Noticed in this update that Exporting for screen (selection and/or assets and/or artboards) from a CMYK document , makes an image in CMYK and not an RGB.
So it deserves another conversion to fix this.

Working in an RGB colour space, the export to screens options is exporting all jpg 100 files to CMYK colour profile. This has not been an issue before. How do I select/force RGB?

Giving us the option to specify settings for each scale would be great. Can I choose Press Quality PDFs for exporting 50 artboards of logos?

Illustrator 26.4
Mac OS 12.5.1

In RGB document mode, with colours set to RGB, when using Export for Screens JPEG files export as CMYK (PNG files export correctly as RGB)

Also, in the Export for Screens settings for JPEG the only option for ICC profile is US Web Coated SWOP, even though the document working profile is sRGB.

I’d not mind having a way to export CMYK files from a CMYK document, as a clear option, but not as default, because 'Export for SCREENS' implies a JPEG in RGB space. Very few viewers can display CMYK decently, and some users just don’t expect a shenanigan like this.

The user might want to produce a rendering of the CMYK separation, of course. It's also a valid case. Probably the ideal solution would be to give the user the option upon exporting.
At any rate, a file exported for screens must be RGB, and the current behavior is clearly a bug that should be addressed.

When the document is set to CMYK and export for screens is used outputting to jpeg, the resulting file is a cmyk jpeg.
Although some managed applications can read and display this format, CMYK is clearly not a mode suitable for screens.
If Illustrator saved an RGB file instead it would be much better, but direct inks become a problem: Usually when the user uses spot inks as Pantone inks, the expected outcome is the appearance of the direct ink and not a cmyk separation.

As an example: A user designs a packaging for a company using their brand colour (a Pantone Ink) as background. The piece will be printed using direct inks. The document mode is CMYK, the overprint Preview in illustrator produces a good rendering of the piece, but it's impossible to export that image to produce a JPEG sample for review without switching the document color mode to RGB.

It's relatively simple to workaround the problem by switching to RGB, but the user might accidentally save over their file in that colour mode, losing overprints and other pre-press work done on the design.

The export for screens tool should always save an RGB rendering from the overprint preview for CMYK files.

Adobe, CMYK is not the expected space when exporting to screens. It does so for all other raster formats. Just because it's possible to create CMYK Jpegs it doesn't mean it's what the user wants. This does create unexpected result more often than not.

and IF you really really have to export the Jepgs as CMYK, let us atleast have a choice as with the regular "Export"

I'd love getting a comment from adobe on why? It's been years and this is still bugging me. What's irritating is that it feels like an easy fix, but I might be wrong about that.

Wake up, Adobe...

Congratulations! Its already been four years and the only solution from Adobe is to marge threads! :D
#CelebrateGoodTimes

I need help. It's regarding the Export For Screens. Most of my works are CMYK, but there are many times that I must export them for the use on website, which they must be in RGB. But this command doesn't automatically convert CMYK to RGB. The JPG is still in CMYK, which would make its color output looks odd. So I have to waste more time to convert them later in Photoshop. Would Adobe consider putting this feature into Export for Screens, an option for switching between RGB/CMYK? This command has good benefits in naming files, which Export As doesn't have.

I too am finding this incredibly annoying and as backwards as can be. I honestly have been exporting without checking my color space on my jpgs for a few years and am just now realizing all my jpg exports are in CMYK... I am so incredibly annoyed. It really feels like incompetent or just blatant false use of the word "screens" in the option to "export for screens." I am honestly dumbfounded at this misuse of the word.

@dridd, yes the check box gets ignored. Actually it is a good thing that the CMYK profile gets embedded, but why give a choice that gets ignored.

@Ton, yes, then surely I was just confused. :-)

You are correct. JPGs gets spit out with all the glorious CMYK info embedded.

Sorry...

Also, even if you uncheck the "Embed ICC profile" in the export settings for JPG 100, the whole profile is still embedded, and next time you enter the settings, that option is still checked. Seems it does not save that option selection, as it does for other settings. Every time you click the settings icon (while still in the export, no actual export done yet) it comes back as selected. Which makes me suspect that it actually ignores your choice entirely. :-)

@dridd This is about CMYK jpegs. There should be an option to convert to RGB JPEG during export. PNGs are always RGB (or grayscale).

OK, I am a little confused?
Is this problem fixed or not? Would be nice if someone Adobe would comment as "Fixed".

Tested in latest Illustrator as of 5/1/2021.

I create AI in CMYK as well, but after Export to Screens, when I look at the PNG files in Photoshop's file info, they all show an ICC profile of "sRGB IEC61966-2.1",
ExifTool (local and online versions) similarly show "RGB with Alpha" as the file color mode.

Gina, the problem of converting colors between CMYK and RGB is really damaging your colors. I wouldn't recommend converting between these such different spaces.

"Export for Screens" dialog should have the option to choose to convert or not—THE EXPORTED FILES—not the ORIGINAL, and to what space.

Gina, we appreciate the reply. That is how one could do it, but the issue is that I'm making things in a CMYK space, and want to simply export proofs for screens or renders that work in RGB space. I don't want to have to convert my file, save it, then revert it. I'd rather they just add the color space to the Export for Screens option. I think we all pay enough for that little request.

To export for screens in RGB, go to File>Document Color Mode>RGB. Exported files will be in the same color mode as the ai file.