tips and tutorials

Learn how to re-enable notebook keyboard lighting

The notebook's backlit keyboard comes with a built-in light under the keys that makes it easy to enter text in darker environments. It is also an advantage for gamers to have color differentiation (depending on the model of the computer), or for those who need to use the machine to work during trips or journeys; adapting to more environments.

How to find out the model of a notebook

However, many users are unaware that it is possible to accidentally disable this illumination and thereby appear to have stopped working. But do not worry, since activation can be done with a quick shortcut on the keyboard or by the boot screen. Another tip is to update the driver if there is a problem in the software. To learn how to solve, check out this tutorial for Windows.

Turning notebook computer illumination on and off and solving problems

Activate via keyboard shortcut

Step 1. The user can turn off keyboard lighting without wanting to press a key set while typing. To reactivate the lighting, simply find the button with the "bright button" format; which usually stays on F10, F11 or F12. Do not confuse with the screen brightness keys;

Find the activation button for keyboard lighting on the notebook

Step 2. Then press the "Alt Gr" key + the specific key. In this case, on a Dell notebook, the key is F10 (Alt Gr + F10). Depending on the model of the notebook, it may be necessary to press the "Fn" key together with the keyboard lighting key (Fn + F10 for example) or directly the specific button (F10);

Press the shortcut keys to turn on the laptop keyboard light

Step 3. Note that the illumination will reappear on the keyboard. Depending on the notebook model, it may have two levels of illumination (subtler or brighter). Just press the shortcut buttons more than once to modulate;

Keyboard illumination will resume working on the notebook

Activate from the Windows startup screen

Step 1. This procedure is convenient for accessing advanced features of the computer, but you must be careful not to make any wrong modifications. To do this, press the button to turn on the notebook and then on the first screen of the system (during the first few seconds of initialization) press the "F2" button on the keyboard several times until the Windows feature manager is displayed;

Press the shortcut keys to turn on the laptop keyboard light

Step 2. A settings screen will be displayed, by default in English, but the procedure is simple. In the menu on the left side select "System Configuration", expanding the category;

Select notebook system settings

Step 3. Next, select the "Keyboard Illumination" subcategory and check the "Bright" option at the top. Confirm with "Apply" to make the changes. When you close the management screen (Exit), the computer restarts and the backlight is activated again;

In the keyboard lighting settings, turn on the light and apply the changes

Check and update the keyboard driver

Step 1. If it is a notebook keyboard software problem, be aware that you can check for errors and update the driver. To do this, click on the Windows menu in the left corner of the screen. Then search for "Device Manager";

Select the device manager in the notebook

Step 2. Find the item "Keyboards" and, when expanding, right-click, selecting "Properties";

Select the keyboard properties in the notebook

Step 3. To find out if there is a problem go to the "General" tab and see the "Device Status";

See keyboard operation status

Step 4. Next, to check the keyboard software update, select the "Driver" tab. Then click "Update Driver". If you do not have a file downloaded from the manufacturer's website, select "Automatically search for updated driver software" to do an online search;

Access the keyboard driver update

Step 5. In response, the feature will indicate whether all the latest drivers are already installed or if there are new items to add to the system, correcting any glitches.