How to Turn on Backlit Keyboard on Lenovo

If you use your Lenovo ThinkPad laptop in dark environments, you may want to enable the keyboard light to see your keys. Newer Lenovo devices have a Backlight icon, which looks like a horizontal bracket with arcing rays on top. This can usually be found on the spacebar of your keyboard. Older ThinkPads usually come with a ThinkLight, which is located at the top of the display and shines a small light on your keyboard. This wikiHow will show you how to turn on your Lenovo device's backlight and ThinkLight using keyboard shortcuts.

Things You Should Know

  • If your Lenovo laptop has a backlight, you'll see the Backlight icon on your spacebar.
  • To turn on the backlight, press the Function (Fn) key and Backlight shortcut key at the same time.
  • To turn on the ThinkLight, press the Function (Fn) key and Page Up key together.
Section 1 of 3:

Turning on Backlight

  1. Image titled Turn on Keyboard Light Lenovo Step 1
    1
    Turn on your laptop. In some cases, your backlight may not turn on due to low battery.
  2. Image titled Turn on Keyboard Light Lenovo Step 2
    2
    Locate the Backlight shortcut key. In most cases, this will be located on your keyboard's Spacebar.[1]
    • The icon looks like a horizontal bracket with arcing rays above it.
    Advertisement
  3. Image titled Turn on Keyboard Light Lenovo Step 3
    3
    Press Fn+Backlight to turn on your keyboard backlight. Fn is the abbreviation of Function.
    • Similar to taking screenshots on Lenovo, you'll need to press these keys at the same time.
    • To adjust your brightness, press Fn and Backlight as many times as needed to cycle through your laptop's brightness presets.
    • To turn off your backlight, press Fn and Backlight until the backlight turns off.
    4. Advertisement
Section 2 of 3:

Turning on ThinkLight

  1. Image titled Turn on Keyboard Light Lenovo Step 4
    1
    Turn on your laptop. Make sure your laptop is charged.
  2. Image titled Turn on Keyboard Light Lenovo Step 5
    2
    Locate the ThinkLight shortcut key. In most cases, this will be located on your keyboard's Page Up button. This is abbreviated as PgUp on your keyboard.[2]
    • The icon looks like a half circle with rays extending below it.
  3. Image titled Turn on Keyboard Light Lenovo Step 6
    3
    Press Fn+ThinkLight at the same time. Fn is the abbreviation of Function. Your ThinkLight should turn on.
    • To turn ThinkLight off, press Fn and Page Up together again.
    4. Advertisement
Section 3 of 3:

Troubleshooting the Backlight

  1. Image titled Turn on Keyboard Light Lenovo Step 7
    1
    Check Lenovo Vantage. This is a built-in application that helps your Lenovo device run properly.[3]
    • Open your task bar and search for Lenovo Vantage.
    • Click Device, Input & accessories.
    • Confirm Keyboard backlight is activated.
  2. Image titled Turn on Keyboard Light Lenovo Step 8
    2
    Power drain the built-in battery. Newer laptops will have a built-in battery.
    • Unplug the AC adapter.
    • Press and hold your device's Power button for 10 seconds.
    • Reconnect the AC adapter and turn the device on.
  3. Image titled Turn on Keyboard Light Lenovo Step 9
    3
    Power drain the detachable battery. Older laptops will have a detachable battery.
    • Unplug the AC adapter.
    • Press and hold your device's Power button for 10 seconds.
    • Install the battery, reconnect the AC adapter, and turn the device on.
    4. Advertisement

You Might Also Like

Restart Your Computer Using the Keyboard
How to
Restart Your Computer Using the Keyboard
Check Browsing History on a WiFi Router
How to
Check Browsing History on a WiFi Router
Find the Publication Date of a Website
How to
Find the Publication Date of a Website
Connect PC to TV with HDMI
How to
Connect PC to TV with HDMI
Open a Digital Safe Without a Key
How to
Open a Digital Safe Without a Key
Listen to Police RadioHow to Listen to Police Radio Online: Best Apps & Websites
Hack a Computer
How to
Hack a Computer
Read Dump FilesEasy Ways to Read Crash Dump Files & Troubleshoot Crashes
Tell if Your Mac Is Too Old to Update
How to
Tell if Your Mac Is Too Old to Update
What Does DW MeanWhat Does DW Mean? Snapchat, Texting, and More
Create a Desktop Shortcut
How to
Create a Desktop Shortcut
Find My Apple PencilSimple Ways to Find a Lost Apple Pencil with Your iPad
Guess a PasswordHow to Guess a Password
Convert iPhone Photos to JPG
How to
Convert iPhone Photos to JPG
Advertisement

References

  1. ↑ https://support.lenovo.com/us/en/solutions/ht104451-how-to-turn-onoff-the-keyboard-light-backlit-on-your-laptop-thinkpad
  2. ↑ https://support.lenovo.com/us/en/solutions/ht117601
  3. ↑ https://support.lenovo.com/us/en/solutions/ht117804-cannot-turn-on-backlight-keyboard-in-windows-8110-ideapad

About This Article

Rain Kengly
Written by:
Rain Kengly
wikiHow Technology Writer
This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Rain Kengly. Rain Kengly is a wikiHow Technology Writer. As a storytelling enthusiast with a penchant for technology, they hope to create long-lasting connections with readers from all around the globe. Rain graduated from San Francisco State University with a BA in Cinema. This article has been viewed 39,993 times.
How helpful is this?
Co-authors: 2
Updated: October 25, 2022
Views: 39,993
Categories: Computers and Electronics
Advertisement