The M1 MacBook is a powerful and innovative laptop that has gained popularity for its exceptional performance and long battery life. One of the standout features of the M1 MacBook is its backlit keyboard, which allows users to work comfortably in low-light environments. However, adjusting the keyboard brightness on the M1 MacBook can be a bit confusing for some users. In this article, I will guide you through the process of adjusting the keyboard brightness on your M1 MacBook, so you can customize it to your liking.
Adjust Keyboard Brightness with Control Center
The Control Center is a convenient feature introduced in macOS Big Sur that allows you to access commonly used settings and controls with just a few clicks. Adjusting the keyboard brightness is one of the settings that you can easily access through the Control Center.
To adjust the keyboard brightness using the Control Center, follow these steps:
- Click on the Control Center icon located in the menu bar at the top right corner of your screen. It looks like a series of small icons, including a keyboard icon.
- In the Control Center window, you will see a slider labeled “Keyboard Brightness”. Drag the slider to the right to increase the brightness or to the left to decrease the brightness of your keyboard.
- As you adjust the slider, the keyboard brightness will change accordingly. You can keep adjusting the slider until you find the perfect brightness level for your keyboard.
By using the Control Center, you can easily adjust the keyboard brightness on your M1 MacBook without having to navigate through multiple settings menus.
Add Keyboard Brightness Setting to Menu Bar
If you prefer to have quick access to the keyboard brightness setting directly from the menu bar, you can add it as a shortcut for easy adjustment. Here’s how:
- Go to the Apple menu at the top left corner of your screen and select “System Preferences” from the dropdown menu.
- In the System Preferences window, click on “Keyboard”.
- In the Keyboard settings, navigate to the “Keyboard” tab.
- Check the box next to “Show keyboard and emoji viewers in menu bar”.
- Close the System Preferences window.
Now, you will see a new icon in your menu bar, which looks like a small keyboard. Clicking on this icon will open a dropdown menu with various options, including the keyboard brightness setting. You can simply adjust the brightness level by dragging the slider up or down.
Adding the keyboard brightness setting to the menu bar provides you with a quick and convenient way to adjust the brightness without having to open a separate window or use the Control Center.
Get Keyboard Brightness Shortcut Keys Back on M1 MacBook
On previous MacBook models, there were dedicated shortcut keys for adjusting the keyboard brightness. However, with the introduction of the M1 MacBook, these shortcut keys were replaced with new functions. If you miss having dedicated shortcut keys for adjusting the keyboard brightness, you can bring them back with a simple workaround.
To get the keyboard brightness shortcut keys back on your M1 MacBook, follow these steps:
- Go to the Apple menu and select “System Preferences”.
- In the System Preferences window, click on “Keyboard”.
- In the Keyboard settings, navigate to the “Shortcuts” tab.
- On the left sidebar, click on “Display”.
- Check the box next to “Increase keyboard brightness” and “Decrease keyboard brightness”.
- Assign the desired shortcut keys by clicking on the existing shortcuts and pressing the keys you want to use.
Once you have set up the shortcut keys, you can use them to increase or decrease the keyboard brightness directly, without the need to access the Control Center or menu bar.
Disable Auto Brightness for Keyboard Backlight
By default, the M1 MacBook has an auto brightness feature for the keyboard backlight, which adjusts the brightness level based on the ambient lighting conditions. While this feature can be useful in some situations, it may not always provide the desired brightness level.
To disable the auto brightness feature for the keyboard backlight on your M1 MacBook, follow these steps:
- Go to the Apple menu and select “System Preferences”.
- In the System Preferences window, click on “Keyboard”.
- In the Keyboard settings, navigate to the “Keyboard” tab.
- Uncheck the box next to “Adjust keyboard brightness in low light”.
- Close the System Preferences window.
By disabling the auto brightness feature, you can manually set the keyboard brightness to your preferred level and it will remain unchanged regardless of the ambient lighting conditions.
