Start Menu entries.

Step 2: Remove leftover ICC profiles

The uninstaller may leave calibration profiles behind. To clean them:

  1. Open Color Management (search it in the Start menu).
  2. Select your display, check “Use my settings for this device”.
  3. Remove any profiles with DisplayCAL in the name from the list.
  4. Optionally, delete the .icc files from C:\Windows\System32\spool\drivers\color — only files you recognize as DisplayCAL-generated.

Step 3: Disable the Profile Loader autostart entry

DisplayCAL’s Profile Loader (DisplayCAL-apply-profiles) is what reapplies your calibration at boot. After uninstalling, make sure it is gone:

  1. Open Task Scheduler and look under Task Scheduler Library for DisplayCAL entries — delete them.
  2. Check the Startup folder (shell:startup) and Task Manager > Startup apps for anything DisplayCAL-related.

See our Profile Loader guide for background on what this component does.

Step 4: Roll back ArgyllCMS USB drivers (if installed)

If you ever used Tools > Instrument > Install ArgyllCMS instrument drivers (or Zadig) to make DisplayCAL see your colorimeter, your instrument is currently bound to a libusb driver instead of the manufacturer’s. To revert:

  1. Open Device Manager with the colorimeter plugged in.
  2. Find the instrument, right-click > Update driver > Browse > Let me pick.
  3. Choose the manufacturer’s driver (e.g. the X-Rite or Datacolor driver) from the list, or reinstall the vendor software, which restores its driver.

Skip this step if you plan to keep using the instrument with other ArgyllCMS-based tools.

Step 5: Remove settings and logs

DisplayCAL keeps its settings, logs, and stored measurement data in your user profile (including a displaycal.ini file). If you want a fully clean slate — for example before reinstalling to fix a corrupted config — delete the DisplayCAL folder from your user’s application-data directory. This step is optional; leaving settings behind is harmless if you never reinstall.

macOS: Removal

  1. Delete /Applications/DisplayCAL.app (drag to Trash).
  2. Remove the configuration folder ~/Library/Application Support/DisplayCAL if present.
  3. Check System Settings > General > Login Items for a Profile Loader entry and remove it.
  4. Remove any DisplayCAL-generated profiles in System Settings > Displays > Color profile (select the display, open the profile list, remove).

Linux: Removal

  • DEB/RPM install: sudo apt remove displaycal (or the equivalent for your package manager), then delete ~/.config/DisplayCAL if present.
  • AppImage/Flatpak: delete the AppImage file (flatpak uninstall for Flatpak), then remove ~/.config/DisplayCAL if present.
  • Manual install: delete the extracted folder, plus the config directory above.
  • Remove DisplayCAL profiles from your desktop environment’s color settings (e.g. GNOME Settings > Color).

Clean Reinstall Tips

  • Reboot after uninstalling and before reinstalling — this clears any locked files and unloads the old vcgt calibration from the GPU.
  • If you are reinstalling to fix crashes, delete the settings folder (Step 5) — a corrupted displaycal.ini is a known cause of startup failures.
  • Reinstall ArgyllCMS separately if needed; the current version is 3.5.0 — see our ArgyllCMS page and download page.

What the Uninstaller Removes vs. What It Leaves

Item Removed by uninstaller? Manual step
Program files Yes —
Start Menu shortcuts Yes —
ICC profiles Sometimes Color Management cleanup (Step 2)
Profile Loader autostart Usually Verify in Task Scheduler (Step 3)
ArgyllCMS USB drivers No Device Manager rollback (Step 4)
Settings / logs / displaycal.ini No Delete user app-data folder (Step 5)

Troubleshooting: Uninstaller Missing or Broken

  • Install folder already deleted: Windows still lists DisplayCAL in Apps. Remove the listing by reinstalling the same version and uninstalling properly, or clean up manually with steps 2–5 above.
  • unins000.exe crashes: boot into Safe Mode and run it there, or proceed with the manual steps — the program files can simply be deleted if the uninstaller will not run.
  • Profile still applied after removal: you missed the Profile Loader entry or a scheduled task. Revisit Step 3, then reboot — the vcgt state clears on restart once nothing reloads it.
  • Colorimeter not recognized by vendor software afterward: the ArgyllCMS/libusb driver is still bound. Do the Step 4 rollback with the instrument plugged in.

Switching Versions Without the Mess

The most common reason for a full uninstall is moving between DisplayCAL generations — for example from the legacy 3.8.9.3 to the current Python 3 branch (see version comparison). The reliable order is: uninstall old → reboot → delete old settings → install new → reinstall ArgyllCMS if prompted → recalibrate. Mixing a 3.8-era displaycal.ini with a 3.9 install is a classic source of mysterious startup failures, so do not skip the settings cleanup.

What About ArgyllCMS?

DisplayCAL and ArgyllCMS are separate installs, and removing one does not remove the other:

  • Keeping ArgyllCMS is the right call if any other tool uses it, or if you plan to reinstall DisplayCAL later — reinstalling means re-downloading several hundred megabytes otherwise.
  • Removing ArgyllCMS is just deleting its extracted folder (there is no uninstaller; it is a portable set of command-line tools). Also remove it from your PATH if you added it.
  • If you installed ArgyllCMS instrument drivers for a colorimeter and are done with the hardware entirely, do the Device Manager rollback described in Step 4 so the instrument works with its vendor software out of the box.

After Uninstalling: Returning the Display to Stock

Once DisplayCAL, its profiles, and the loader are gone, your display is back to its factory behavior — plus whatever settings remain in the monitor’s own OSD (brightness, presets, RGB gains you changed during interactive adjustment). If you want a true factory reset, use the monitor’s Reset / Factory Reset OSD option as the final step. Note that this also wipes any settings you liked, so write them down first.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will uninstalling DisplayCAL un-calibrate my monitor?

Removing the Profile Loader means your calibration curves no longer load at boot, so the display returns to its uncalibrated state. Deleting the ICC profiles completes the job. Nothing is permanently changed in the monitor itself (unless you used a hardware-calibration-capable display’s own tools, which is separate).

Where is unins000.exe?

In the DisplayCAL installation folder, typically C:\Program Files (x86)\DisplayCAL\unins000.exe. If the folder is already gone, use a registry-safe third-party uninstaller or manually complete steps 2–5 above.

Do I need to remove ArgyllCMS too?

Only if nothing else uses it. ArgyllCMS is a separate engine; other tools (or a future DisplayCAL reinstall) may need it. When in doubt, leave it.

Can I just delete the program folder instead of uninstalling?

Mostly yes on Windows — DisplayCAL does not scatter files across the system the way some suites do. But you still need the manual steps for profiles, the loader entry, and drivers (steps 2–4), otherwise the “uninstalled” calibration keeps loading at boot and the effect lingers invisibly.

How do I switch from the old 3.8.9.3 to the Python 3 branch cleanly?

Uninstall 3.8.9.3 fully using the steps above (including profiles and the old Profile Loader entry), reboot, then install the current 3.9.x build. See DisplayCAL vs DisplayCAL-py3 for the version differences.