Authentication is required to create a color profile

How to Fix “Authentication is required to create a color profile” on Ubuntu & Other Polkit-Based Distros

Last updated on | 45 replies

Introduction

If you’ve ever connected to a Linux system (such as Ubuntu, Debian, or Kali) via RDP and encountered the prompts “Authentication is required to create a color profile” or “Authentication is required to create a color managed device,” you’re not alone. This issue stems from Polkit (PolicyKit), which checks permissions for certain system actions. By default, connecting remotely can trigger these annoying authentication popups. Below, we’ll focus on Ubuntu (24.04, 22.04, 20.04), but the same Polkit fix can apply to other distros that use .pkla overrides.

The Culprit: Polkit

Polkit (short for PolicyKit) is an application authorization framework used by many Linux distributions (Ubuntu, Debian, Kali, Fedora, Arch, etc.). It determines whether a user is allowed to perform certain actions, such as managing color profiles. When connecting remotely via RDP, Polkit may not recognize your session as fully authenticated, causing these popups to appear.

How to Fix “Authentication is required to create a color profile/managed device”

On Ubuntu and other Debian-based distros, the most straightforward fix is to create a new .pkla file that allows color-profile actions without requiring authentication. This method should also work on other distros that support .pkla rules in /etc/polkit-1/localauthority/. (Note: Some distributions, like Fedora or Arch, may encourage using JavaScript-based rules in /etc/polkit-1/rules.d/, but often still accept .pkla overrides.)

For Ubuntu (24.04, 22.04, 20.04) and similar Debian-based systems, create or edit the following file:

sudo nano /etc/polkit-1/localauthority/50-local.d/45-allow-colord.pkla

Paste in the following content:

[Allow Colord all Users]
Identity=unix-user:*
Action=org.freedesktop.color-manager.create-device;org.freedesktop.color-manager.create-profile;org.freedesktop.color-manager.delete-device;org.freedesktop.color-manager.delete-profile;org.freedesktop.color-manager.modify-device;org.freedesktop.color-manager.modify-profile
ResultAny=no
ResultInactive=no
ResultActive=yes

Save and exit (press CTRL + X, press Y, then press ENTER)

Then, either reboot the system or run:

sudo systemctl restart polkit

Once you reconnect via RDP (or any other remote desktop), those prompts should disappear.

Potential Side Effects & Troubleshooting

While this fix removes the color-profile authentication prompts, some users have reported side effects, such as:

  • Loss of color calibration or Night Light functionality
  • Inability to authenticate for certain admin tasks (e.g., uninstalling apps or mounting drives) if the policy is too broad
  • System error popups in some desktop environments

If you experience these issues, you can try the following:

  • Revert Changes: Remove the 45-allow-colord.pkla file (e.g., sudo rm /etc/polkit-1/localauthority/50-local.d/45-allow-colord.pkla) and reboot or restart polkit.
  • Use More Granular Polkit Rules: Instead of granting all color-manager actions, tailor them to only what’s needed in your environment.
  • Consider Disabling Remote Services: If you’re not using RDP or a similar remote desktop, disabling or reconfiguring those services might remove the prompt during local logins.

Works on Other Distros: Kali, Debian, Fedora, and More

According to community feedback, this method also works on Kali Linux, Debian 11, and other distributions that rely on Polkit. Just be aware that:

  • Debian-based distros: Use the same .pkla approach.
  • Fedora/Arch/OpenSUSE: May prefer JavaScript-based rules in /etc/polkit-1/rules.d/. Check your distro’s Polkit documentation.

Comment Highlights & Real-World Experiences

Visitors have shared that this fix worked on various setups—Ubuntu 20.04, 22.04, Debian 11 with Xfce, Kali Linux, etc. Some users, however, encountered additional issues with color calibration or lost some Polkit prompts. One user pointed out that simply restarting the Polkit service (sudo systemctl restart polkit) is enough to apply changes—no full reboot needed. Another discovered that Chrome Remote Desktop was causing local prompts similar to the RDP issues, so disabling it resolved the error locally.

Conclusion

If you’re tired of dismissing or re-entering your password for color-profile prompts, creating a Polkit override is a straightforward solution. Just be mindful of potential side effects, and remove or adjust the policy file if you find it interferes with other administrative tasks. With a bit of fine-tuning, you can enjoy hassle-free remote desktop sessions without losing essential color features. Good luck!

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45 replies

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  3. It worked for me, but now I don’t have the color profile, and it can’t be calibrated either, therefore the nightlight no longer works.

    Reply

  4. Me funciono, pero ahora no tengo el perfil de color, y tampoco se puede calibrar, por lo tanto ya no funciona el nightlight.

    Reply

  16. Awesome! Worked on my “headless” 22.04 Ubuntu Server LTS install. i say headless cause tty1 is set to display btop++ and i have my actual gui on pts1 through xrdp :P. anyways logging into the gui was annoying cause of the error and you fixed it! Thank you!

    Reply

  18. If it’s not happening when you are remotely connecting, but locally logging in – you’ve probably installe Chrome Remote Desktop (on Debian/Ubuntu) or something similar (like NoMachine server, etc).

    In that case, you’d want to disable to service while you want this behavior gone, and enable only when necessary.

    In the case of Chrome Remote Desktop Host:

    1. First discover if you do have the service running:

    “`bash
    sudo systemctl status chrome-remote-desktop@
    “`

    2. Assuming you did get a running and active service, just disable it:

    “`bash
    sudo systemctl disable chrome-remote-desktop@
    “`

    Restart, and see the issue resolved. You might have found other issues happening as well, not just `Authentication required to add a color device`, but also `Authentication required to restart` due to other system users being logged on (of the same name).

    When you ever need to enable to service again (preemptively, of course) just do:

    “`bash
    sudo systemctl enable chrome-remote-desktop@
    “`

    Just wanted to add this here, since this is the #1 answer for search queries related to my issue; which were happening when I locally log into the actual machine.

    Reply

  19. I would be happy to buy you a big mac. For several days I have been trying to logon to Ubuntu 22 and then remote desktop using the same username without success. If I was logged onto ubuntu, I could not get RDP to run from windows with the same username. Other usernames would work. In essence the program should have just shut down the screen and I should see the screen appear on RDP. I also got the authentication messages.

    Your solution solved both problems.

    Thanks.

    Reply

  20. Hi,

    I have this problem when I log in *locally*, not through rdp, so I’m wondering if this fix is right for me ?

    I have both those messages :

    * Authentication is required to create a color managed device
    * Authentication is required to refresh the system repositories

    It appeared after an update a week or two before, previously this computer didn’t have this issue since it was installed 2 years ago.

    Reply

  22. It’s not required reboot….. just restart polkit service: systemctl restart polkit, that’s enough, thanks!

    Reply

  24. Thank you very much for posting this solution to the issue “Authentication is required to create a color profile/managed device”. It works great. I did it on a DEBIAN 11 server.

    Reply

  25. I did this and it fixed my issue which is great. However, it’s a little bit confusing that in some of the comments there are people mentioning that it broke other functionality for them. Perhaps it would be worth explaining what the change was so that people do not read the comments and get scared off?

    Reply

    1. The original method did break some functionality. I was slow to update the guide because this stuff takes time to research and test. But the new method has been recommended on other forums and I have tested it myself on my own box.

      Reply

  30. I’ve been living with those stupid dialogs for like a year, just one of those annoyances you just never get around to fixing. Thanks!

    Reply

  32. This fix works but like others have commented it breaks other functionality. I’m using Remote Desktop connection and for me Ubuntu is now reporting a system error and asking if I want to report. That only pops up once whereas the Authentication windows continually popped up and the one about the color profile would just get stuck. As I leave the Ubuntu computer on I much prefer just cancelling the system error once instead of having multiple authentication windows pop up and that color pallet one get stuck and just stay there. Verdict? Not a perfect fix but works for me. Thanks a bunch!

    Reply

  34. Works perfectly. That annoying window is now gone. It’s been bothering me for weeks now. Thanks mate. Cheers!

    Reply

  36. This is not working “as expected”.

    Correct, the prompts for password do not show up anymore on login, however it breaks other functionality.

    One simple example: Snap Store – Uninstall an app requires a password, it won’t prompt and therefore you cannot uninstall anything.

    Machine Restart using menu (top right) doesn’t work because the prompt doesn’t show up.

    My recmmendation is to not use this “fix”.

    Reply