Most modern laptops today come with a keyboard that is equipped with a light. Backlit keyboards are designed to help out users when typing in low light conditions. However, there are instances where the keyboard lighting on your laptop is turned off by default on Windows 10. Thankfully, there are several ways to play around with your laptop keyboard and turn on the light again.
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Now, if you cant seem to figure out how you can turn on your laptop keyboard lighting, then you have come to the right place. In this guide, we will show you a few methods that you can try to turn on the backlight on your keyboard.
Lets get started!
Method 1: Turn On Keyboard Backlight Using Windows Mobility Center
The first way on how you can turn on the keyboard backlight on Windows 10 is by using Windows Mobility Center. The Windows Mobility Center is a built-in tool on Windows 10 that allows you to view information on specific hardware like audio devices and control your keyboard backlight and keyboard brightness.
To use Windows Mobility Center in controlling the keyboard brightness on your laptop, check out the guide below. On your computer, press on the Windows key + S on your keyboard and search for Control Panel.
2. After that, locate the Windows Mobility Center inside the Control Panel and open it.
3. Inside Windows Mobility Center, tap on Keyboard Backlighting.
4. Lastly, make sure that you select Turn On under Keyboard Backlight Settings to turn on your keyboard lighting.
You can also adjust your keyboard brightness in the Mobility Center along with the idle settings for the backlight. To turn off the keyboard lighting, follow the steps above and choose Turn Off.
Method 2: Use Your Laptops Dedicated Controller
Most manufacturers incorporate a built-in application that allows users to control devices on their laptops like display settings, touchpad settings, and keyboard brightness and backlight.
If your laptop is still running Windows 10 that comes stock when you bought it, then it is likely that the dedicated app for your keyboard is already installed.
To help you out further, we created specific guides for each laptop manufacturer that has a built-in application to control their backlit keyboards.
How to Turn On Keyboard Backlight on Dell
Depending on your Dell laptops model, you can turn on your laptop light using various hotkeys. Check out the list below to guide you on the different hotkeys.
Dell Inspiron 15 5000, Dell Latitude Series
Press Fn key + F10
Dell Inspiron 14 7000, 15, 2016, 17 5000 Series
Alt + F10
Dell XPS 2016 and 2013
F10
Dell Studio 15
Press Fn + F6
How to Turn On Keyboard Backlight on HP
You can turn on your keyboard backlight for users who own an HP laptop by doing the following.
Most HP Laptops
Press Fn + F5 key
Some HP models might use different hotkeys to control the keyboard light; in this case, you can try Fn + 11 or Fn + 9. Also, you can try Fn + Space if none of the keys mentioned worked.
How to Turn On Laptop Keyboard light on Asus
If you own an Asus laptop, then the function key to increase or decrease your keyboards brightnesss backlight is the same across all Asus laptops.
Asus uses Fn + F4 or F5 to control the keyboard backlight. On the other hand, if you dont see any symbol on the function keys that indicate backlit keyboards, your laptop is not equipped with this feature.
Backlit Keyboard Not Working on Windows 10
If you have tried the methods above but still no luck in turning on your laptop keyboard lighting on Windows 10, there could be a problem with your keyboard. Luckily, Windows 10 comes with a troubleshooting tool that helps users diagnose and fix different Windows issues.
To use the troubleshooting tool on Windows 10 to fix your keyboard backlight, follow the step-by-step guide below.
- On your computer, press on the Windows key + S and search for Troubleshoot Settings.
- After that, click on Open to launch it.
3. Next, scroll down and click on Keyboard under Find and Fix Other Problems.
4. Now, click on Run the Troubleshooter.
5. Lastly, wait for the scan to finish and follow the on-screen prompts to fix your backlit keyboard on Windows 10.
Once you have applied the suggested fix for the issue, restart Windows 10 and try to use the methods mentioned above to turn on your backlit keyboard. Now you can type comfortably on your laptop even in low light conditions!
Conclusion
To sum things up, backlighting on keyboards helps a lot when it comes to typing in low light conditions, primarily if you are not used to typing on your keyboard. However, for some unknown reasons, Windows 10 blocks this feature on your computer and comes turned off by default.
Thankfully, this issue is easy to resolve, make sure to follow the methods mentioned above to turn on your keyboards backlight on Windows 10. If none of the methods above worked to turn on your keyboard backlight, you might be experiencing a hardware issue. In this case, you should bring your computer to the nearest service center in your area and have them check your keyboard for any physical damage.
If you find this guide helpful, kindly share it with others to know what to do if their keyboard light is not working correctly in Windows 10. We offer other Windows guides including how to use the action center in windows 10, how to deal with the activate windows watermark, clearing the cache on Google Chrome, and turn on Bluetooth Windows 10.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do I Make My Backlit Keyboard Stay On?
If you dont want your keyboards backlight to turn off when in idle, you can change its settings using Windows Mobility Center and change the option on how your backlit keyboard should behave when in idle.
Can I Change the Color of My Backlit Keyboard?
Some laptop models, especially gaming ones, allow users to change the color of their keyboard backlight using hotkeys or a dedicated application on Windows 10. Most of the time, you can change your backlit keyboards color by pressing Fn + C on your keyboard. However, the hotkeys may differ depending on the model of your laptop.
On Windows 10, manufacturers include a separate application to control the color of your keyboard.
Can I Install a Backlight on My Keyboard?
The easy answer for this is no. If your laptop does not come with a backlit keyboard, then it is highly likely that you cannot install backlighting on it. The main reason for this is that the keycaps on your laptop do not have transparent markings on its key markings, making the backlight useless even if you manage to install one.
However, if you know how to work around computer boards and circuits, you might install one, but this will be a very long process that can damage your laptop if not done correctly.
How to Know If My Keyboard Has Backlight?
If you are not sure about your laptops feature, you can check the manual that has come with it to see if it is equipped with a backlit keyboard. On the other hand, you can also look for a backlight marking on your keyboards function keys. You can even lookup the laptop model on the internet to see its specs sheet and features, which is more accessible than browsing your user manual.