How to Turn on the Keyboard Light on an HP Laptop

What to Know

• The HP keyboard backlight makes it easier to use your laptop in low-light conditions.
• You can usually toggle it on with the F5, F9, or F11 key, whichever one has the light icon.
• If that doesn't work, you can try using a function key (i.e., Fn+F5).

Not every HP laptop is the same, but if you want to use the HP keyboard backlight, you have a few options. This article explains how to turn on the keyboard backlighting, and while there might be a few variations, these tricks generally work for most HP laptops.

How to Turn on Keyboard Backlighting on HP Laptops

HP has made the process of turning on keyboard backlighting extremely easy. Most modern HP laptops only require that you press a single key to toggle the keyboard light on and off.

1. Make sure your laptop is turned on.

2. Find the light key on your keyboard. It's probably in the row of Function (F) keys along the top of the keyboard. The light key looks like three squares with three lines flashing out from the left side of the row.

   

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   Some models may require that you press the Fn key at the same time. It's typically located in the bottom row of the keyboard, often between the left-hand Ctrl and Windows keys.

3. Press the key(s) to turn the keyboard light on. You can toggle it off again be repeating the same step.

Using the Luminance Keys

The luminance keys control the brightness of your keyboard backlight. They are also located in the row of Function keys and are denoted by large and smaller flashing light symbols. In our case, the luminance controls are f2 and f3.

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Why Won't My Keyboard Light Turn On?

If you have followed these steps and your keyboard light doesn't turn on or only turns on for a short period before turning off again, there are some fixes you can try.

• Confirm that your laptop has keyboard backlighting on the HP's support website or in your laptop manual.
• Access the BIOS and look for a setting called Action Keys. Make sure it's enabled.
• In your HP laptop's BIOS, navigate to Advanced > Built-in Device Options and look for Backlit keyboard timeout. Set it to however long you want to enable backlighting.

Do All HP Laptops Have Light Up Keyboards?

Many HP laptops have backlit keyboards, some just a single color, others with what's known as RGB lighting, that can be customized to show different colors. It depends on your laptop model.

How Do I Make My Laptop Keyboard Light Up?

HP laptops include a dedicated key to switch the keyboard light on and off, and separate ones to adjust the brightness. Some laptops have a similar command key, while others have dedicated applications to enable and adjust the lighting. It depends on your laptop's make and model.

FAQ

• How do I turn on keyboard lighting on my HP OMEN laptop?

  Use the F5 or Fn+F5 combination to turn on your keyboard's backlighting. Customize lighting intensity, zones, and animations from the OMEN Command Center > Lighting > Keyboard.

• How do I turn on the keyboard light on HP Pavilion laptops?

  Some HP Pavilion laptops lack backlighting altogether. If you’ve confirmed that your model has this feature, try the F5 key, even if it’s blank. Alternatively, your model may use a different ke,y such as F4, F9, or F11 alone or in combination with the Fn key.