Program file

Adobe Gamma Loader.exe: the start-up loader of Adobe Gamma

Adobe Gamma Loader.exe belongs to Adobe Gamma, the monitor calibration control panel that older Photoshop versions installed. It loads the saved calibration when Windows starts. It is not a Windows file and no longer ships with current Adobe software. You can stop it starting, and a copy outside the Adobe folders is suspect.

By 2-Spyware Editorial TeamPublished Apr 28, 2021Updated Oct 8, 2026

Prefer to check it yourself? The manual checks follow.

Adobe program file

On a PC where Photoshop 5.0, 6.0 or 7.0 (or Adobe Gamma on its own) was installed, Adobe Gamma Loader.exe is the program that applies the saved Adobe Gamma monitor settings at start-up. It is not a virus and Windows does not need it. If you use another tool to calibrate the monitor, remove its start-up entry.

The name can be copied by malware. A copy that you cannot tie to an Adobe installation, runs several times at once, or sits outside the Adobe program folders is not Adobe's. Check the folder before you trust it.

Publisher: Adobe (Adobe Systems); the file belongs to the Adobe Gamma control panel
Program: Adobe Gamma, a visual monitor calibration program that was installed automatically with Photoshop on Windows
File name: Adobe Gamma Loader.exe (with spaces); the old page also called the background process Calibration Manager
Function: Loads the settings saved in the Adobe Gamma control panel when Windows starts, so the calibration applies system-wide
Start-up entry: A shortcut named Adobe Gamma Loader in the Start Menu\Programs\Startup folder, placed there by the Photoshop 5.0, 6.0 and 7.0 installers according to the old page
Folder: Inside an Adobe folder under C:\Program Files. The old page named C:\Program Files as the expected place; the exact sub-folder depends on the Photoshop version and was not confirmed
Windows file: No. It is not a Windows system file and has no visible window
Needed?: No. Display calibration works without it; it only adds the extra control Adobe Gamma gives

What Adobe Gamma Loader.exe does

Adobe Gamma Loader.exe is a small background program of Adobe Gamma. Adobe Gamma is a free, visually based calibration program: with its control panel the user adjusts monitor brightness, contrast, gamma and colour temperature, and removes colour casts from the screen so that images preview accurately and look closer to how they appear on other devices. The loader is the part that reapplies those saved settings every time Windows starts, so they hold for all programs.

The Photoshop 5.0, 6.0 and 7.0 installers placed a shortcut to Adobe Gamma Loader in the Start Menu\Programs\Startup folder, which is why the file runs at start-up. Photoshop CS3 did not include Adobe Gamma, and it was never part of Windows. A PC that shows the loader today therefore still has an older Photoshop, an old Adobe Gamma copy, or a file that is not Adobe's.

Whether the loader runs is your decision. A monitor can be calibrated without Adobe Gamma, and Adobe Gamma can interfere with other calibration software. The same support page that says so advises removing the loader shortcut from Startup when you use another program to create display profiles.

About .exe files. An .exe file is a program. It runs as a process you can see in Task Manager, so its name, folder and publisher are what to check.

How to check it

Where the file sits, and whether you installed an Adobe product that uses it, separate the real loader from a copy that only has the name.

Find every instance. Press Ctrl+Shift+Esc, open the Details tab and look for Adobe Gamma Loader.exe. There should be one at most.
Open the file location. Right-click the row and choose Open file location. The genuine file is in an Adobe folder under C:\Program Files. A copy in a Temp folder, AppData, C:\Windows or the root of a drive is not the Adobe file.
Look in the Startup folder. Press Windows+R and open the current user's Startup folder, then check for a shortcut called Adobe Gamma Loader. The all-users Startup folder is the other place to look.
```
shell:startup
shell:common startup
```
Check the start-up list. Press Windows+R, type msconfig, press Enter and open the Startup tab (in Task Manager, the Startup apps tab on Windows 10 and 11). An Adobe Gamma entry there is the loader.
Check the digital signature. Right-click the file, choose Properties > Digital Signatures. Files from the Photoshop 5 to 7 era are often unsigned, so a missing signature on a file in the Adobe folder proves nothing; a missing signature on a file anywhere else is a warning sign. In PowerShell:
```
Get-AuthenticodeSignature "C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Gamma Loader.exe" | Format-List Status, SignerCertificate
```
Scan if the folder is wrong. Run a full scan and an offline scan with Microsoft Defender (Windows Security > Virus & threat protection > Scan options).

The folder tells you where the file is, not that it is harmless. The path in the Get-AuthenticodeSignature command is an example; replace it with the folder your own check showed.

Do you need Adobe Gamma Loader.exe?

Keep it only if you rely on the Adobe Gamma calibration. Otherwise stop it from starting, and uninstall the old Adobe program if you no longer use it.

Keep it if you use Adobe Gamma. If you calibrated the monitor with the Adobe Gamma control panel and want those settings applied at start-up, leave the Startup shortcut in place.
Remove the Startup shortcut. Open the Startup folder and delete the Adobe Gamma Loader shortcut. This is the method the monitor-calibration vendor describes: Start > Programs > Startup, right-click Adobe Gamma Loader, Delete.
```
shell:startup
```
Or turn it off in System Configuration. Press Windows+R, type msconfig, press Enter, open the Startup tab and clear the box for the Adobe Gamma entry. On Windows 10 and 11, the same entry can be disabled in Task Manager > Startup apps.
Uninstall the program if it is unused. Open Settings > Apps > Installed apps, select the old Adobe Photoshop or Adobe Gamma entry and choose Uninstall.
If the file is not Adobe's. When the folder is wrong or no Adobe product is installed, run a full scan and an offline scan with Microsoft Defender and let it remove what it finds. Then repair system files.
```
sfc /scannow
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
```

Warning signs

What you see	What it means
Adobe Gamma Loader.exe outside the Program Files folder	The old page named a location other than C:\Program Files as a sign of a disguised file. The genuine loader sits in an Adobe folder there.
Several instances of the process running at the same time	The loader starts once at start-up. Several copies at once do not match how it works.
No Adobe product on the PC	Adobe Gamma was installed with Photoshop. If you never used any Adobe product, nothing should have installed the loader.
Crashes, errors or lag that start with the process	System crashes, errors and lag were among the signs the old page listed for a disguised file.
High memory, CPU or other resource use by the process	A loader that applies a saved profile and then waits should use almost nothing. Heavy use points to a different file with the same name.
A download that offers Adobe Gamma Loader as a separate file	It was never sold on its own; it came with Photoshop. Treat a separate download of the exe as unsafe.

Everyday problems

Adobe Gamma Loader in the Startup list on Windows 10

The entry means that an old Photoshop (5.0, 6.0 or 7.0) or Adobe Gamma was installed, or that a file with this name was added. Windows does not need it. Open the Startup folder or the Startup apps list, check the folder of the file and disable the entry if you do not rely on Adobe Gamma.

shell:startup

Adobe Gamma conflicts with other calibration software

Adobe Gamma can interfere with monitor calibration software. The vendor of calibration hardware advises removing the Adobe Gamma Loader shortcut from Startup when you create display profiles with another application. It also warns not to re-save a profile made by other software in the Adobe Gamma control panel, because the control panel can alter it. When the profile is the default under Color Management and loads at start-up, Adobe applications recognise and use it.

Adobe Gamma is not in the Control Panel

Photoshop CS3 and later do not install Adobe Gamma, and it was never a Windows component. A clean install of a current Adobe product will not bring back the control panel or the loader. If you find a download offering them, take the file from Adobe's original installation media only, and do not run an unknown exe.

Questions people ask

What is Adobe Gamma Loader.exe?

Adobe Gamma Loader.exe is the start-up part of Adobe Gamma, the monitor calibration control panel installed with older Photoshop versions. It reapplies the settings saved in the control panel when Windows starts, so the calibration is used system-wide. It is not a Windows file and Windows does not need it.

Is Adobe Gamma Loader a virus?

Not when it is the file installed with Adobe Gamma or Photoshop 5 to 7, inside an Adobe folder under Program Files. Malware can copy the name, so check the folder, look for several running copies, and note whether you ever used an Adobe product. Scan with Microsoft Defender if any of that is wrong.

Why does Adobe Gamma Loader start with Windows?

The Photoshop 5.0, 6.0 and 7.0 installers put a shortcut to it in the Start Menu\Programs\Startup folder. That makes the loader run at start-up and apply the Adobe Gamma settings system-wide. Deleting the shortcut or disabling the entry in the Startup list stops it, and the control panel stays installed.

Can I disable or delete Adobe Gamma Loader?

Yes. Display calibration does not depend on it. Delete the Adobe Gamma Loader shortcut from the Startup folder, or clear its box in the Startup tab of msconfig. Doing so only loses the extra control that Adobe Gamma gives. Use another calibration tool instead if you need accurate colour.

Is there an Adobe Gamma download for Windows 7, 8 or 10?

Adobe Gamma is not a Windows component and was not bundled with Photoshop CS3, so there is no current Adobe download for it. Third-party files offered under that name cannot be checked, and a loader exe from a download site should not be run. Calibrate with the colour tools of your Windows version or with a hardware calibrator.

What is the Adobe Gamma Control Panel for?

It removes colour casts from the monitor display and allows accurate on-screen previews of images as they appear on other devices. Brightness, contrast, gamma and colour temperature can be adjusted. The saved result is a display profile, and the loader applies it at start-up.

What is the gamma exe or gamma.exe file?

A file with a generic name such as gamma.exe or loader.exe is not proven to be this one. Adobe's file is called Adobe Gamma Loader.exe. Look at the full name, the folder and the Startup entry first; a generic loader.exe outside an Adobe folder should be scanned.

Sources

Version data read on Oct 8, 2026.

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