The whole point of backlit keyboards is their illuminated keys, so what should you do when they go away on a Windows machine? Here are some fixes.

Backlit keyboards don't just look cool, but they make using your computer in low-light environments easier. Instead of hunching over your keyboard or increasing the monitor’s brightness so you can see what key you’re pressing, you can turn on your keyboard’s backlight.

However, different apps, software updates, or hardware issues might stop your backlit keyboard from working. So if you’ve already restarted your computer or connected your keyboard to every USB port, and it’s still not working, it’s time you take a closer look at the problem.

Even if you’ve bought a new, fancy-looking keyboard, there’s a chance it doesn’t have the backlit feature. The same goes for your laptop. Go to the manufacturer’s website and check the product description for your keyboard or computer. This will save you from looking for an inexistent problem.

If you’re sure your keyboard comes with a backlight, try using a keyboard shortcut to turn it on. Depending on the manufacturer, the shortcut might be the Fn key and one of the F keys or Fn key + Spacebar.

If the backlight doesn’t turn on, try the solutions we have listed below. Some of them might be a bit complicated, but we’ll walk you through the steps.

Related: How to Fix Keyboard Shortcuts Not Working in Windows 10

There’s a chance you’ve set the brightness level too low, so it doesn’t make a difference after you turn on the keyboard backlight. The fastest way to increase the brightness level is to use your keyboard. Look for the key with the backlight icon and press it two or three times in a row. If you’ve found the backlight icon, but it doesn’t work, press the Fn key at the same time.

If your keyboard backlight is sensor-activated and it doesn’t work anymore, there’s a chance an outdated or corrupt driver is causing the problem. To fix it, you should update your keyboard driver. Here is how you can do it:

If updating the driver didn’t fix your backlit keyboard, Windows comes with a couple of built-in troubleshooting tools that you can use.

Once Windows finishes the troubleshooting process, try to turn on or adjust the brightness of your backlit keyboard. If it didn’t work, there is another troubleshooter you should run. While Microsoft removed it from the Settings menu, you can still access it using a Command Prompt line.

Follow these steps to run the Hardware and Devices troubleshooter:

If nothing worked until now, you should perform a clean boot on your computer. This way, your system will start without any third-party app that might influence your backlit keyboard functionality. If your keyboard lights up, open Control Panel and take a look at the apps that you’ve installed lately since one of them is causing your problem.

There’s a chance you can already press the right keys without looking at your keyboard but if you’ve just bought your computer, it will take some time until you get used to the keyboard layout. So fixing your keyboard backlight will be useful.

If you are still typing in the dark and seems the problem is not your system, maybe it’s time to look for the warranty certificate.

Matthew has always been passionate about technology, which led him to graduate with a Bachelor's degree in Engineering. Having left the corporate world, he joined the MUO team in 2021. Now, he focuses on troubleshooting guides and tips that improve the experience readers have with their devices.

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