How to Turn on and Turn Off the Keyboard Light on a Dell Laptop

Before you begin

This article explains how to enable, disable, and adjust the backlit keyboard on a Dell laptop. It covers brightness cycling using keyboard shortcuts, enabling keyboard illumination through BIOS settings, and resolving cases where the backlight does not respond. This article is a continuation of the Dell library page Keyboard Not Working: USB, Bluetooth, or Wireless Keyboards. Steps covered on the library page are steps such as checking connections, updating drivers, and replacing batteries.

Scope and Prerequisites

Before following this article, confirm the following conditions are met:

• General keyboard connectivity is confirmed. The keyboard is recognized by Windows, keys produce input, and the keyboard is not completely unresponsive. If the keyboard is not working at all, complete the troubleshooting steps on the Dell library page Keyboard Not Working: USB, Bluetooth, or Wireless Keyboards before continuing here.
• You are using a Dell laptop. Backlit keyboard controls described in this article apply to Dell laptop (notebook) models only. External USB and wireless keyboards have separate backlight controls managed through their own software.
• Windows is loaded. Steps in the Windows section require the operating system to be running. Steps in the BIOS section require the computer to be powered off before starting.

Background: How Keyboard Backlighting Works on Dell Laptops

Dell laptop keyboards use LEDs beneath or around each key to illuminate the keycap legends. The backlight is powered and controlled through the laptop's embedded controller, not through Windows drivers. This means:

• Backlight controls are accessible even when Windows has not loaded.
• A keyboard backlight issue can exist independently of keyboard input functionality.
• The backlight state (on, off, brightness level) persists across restarts based on BIOS settings.
• Not all Dell laptop models include a backlit keyboard. The feature is a hardware option; it cannot be added through software on models that do not ship with it.

Some Dell laptops support two to three brightness levels: Off, Low, and High. The Fn key combination cycles through these levels sequentially. The active level is indicated by a backlight icon on the function key row or, on some models, a dedicated key.

Step 1 — Confirm Your Laptop Has a Backlit Keyboard

A Dell laptop without a backlit keyboard will not respond to any of the brightness controls described in this article. Confirm the feature is present before troubleshooting.

Check if Your Keyboard Has a Backlight Key

Look for the Backlit key () on your keyboard. You will typically find it on one of these keys:

• F5, F6, F7, or F10: Common locations on Latitude, Vostro, and Inspiron models.
• Right arrow key (lower-right corner): Common on some XPS models.
• Dedicated key labeled with backlight icon: Present on certain Alienware and high-end XPS models.

Step 2 — Adjust Keyboard Backlight Brightness

Use the keyboard shortcut method to cycle through available brightness levels. There are two shortcut modes depending on how your Fn key lock (FnLock) is configured.

Mode 1: Fn Key Required (Default on Most Models)

In this mode, function keys perform their alternate multimedia actions by default. Pressing Fn temporarily switches them to F1–F12 behavior.

1. Press and hold the Fn key (located in the bottom-left corner of the keyboard, between Ctrl and the Windows key).
2. While holding Fn, press the Backlight key (the function key with the backlight icon).
3. Release and press the Backlight key again while still holding Fn to cycle to the next brightness level: Off > Low > High > Off.

Mode 2: Fn Key Not Required (FnLock Enabled)

When FnLock is active, the F1–F12 keys act as standard function keys by default. In this mode, press the Backlight key directly without holding Fn.

1. Press the Backlight key once to advance to the next brightness level.
2. Continue pressing to cycle through: Off > Low > High > Off.

Switching Between Modes (FnLock Toggle)

If the backlight key combination does not produce results, the Fn key lock state may not match the mode being used. Toggle FnLock as follows:

1. Press and hold the Fn key and press Esc key simultaneously.
2. Release both keys. The FnLock status changes. An indicator light on the Esc key or a Dell notification overlay may confirm the change.
3. Retry the backlight key using the appropriate mode.

Step 3 — Enable Keyboard Illumination in BIOS

If the keyboard backlight does not respond to key combinations after trying both Fn modes, the backlight may be disabled at the BIOS level. This setting takes priority over all keyboard shortcuts.

Accessing BIOS

1. Save all open work in Windows and shut the computer down completely (not Sleep or Hibernate).
2. Press the power button to turn the computer on.
3. Immediately begin pressing F2 once per second as soon as the Dell logo appears. Continue until the BIOS Setup Utility opens. Do not hold F2 continuously.

Enabling Keyboard Illumination

1. Once in the BIOS Setup Utility, select Keyboard from the left navigation panel.
2. Locate the Keyboard Illumination section.

3. Select the desired illumination setting:

• • Disabled: Backlight is permanently off regardless of keyboard shortcuts.
  • Dim: Backlight activates at low brightness when keys are pressed.
  • Bright: Backlight activates at full brightness when keys are pressed.

4. Select Apply Changes, then select Exit to reboot into Windows.
5. After Windows loads, test the backlight using the key combination in Step 2.

Optional: Keyboard Backlight Timeout

Some BIOS versions include a Keyboard Backlight Timeout setting under the same Keyboard section. This controls how many seconds the backlight stays on after the last keypress before automatically turning off. Common values are 5, 15, 30, or 60 seconds, and Always On.

• Set this to Always On if the backlight appears to work briefly and then turn off unexpectedly.
• Set to a shorter interval to conserve battery on battery-powered use.

Step 4 — Check Ambient Light Sensor Behavior (Select Models)

Certain Dell laptop models include an ambient light sensor (ALS). When enabled, the ALS automatically adjusts keyboard backlight brightness based on detected room lighting. In low-light environments, the backlight turns on; in bright environments, the backlight may dim or turn off automatically.

This behavior can be mistaken for a backlight malfunction. Confirm ALS behavior before concluding the backlight is broken.

Identifying ALS-Controlled Backlight Behavior

• The backlight turns on automatically when moving to a darker area without any key press.
• The backlight dims or turns off when facing a window or bright light source.
• Manual brightness adjustments using the key combination are overridden after a few seconds.

Disabling Ambient Light Sensor Backlight Control (BIOS)

1. Enter BIOS Setup by pressing F2 at startup (see Step 3 for full instructions).
2. Navigate to the Keyboard section.
3. Locate the setting Keyboard Illumination with ALS or Ambient Light Sensor. If present, set it to Disabled to allow manual control only.
4. Select Apply Changes and exit BIOS.

Step 5 — Alienware RGB Backlit Keyboards (Alienware Command Center)

Alienware laptops with per-key RGB or zone-based multi-color backlighting do not use the standard Fn key brightness cycling. These models use Alienware Command Center (AWCC) software to control lighting effects, colors, and brightness.

Installing or Reinstalling Alienware Command Center

1. Go to Drivers & Downloads and enter your Alienware Service Tag or Model.
2. Filter by Application and locate Alienware Command Center. Download and install the latest version.
3. After installation, open AWCC and navigate to the Lighting or AlienFX section.
4. Select the desired lighting theme, color, or brightness setting and apply.

Backlight Not Responding in AWCC

• Ensure AWCC is running. It must be active in the system tray for lighting changes to apply.
• Firmware update: AWCC includes firmware updates for the lighting controller. Check the AWCC update section and apply any pending updates.
• Reset lighting settings: In AWCC, use the Reset to Default option in the Lighting section to clear corrupted lighting profiles.
• Reinstall AWCC: If AWCC is unresponsive or the Lighting section is missing, uninstall AWCC through Windows Add or Remove Programs, restart, then reinstall from dell.com/support.

Step 6 — Update BIOS if Backlight Still Does Not Work

Outdated BIOS versions can contain bugs that affect keyboard illumination control. If the backlight remains non-functional after completing Steps 1–5, update the BIOS.

Update BIOS Using SupportAssist (Recommended)

1. Open the Start menu and search for SupportAssist. Open the app.
2. On the Home tab, select Update Software.
3. Select Start to scan for available updates.
4. If a BIOS update is listed, follow the on-screen prompts. The computer will restart automatically during the process.
5. After the BIOS update is completed and Windows reloads, retest the keyboard backlight.

If SupportAssist is not installed, see the SupportAssist for Home PCs library page. Download the SupportAssist installer application and install SupportAssist.

Quick Reference: Symptom and Resolution