diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index 6a1a36dfb..f64f96d1c 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -842,18 +842,6 @@ if (NOT SKIP_INSTALL_LIBRARIES AND NOT SKIP_INSTALL_ALL)
   endif ()
 endif ()
 
-if (UNIX AND CMAKE_GENERATOR STREQUAL "Ninja")
-  if (CMAKE_CXX_COMPILER_ID STREQUAL "Clang")
-    set (CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS "${CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS} -fcolor-diagnostics")
-    set (CMAKE_C_FLAGS "${CMAKE_C_FLAGS} -fcolor-diagnostics")
-  endif ()
-  if (CMAKE_CXX_COMPILER_ID STREQUAL "GNU")
-    set (CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS "${CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS} -fdiagnostics-color")
-    set (CMAKE_C_FLAGS "${CMAKE_C_FLAGS} -fdiagnostics-color")
-  endif ()
-endif ()
-
-
 if (HB_BUILD_TESTS)
   ## src/ executables
   foreach (prog main test test-would-substitute test-size-params test-buffer-serialize hb-ot-tag test-unicode-ranges)