How to turn Keyboard Backlight Autobrightness on or off in Windows 11

Why turn Keyboard Backlight Autobrightness on or off?

Turning keyboard backlight autobrightness on lets your keyboard light adjust itself automatically, which is handy if you often move between bright and dark rooms.

What happens when done?

Once you change this setting, your keyboard backlight will either automatically adjust its brightness based on the room’s light, or it will stay at the brightness level you set manually.

Option 1Use ⚙️ Windows Settings

You can easily turn your keyboard backlight autobrightness on or off right from ⚙️ Windows Settings. Just press the Windows key and ‘I’ together to open Settings, then go to ‘🔷 Bluetooth & devices’ and then ‘Keyboard’ to find the setting.

1. Open Settings. You can do this by pressing the Windows key + I on your keyboard.
2. On the left side, click on 🔷 Bluetooth & devices. Then, on the right side, click on Keyboard.

3. Look for the Keyboard backlight section. You will see an option that says “Change keyboard brightness automatically when lighting changes”. Turn this setting On or Off, depending on what you want.

4. You can now close ⚙️ the Settings window.

Option 2Use Registry Editor (Advanced Users)

For those comfortable with advanced computer settings, changing keyboard backlight autobrightness is possible using the Windows Registry Editor. This tool lets you make detailed system changes, but you need to be careful as mistakes can affect how Windows works.

First, open the Registry Editor. You can search for “regedit” in the Windows search bar and press Enter. You might need to click “Yes” on a User Account Control prompt.

To Turn On Keyboard Backlight Autobrightness

Turning on keyboard backlight autobrightness with the Registry Editor involves finding a specific setting and setting its value correctly. You’ll need to navigate to 🗝️HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Sensors\LightSensors\KeyboardBacklight in the editor.copy

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\\Sensors\LightSensors\KeyboardBacklight

You will need to create or modify a value named EnableBucketedBacklightAutobrightness.

Double-click on EnableBucketedBacklightAutobrightness. Make sure the “Value data” is set to 1. Click OK.

To Turn Off Keyboard Backlight Autobrightness

To turn off keyboard backlight autobrightness using the Registry Editor, you need to change a specific setting’s value to 0. Go to 🗝️HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Sensors\LightSensors\KeyboardBacklightcopy, then double-click on EnableBucketedBacklightAutobrightness and set its ‘Value data’ to 0.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\ airson\Sensors\LightSensors\KeyboardBacklight

Double-click on EnableBucketedBacklightAutobrightness. Make sure the “Value data” is set to 0. Click OK.

After changing Windows 11 keyboard backlight settings, restarting the computer ensures the new brightness control takes full effect. This restart action applies the chosen automatic brightness adjustments, whether turning it on or off, to the keyboard's lighting.

Reference:

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/design/component-guidelines/keyboard-backlight-implementation-guide#keyboard-backlight-autobrightness

Summary

You’ve learned how to manage your keyboard’s automatic brightness in Windows 11, with the straightforward ⚙️ Settings app for most users and the more advanced Registry Editor for those who need it.