A backlit keyboard is arguably one of the most underrated features of a laptop. Many people would buy a laptop without considering it, and some don’t even know if their keyboard has this feature. So, how would you know if your laptop has a backlit keyboard?

The easiest way to know if your laptop has a backlit keyboard is to look for the illumination icon on one of the keys. Manufacturers have different positions for it, but it looks like a turned-on lightbulb. There may also be two more keys to control its brightness.

Backlit Keyboard on Laptop: Identification

Different manufacturers use varying key combinations to enable or disable keyboard lighting. This combination is hard to figure out in some laptops, so you must try different ways before getting it right. Additionally, there can be two versions of the same laptop model, one with a backlit keyboard and the other without, further complicating things.

So, let’s talk about some of the easiest ways to find out if your laptop has a backlit keyboard.

1. Find the Model Number and Search for it on the Manufacturer’s Website

This is a surefire way to determine whether your laptop has a backlit keyboard. It’ll also save you from spending a lot of time trying to determine the key combinations that can enable or disable the keyboard lighting. All you need is the laptop model you’re using, and the following steps will be easy.

Here’s how you can do it:

Check the underside of the laptop. Most laptops have a sticker on the bottom containing all the necessary information. Take note of the model number or the model name for your computer.
Go to the manufacturer’s website and search for that model. Remember, some laptops have different variants, so you need to search for the exact model rather than something that looks similar.
Open the specifications page for your laptop. This is where you’ll determine whether your computer has a backlit keyboard. If it does, you can start looking for the key combination to enable it. If it doesn’t, you’ll need some workaround to use your laptop without a backlit keyboard (we’ll talk about this later).
Look for the manual file on the product page. This can be a PDF file or a web page containing all the information you need for the laptop. This manual will also show you the key combination to enable, disable, or adjust the keyboard lighting.

2. Try Different Key Combinations for Keyboard Lighting

This step can be complicated because a manufacturer can have different key combinations for different laptops. Considering the number of laptop manufacturers, the list of exact combinations for keyboard lighting is too long to try out one by one.

So, the best way to do this is to check the keys individually and look for an illumination icon (or a turned-on lightbulb icon). When you find the icon on the keyboard, you might need to press it together with the Fn key to enable the keyboard lighting. Unfortunately, not all laptop keyboards will have this icon visible, so you’d have to try the most common key combinations to test it out.

Here are the most common key combinations that enable or disable the backlit keyboard:

Fn + F4 key.
Fn + F5 key.
Fn+ F6 key.
Fn + F7 key.
Fn + F9 key.
Fn + F10 key.
Fn + F11 key.
Fn + right arrow key to increase brightness. Fn + left arrow key to decrease brightness.
Fn + up arrow key to increase brightness. Fn + down arrow key to decrease brightness.

Note: If none of these combinations worked, try to see if your Fn key is locked. You can press the keys without the Fn key if it’s locked. If it’s unlocked, your laptop may not have a backlit keyboard.