diff --git a/core/config.mk b/core/config.mk
index b4c8721963..3910125ef4 100644
--- a/core/config.mk
+++ b/core/config.mk
@@ -128,7 +128,10 @@ COMMON_RELEASE_CFLAGS:= -DNDEBUG -UDEBUG
 
 # Force gcc to always output color diagnostics.  Ninja will strip the ANSI
 # color codes if it is not running in a terminal.
-COMMON_GLOBAL_CFLAGS += -fdiagnostics-color
+# Use host and target GLOBAL_CFLAGS so it doesn't apply to HOST_CROSS, the windows
+# toolchain is still 4.8 and doesn't support color.
+HOST_GLOBAL_CFLAGS += -fdiagnostics-color
+TARGET_GLOBAL_CFLAGS += -fdiagnostics-color
 
 COMMON_GLOBAL_CPPFLAGS:= -Wsign-promo
 COMMON_RELEASE_CPPFLAGS:=