Windows 11 can now automatically adjust your keyboard backlight brightness. Here’s how to enable or disable it.
Most laptop keyboards and even some external keyboards have built-in backlight support so that you can see the keyboard even in dim lighting. Generally, if you want to change the backlight brightness, you’d have to adjust it manually using the provided keyboard shortcuts (usually the function keys). However, if your device has an ambient light sensor, Windows 11 can now automatically adjust the keyboard backlight brightness based on the lighting in your environment. For example, if you are in a dark room, the keyboard backlight automatically increases in brightness. In a bright room, Windows reduces the backlight brightness.
In this quick and easy Windows 11 how-to guide, let me show you how to enable or disable the keyboard auto-brightness. Let’s get started.
Before You Start
- To turn the automatic keyboard backlight brightness on or off, your computer/laptop should have a built-in ambient light sensor.
- If your device doesn’t have a built-in ambient light sensor, this option will not be available.
Steps to Enable or Disable ‘Change Keyboard Backlight Brightness Automatically’
- Open Settings with “Windows key + I”.
- Go to “Bluetooth & devices” > “Keyboard“.
- Scroll down to the “Keyboard backlight” section.
- Turn ON the “Change keyboard brightness automatically when lighting changes” toggle to enable automatic keyboard brightness.
- Turn OFF the “Change keyboard brightness automatically when lighting changes” toggle to disable automatic keyboard brightness.
- Close the Settings app.
Detailed Steps (With Screenshots)
First, launch the Settings app using the “Windows key + I” keyboard shortcut. Or, right-click the Start button on the taskbar and select the “Settings” option. Once it opens, go to the “Bluetooth & devices” tab in the left sidebar, then click the “Keyboard” option in the right panel.
On this page, find the “Keyboard backlight” section. Next, do the following:
- Enable automatic keyboard brightness: Turn ON the “Change keyboard brightness automatically when lighting changes” toggle.
- Disable automatic keyboard brightness: Turn OFF the “Change keyboard brightness automatically when lighting changes” toggle.
Important note: If you don’t see these options, either your device doesn’t have an ambient light sensor, or you are using an older version of Windows. Please update Windows 11 to the latest version and make sure your device has the required hardware.
Once you’ve made the change, you can close the Settings app. From now on, Windows 11 honors the automatic backlight setting and only changes brightness when it is enabled.
That is all. It is that simple to enable or disable the automatic keyboard backlight brightness in Windows 11. If you have any questions or need help, comment below. I’ll be happy to help.
