Is your Backlit Keyboard Not Working ?

Is your Backlit Keyboard Not Working? 8 Instant Solutions to Try

Backlit keyboards are an extra perk for computer users. They make your typing experience convenient in low-light conditions apart from being a cool feature. Thus, you can keep your laptop monitor’s brightness level under control. In addition, you don’t have to bend over your keyboard to see what key you’re pressing.

On a contrary note, backlit keyboards can be quite vulnerable and prone to internal damage. Besides hardware issues, software updates, app incompatibility, etc. can prevent your backlit keyboard from working or illuminating every key. Let’s find out why your Windows laptop’s keyboard light doesn’t work and how you can fix it.

How to Fix Laptop Keyboard Light Not Working?

According to laptop repair Dubai professionals, your laptop’s keyboard backlight may stop functioning due to a variety of reasons. On the other hand, the problem is common across Windows laptops regardless of the brand. Dell, Lenovo, HP, Asus, and other brands’ users have reported the same problem.

So, the reason can be software glitches. However, reduced backlight brightness, hardware failure, outdated drivers, and more can lead to the same consequences. Let’s find out how you can get your keyboard to light up again.

1. Verify if Your Laptop Comes with a Backlit Keyboard

First, you should try this reality check before proceeding with complicated solutions for a problem that doesn’t exist. If it’s your brand-new laptop and you wonder why the keyboard doesn’t illuminate then, confirm whether the backlit feature is available to the variant.

No matter how fancy your laptop looks, it might not have a backlit keyboard. For the fastest conclusion, navigate to the laptop manufacturer’s official website and look for the product you have bought. Ensure that you enter the right model number.

Go to the product description and figure out whether your laptop has a backlit keyboard. This particular check will save you from wasting time looking for Laptop Repair if your laptop lacks the backlit keyboard feature.

As an alternative, you can click the Windows icon from the Taskbar and search for ‘keyboard backlit’. Check if any option appears in the result section. If no search result originates except for the web, then your laptop doesn’t have a backlit keyboard.

Otherwise, you need to activate the backlit feature on your laptop. Most Windows laptops require a keyboard shortcut that comes with the Fn key and some other key. Depending on the laptop manufacturer, the other key can vary from any F key or Spacebar.

However, you can try the following fixes if your laptop’s backlight feature is still not enabled.

2. Amp up the Brightness of the Backlit Keyboard

Perhaps, the keyboard backlight is already enabled but low brightness might be the problem here. So, you have to increase the keyboard brightness. Look for a shortcut key that can help you increase your keyboard’s brightness. Typically, such keys are on the top row of a Windows laptop keyboard along with Function keys.

Once you find out the brightness-increasing key, press it twice or thrice and check if it improves the situation. On a related note, you can increase the backlit keyboard’s lighting manually using the following steps:

• Head towards the Control Panel on your Windows device. Use the search entity to open up the Control Panel.
• Now, click the drop-down menu next to the View by option. Hit the Large Icons option.
• Afterwards, choose the Windows Mobility Centre option.
• Spot the Keyboard Backlit icon and click it.
• The Keyboard Backlit window should pop up. Hit the On option under the Keyboard Lighting column.
• Next, select the Bright option followed by OK to save your adjustments.

3. Drain Your Laptop’s Clogged Power

This particular fix may sound weird but has a huge success rate in solving keyboard backlight problems. Whatever laptop you own, you can try a power drain technique and see if it eases up your situation with the keyboard backlight.

If your laptop comes with a detachable battery, here’s how you can drain your laptop’s excessive power:

• Unplug your system from its AC adapter.
• Next, detach the laptop’s battery.
• Now, hold the device’s power button for 10 seconds or so.
• Then, place your laptop’s battery and plug in the AC adapter.
• Wait for a while and power on the laptop.

Does your laptop have a built-in battery? Then, check out the power-draining process here:

• Remove your laptop from charging.
• Afterwards, hold down its power button for 10 seconds or more.
• Plug the AC adapter into your laptop and switch on the system.

Finally, check if you can turn on the keyboard backlight.

4. Check Specific Applications to Toggle on the Keyboard Backlight

As reported by users, laptop keyboards may require distinct proprietary software to turn on, off, and personalise keyboard backlighting and its features. For instance, Razer laptops need the Synapse app to personalise the lighting effects of the keyboard.

On the other hand, Lenovo users have to use the Lenovo Vantage application to control their keyboard backlighting. Hence, you should look out for a dedicated application for controlling keyboard backlighting if there is any. You need to use the Lenovo Vantage or Synapse app depending on whether you use a Razer or Lenovo computer.

Once you navigate to the specific app, check out the keyboard backlight timeout. Additionally, examine whether your laptop has its backlit keyboard active. Sometimes, the keyboard backlight will refuse to work even though you choose the right system settings on the dedicated application. In that situation, update the app to its latest version.

5. Inspect the Hardware

Do you use a detachable backlit keyboard? If yes, then this solution is exclusive for you. Try to find out whether the issue is deeply rooted at the hardware or software level. First, you can disconnect the keyboard from your laptop. If it’s a Bluetooth laptop then turn off the keyboard and your laptop’s Bluetooth connection.

Next, connect the external keyboard again to your machine. For a Bluetooth keyboard, turn on your laptop’s Bluetooth function and power on the keyboard. If it’s a USB backlit keyboard, plug the keyboard into a different USB port of your laptop. 

Your laptop might have a faulty USB port if the keyboard backlight works after using a different USB port. Another useful check is to search for damage or wear-and-tear on the connecting cable between the keyboard and the laptop.

6. Update Keyboard Drivers

Does your laptop have a sensor-activated backlit keyboard? If yes, then corrupted or outdated keyboard drivers can cause the problem you face on the keyboard. So, give the keyboard driver update a chance and see if it works.

Here’s how you can update keyboard drivers on a Windows platform:

• Right-click on the Windows icon situated on the Taskbar.
• Next, hit the Device Manager option from the context menu.
• Find out the Keyboards option and double-click on it.
• Once the Keyboards option expands, locate your keyboard and right-click on it.
• Choose the ‘Update driver’ option.

Select the automatic option to search for the latest keyboard drivers. Wait until the update is over. After that, you can test your keyboard backlight and find out whether the driver update fixes the issue.

7. Enter Safe Mode

The machine uses the latest resources when it’s in the Safe Mode. So, the keyboard backlight should work when there’s no interference from any third-party software or excessive applications. If your laptop keyboard backlight works in Safe Mode then you can identify that it’s a software issue and take the necessary steps.

Here’s how you can boot your Windows device into the Safe Mode:

• Access a Run dialogue box by using the keyboard shortcut Windows+R.
• Then, paste ‘msconfig’ on the Open box and click OK.
• Go to the Boot tab and check the box next to Safe Boot.
• Next, click the Apply button and then, hit the OK button.

Make sure you save all your work on your PC and choose the Restart option. Your Windows laptop should enter Safe Mode. Now, you can toggle on the keyboard backlight and test if it works. If there’s no trouble with your backlit keyboard, here are a few things to do:

• Uninstall all the recently added programs or applications from your Windows system.
• As an alternative, you can execute a system restore to roll your operating system version to a reliable one.

8. Try the Built-in Keyboard Troubleshooter

Are you still stuck to the keyboard backlight not working? As a quick fix, you can run the Windows keyboard troubleshooter. This built-in troubleshooter can identify the potential trouble and remove them from your system. Let’s see how you can make this integrated troubleshooting tool work:

• Head towards the Windows Settings menu. Right-click on the Start menu and select Settings from the context menu.
• Now, choose the Update & Security tab from the main Settings page.
• Select Troubleshoot from the left panel and look for Additional Troubleshooters.
• Get to the ‘Find and fix other problems’ option.
• Afterwards, hit the Keyboard option and click on ‘Run the troubleshooter’.

If you own a Windows 11 machine, here’s how you can initiate the keyboard troubleshooter:

• Navigate to the Settings on your Windows 11 laptop.
• Next, click the System option followed by Troubleshoot.
• Choose Other Trouble-shooters and then, get your hands on the keyboard troubleshooter.

Once the troubleshooting is over, you can turn on the keyboard backlight. On the other hand, adjusting the backlight brightness can also help. If the error is still there, here’s another troubleshooter you can run using the Command Prompt:

• Search for Command Prompt using the Start menu and open a Command Prompt window with admin rights.
• Type the following command line and press the Enter key: msdt.exe -id DeviceDiagnostic.
• A window named Hardware and Devices should appear. You have to select Advanced and check the option called ‘Apply repairs automatically’.
• Afterwards, click the Next button and it should run the troubleshooter.

Restart your laptop if required and test your backlit keyboard. Check if the keyboard backlight is back to its original form.

Seek Expert Intervention…

Professional repair is a must if you don’t see any improvements to your laptop keyboard’s backlight. Hardware failure or connection inefficiency can keep your laptop’s backlit keyboard dim forever.