How can I keep my preferred RGB or YCbCr color mode?

Select the desired format in the display's Color Mode menu, then enable Configuration Protection > Color Mode in that display's App Menu block. BetterDisplay saves the selected non-HDR format and attempts to restore it when it changes.

For an HDR connection, select the desired format while HDR is active and use HDR Color Mode protection. The two protections store the formats for their respective states. Color mode describes the connection format, such as RGB or YCbCr, bit depth and range. It is separate from an ICC color profile.

These protections require Pro and Apple silicon connection-mode information. BetterDisplay must remain running, and the desired mode must be available through the current connection. If a dock or adapter temporarily loses the mode after wake, protection alone cannot restore that missing capability.

A protected format shown in Configuration Protection is the saved preference, not proof that the current connection still offers it. If the available list shrinks after wake, compare the current Color Mode choices and connection information. Adapter reset or display reinitialization may help a particular connection, but neither guarantees recovery of the missing formats.

Protection corrects a mismatch by switching back to an available matching mode. The monitor can briefly go black while it resynchronizes. A correction made while the screen is already waking may not be visible, but protection does not guarantee an interruption-free wake or startup. If the current mode already matches, that color-mode correction is unnecessary.

BetterDisplay does not offer a persistent override of macOS's default color format that keeps working with the app closed. Editing the default resolution or refresh rate does not provide that color-mode override. Use protection for the supported automatic restoration workflow.

For a full comparison and restoration procedure, see fix an output-range mismatch and keep a working color mode.

See Configuration Protection and Color Mode for selecting and protecting a format.