You can make a difference in the Apple Support Community!

When you sign up with your Apple Account, you can provide valuable feedback to other community members by upvoting helpful replies and User Tips.

Looks like no one’s replied in a while. To start the conversation again, simply ask a new question.

Magic keyboard not lighting up

Just got the new 2021 iPad Pro and magic keyboard. The keyboard backlight is not working. I tried to adjust the keyboard brightness in settings, and the option is grayed out. How do I fix this? Or, did I get a dud and need to exchange it?

iPad Pro, iPadOS 14

Posted on May 26, 2021 8:11 PM

Reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Jul 29, 2021 5:21 PM

The keyboard suddenly stopped working recently, after a year of having to adjust it only once (Settings> General> Keyboard>Hardware Keyboard), but now it wont work. The keys and the track pad are fine, its just the backlight wont come on.

21 replies

Aug 17, 2021 11:18 PM in response to Parder

Not so in my case. Even in totally dark environment (or covering the light sensor next to the portrait camera) the screen brightness dims as expected but the magic keyboard stays dark (keys are working). If the keyboard hardware did not break (which I doubt) then there seems to be a problem with the latest iOS version (14.7.1). Restarting the iPad (2020) does not help.

Dec 8, 2021 9:38 PM in response to Nebula24

Same stupid crap here. just called Apple on this and they won't back the warranty, want me to pay 350 bucks for another. I told apple to suck it. Apple does these things most people wouldn't notice to get away with a half baked products. Personally I'm not buying anymore garbage from Apple until TIM COOK steps down as CEO.

Jul 29, 2021 5:08 PM in response to Nebula24

I’m having this exact issue. No one in apple knows how to fix it. I got everything new and the only reason i got this keyboard was for the ease, and for the fact that it lights up. It’s not like its cheap, I would’ve rather had bought a Mac book if i new this would be the issue. Ive tried everything apple told me too, the lady at the store in my mall told me to return the keyboard and get a new one. I did that and the new one is still having this issue. Apple please just tell me what to do!

Nov 23, 2021 10:50 AM in response to Nebula24

I had the same question. However, after reading the specs on the magic keyboard -- for my iPad Air it's based on the light conditions around you. So, I went into a dark room and it automatically turned on. From there, you can go in the settings and adjust the lighting. There's no way to turn the backlit on and off manually for me. Hope that helps.


"Like an iPad, the brightness of the Magic Keyboard automatically adjusts based on the light conditions around you. If you want to manually adjust the brightness of the keys on your Magic Keyboard, go to Settings > General > Keyboard > Hardware Keyboard."

May 27, 2021 2:31 PM in response to Nebula24

Hi Nebula24,


Thanks for reaching out to us here in Apple Support Communities! We understand that your Magic Keyboard isn't working as you'd expect, and we're here to help.


If you haven't done so already, let's check the Settings app > Accessibility > Touch > Assistive Touch and see if it's turned on. If it is, please try turning this setting off and let us know if you can increase the backlight on the keyboard.


All the best!

Magic keyboard not lighting up

Welcome to Apple Support Community
A forum where Apple customers help each other with their products. Get started with your Apple Account.