MacOS – Fast user switching affects color profile

colordisplaymacos

I have a 2013 MacBook Air running Mavericks. I have a "work" and a "personal" account that I switch between throughout the day using Fast User Switching. Sometimes when I switch accounts, the (built-in, only) display turns an awful, washed-out blue. I thought the behavior was random, but I've figured out how to reproduce it consistently.

  1. Have multiple accounts.
  2. Log into one account from the Login Window.
  3. Use Fast User Switching to switch to a different account that you're not already logged into.

Every time, the screen will turn blue. And when I look at the display preferences, I'll see that the factory color profile, "Color LCD", is not listed, and instead OS X is using the generic "Display" profile.

Imagine that this screenshot is a hideous shade of blue

The screen will stay blue until I log out of the account that triggered the bug. Logging into the same account from the Login Window poses no problem.

For what it's worth, here's what the Display Preferences dialog normally looks like:

enter image description here

I have no idea why "Display" is listed four times. Perhaps it's a clue.

Best Answer

Thanks for this very detailed post. I have the same issue, and only a workaround, not a solution.

Workaround consists in going into monitor prefs, change screen resolution to a lower res, then get back to "optimal screen res", and then you original color profile is available for selection.

A bit tedious, but once done, I can fast-switch back and forth and the color setting will remain intact (until I leave either session).

Hope this helps.

Related Question