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Keyboard Back-lights Not Coming On.

I have just purchased a new MacBook Pro and the keyboard backlighting is not working. How can I turn the lighting on?


Robb.

iMacs/MacBook/MacBook Pros

Posted on Mar 31, 2018 10:59 PM

Reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Apr 3, 2018 8:41 PM

Hey Robb,

Congratulations on the new MacBook Pro! It appears that you are unable to get the keyboard backlight to turn on. I use that function all the time on my MacBook Pro, so I can understand the concern. The following article goes over steps you can take for this issue.

Adjust the brightness of your backlit keyboard

Adjust your keyboard brightness automatically or manually

You can have the keyboard brightness adjust automatically based on available light, or you can adjust it manually.

Adjust the brightness automatically

To set your keyboard brightness to adjust automatically:

  1. From the Apple menu, choose System Preferences and then click on Keyboard.
  2. Select the "Adjust keyboard brightness in low light" checkbox.

Adjust the brightness manually

To make the keyboard brighter, press F6 on your notebook's built-in keyboard. To make it less bright, press F5.
If you can't adjust your keyboard's brightness manually, it's likely because you're in a very bright environment and you have your Mac set to automatically adjust the brightness. In this case, the backlit keyboard turns off. When you move to a location with less light, you can once again adjust the keyboard's brightness.

Adjust brightness on your MacBook Pro with Touch Bar

If you're using a 2016 MacBook Pro, you can quickly adjust your keyboard brightness by tapping User uploaded file in the Control Strip:
User uploaded file
The Control Strip expands, and you can tap User uploaded file User uploaded file to adjust keyboard brightness:
User uploaded file


If you are still having issues with the backlighting and you've determined that the environment that the MacBook Pro is being used in isn't too bright, you'll want to do an SMC reset.

How to reset the System Management Controller (SMC) on your Mac


Regards.
1 reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Apr 3, 2018 8:41 PM in response to robb13

Hey Robb,

Congratulations on the new MacBook Pro! It appears that you are unable to get the keyboard backlight to turn on. I use that function all the time on my MacBook Pro, so I can understand the concern. The following article goes over steps you can take for this issue.

Adjust the brightness of your backlit keyboard

Adjust your keyboard brightness automatically or manually

You can have the keyboard brightness adjust automatically based on available light, or you can adjust it manually.

Adjust the brightness automatically

To set your keyboard brightness to adjust automatically:

  1. From the Apple menu, choose System Preferences and then click on Keyboard.
  2. Select the "Adjust keyboard brightness in low light" checkbox.

Adjust the brightness manually

To make the keyboard brighter, press F6 on your notebook's built-in keyboard. To make it less bright, press F5.
If you can't adjust your keyboard's brightness manually, it's likely because you're in a very bright environment and you have your Mac set to automatically adjust the brightness. In this case, the backlit keyboard turns off. When you move to a location with less light, you can once again adjust the keyboard's brightness.

Adjust brightness on your MacBook Pro with Touch Bar

If you're using a 2016 MacBook Pro, you can quickly adjust your keyboard brightness by tapping User uploaded file in the Control Strip:
User uploaded file
The Control Strip expands, and you can tap User uploaded file User uploaded file to adjust keyboard brightness:
User uploaded file


If you are still having issues with the backlighting and you've determined that the environment that the MacBook Pro is being used in isn't too bright, you'll want to do an SMC reset.

How to reset the System Management Controller (SMC) on your Mac


Regards.

Keyboard Back-lights Not Coming On.

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