To inspect an ICC profile on a Mac, find the .icc file, then open it in a profile viewer. You can use the free online ICC profile inspector, the ColorSync Utility app that comes with macOS, or the ICC profile tools in PatternSpace. Each one shows the profile’s tags; the inspector and PatternSpace also summarize what they mean.
1. Find the profile your display uses
- Open System Settings → Displays and select the display.
- Open the Color profile menu to see which profile is selected.
Profile files live in a few folders. Choose Go → Go to Folder… in the Finder to open them:
/Library/ColorSync/Profiles/Displays: profiles macOS created for connected displays./Library/ColorSync/Profilesand~/Library/ColorSync/Profiles: profiles installed for all users or for you, including ones from calibration software./System/Library/ColorSync/Profiles: profiles that ship with macOS.
Copy a profile before experimenting with it, and leave the originals in place.
2. Open it in a viewer
- In your browser: drop the file on the free online ICC profile inspector. It runs on the page, uploads nothing, and summarizes the class, primaries, white point, tone curves, and VCGT, with plots.
- ColorSync Utility: open it from Applications → Utilities. Its profile view lists every tag and shows the header and individual tag values.
- PatternSpace for Mac: choose Tools → ICC Profiles… and open the Inspect tab. Inspect an imported
.iccor.icmfile, or the active profile of a display you select.
3. Read what matters
| Field | What to check |
|---|---|
| Class | Display profiles have class mntr. A link (device link) profile converts RGB to RGB and is not assigned to a display. |
| Structure | Matrix/TRC profiles describe the display with three primaries and tone curves. LUT-based profiles (A2B/B2A tags) use multidimensional tables instead. |
| Primaries and white point | Compare them with the standard you expect, such as Rec. 709 / sRGB or Display P3. A D65 white point is about x 0.3127, y 0.3290. |
| Tone response (TRC) | A gamma value, the sRGB curve, linear, or a sampled table. All three channels normally match. |
| Calibration curves (VCGT) | Present only if calibration software stored per-channel curves. See what VCGT is. |
What unusual results mean
- The primaries are missing. LUT-based profiles do not describe the display with matrix primaries. A matrix profile without a chromatic adaptation tag (
chad) may also not give comparable primaries. - The channels differ. The red, green, and blue tone curves are not identical, or one could not be read. That is normal for some measured profiles, but unexpected for a profile built from a standard.
- The TRC is a sampled table. Some tools write gamma as a table for compatibility. A table can match a gamma curve without being labeled as one.
- VCGT is damaged or in an unknown form. The tag exists but its curves cannot be read, so do not rely on them.
4. Compare two profiles
To see what changed between two profiles, such as before and after calibration, use the Compare tab in PatternSpace. It reports the gamut area ratio, white point, and tone-response differences. Gamut area is a CIE xy triangle-area ratio: equal areas do not prove that two gamuts overlap. Inspecting and comparing are free in the app.
What inspection cannot tell you
Inspecting a profile shows what it describes. It does not show whether macOS currently uses it, whether its VCGT is active on a display, or whether the display matches it. Check the assigned profile in System Settings, and measure the display with a meter and calibration software to confirm accuracy.
