The Apple macOS Blog

You might want need a little extra glow in your workspace when you're working in a dimly lit room (or tent!) ; adjusting the keyboard backlight on your MacBook can make a big difference. Today I'm going to show you how to control your Mac's keyboard brightness and even set it to adjust automatically!

The easiest way — Using the Keyboard

The quickest way to adjust Mac's keyboard backlight is to press the built-in controls on your MacBook. Most models come with dedicated keys to brighten or dim the keyboard lighting:

1. Locate the brightness keys: Look for the F5 and F6 keys on the top row of your keyboard. These keys have small icons that resemble sun symbols with little lines, indicating brightness levels.
2. Adjust that backlight: Press the F6 key to increase brightness. F5 to decrease. Adjust it to your liking!

💡 Quick Tip: If you're using a MacBook model without actual function keys you can use the Touch Bar. Just tap the brightness icon and drag the slider to set the level you want.

Let Mac do the work — Setting Up Automatic Backlight Adjustments

If you find yourself frequently adjusting the backlight, why not let your MacBook do it for you? Here's how to enable automatic adjustments based on the surrounding light:

1. Open System Settings: Click on the Apple menu at the top left corner, then select 'System Settings.'
2. Go to Keyboard Settings: In the sidebar, click on 'Keyboard.'
3. Enable automatic adjustment: Check the box that says 'Adjust keyboard brightness in low light.'
   
   Your MacBook will now automatically adjust the keyboard backlight depending on the ambient light!

Yet another way — Set a Timer for the Backlight

You can also choose how long the keyboard backlight stays on when you're not using your MacBook:

1. In Keyboard Settings, you'll find an option 'Turn keyboard backlight off after inactivity.'
2. Choose a time limit, Select from options like 5 seconds, 1 minute, 5 minutes, or even never. This helps save battery life when you don't need the light.

Troubleshooting Tips

If your backlight isn't working as expected, check these before calling Apple:

• Ambient Light Sensors If your MacBook senses too much light around it, the backlight might not turn on even if it's set to automatic. You can try covering the area near the front-facing camera to test this.
• Check Keyboard Settings Make sure the 'Adjust keyboard brightness in low light' option is enabled if you want automatic adjustments.
• Restart Your MacBook Sometimes, a quick restart can resolve little software glitches that might be interferring with your keyboard backlight.

Let there be Light

Easy wasn't it? Now you know how to adjust your MacBook keyboard backlight to perfectly suit your environment.

Till next time,
❤️ Maria