There are a number of ways to turn on or off your laptop’s keyboard lights. The most common way is by using a third-party app, but you may be able to do it without one by modifying the native software that comes with your laptop.
Backlit Gaming Keyboards
There’s a lot of variety in the backlit gaming keyboard market, from low-cost, no-frills devices to top-of-the-line products with RGB lighting and all kinds of cool customization options. Each one will provide a different gaming experience, though, so it’s important to shop around to find the right one for you.
Mechanical Switches
There are three main types of mechanical switches in the gaming keyboard space: linear, clicky, and tactile. Each offers a slightly different feel and feedback, but they all work in the same way to deliver a smooth, fluid, and consistent typing experience.
Backlighting isn’t always the most exciting part of a gaming keyboard, but it can be useful when playing in dark environments. Most laptops will automatically adjust the backlighting based on your surroundings, but you can also control it manually with a few easy steps.
First, you need to determine whether or not your laptop has a backlit keyboard. This will vary from laptop to laptop, but most will have a backlight icon stamped on an assigned Function key (like F6 or F10) or right arrow key that looks like half of a sun with three rays coming out of it.
Second, you need to figure out how your laptop’s manufacturer allows you to turn on or off the backlighting. Some brands offer it through the Windows Mobility Center, but others don’t.
Some laptops can be set to automatically turn off the backlight after a specified period of inactivity, and some will even let you use hotkeys to change your keyboard’s brightness settings. If you have a Microsoft Surface, for example, you can use Alt + F2 to increase the brightness and Alt + F1 to decrease it.
Other laptops, such as Lenovo models, don’t offer any backlighting configuration options. In those cases, you’ll need to update your laptop’s BIOS.
The BIOS is a software that controls how your laptop operates, and it can be updated through the manufacturer’s website or by downloading the latest version from the official Microsoft support site.
If you’re not sure how to do that, you can look for a guide in your user manual or online. You might even be able to find a video that shows you how to do it.
You can also check the Microsoft website for more info on how to enable backlighting on your laptop, as well as for instructions on how to use the Windows Mobility Center to turn it on and off.
Depending on your manufacturer, you can adjust the keyboard’s backlighting by using the Windows Mobility Center or through a native app that comes with your laptop. Regardless of how you go about doing it, make sure to read the user manual for your laptop or desktop to see exactly how to enable it and how to change its brightness settings.
