How to turn on keyboard light MacBook Air M1?

Activating the keyboard backlight on a MacBook Air M1 is a convenient feature for working in low-light environments. Here’s a quick guide on how to enable the keyboard illumination effortlessly.

Instructions on how to activate the keyboard backlight on a MacBook Air M1

The MacBook Air M1 features an automatic keyboard backlight system that adjusts based on ambient lighting conditions. However, if you wish to manually control the keyboard backlight or ensure it’s activated, follow these steps:

1. Adjusting Keyboard Backlight Brightness:
   • Press the “F5” key on your MacBook Air’s keyboard to decrease the keyboard backlight brightness.
   • Press the “F6” key to increase the keyboard backlight brightness. These keys have icons resembling a sun or a light bulb, typically placed on the top row of the keyboard.
2. Customizing Keyboard Brightness in System Preferences:
   • For more control, navigate to the Apple menu at the top-left corner of your screen and select “System Preferences.”
   • Click on “Keyboard.”
   • In the Keyboard settings, find and check the box labeled “Adjust keyboard brightness in low light” to enable automatic adjustment based on ambient light conditions.
   • Adjust the slider for “Keyboard Brightness” to set the desired brightness level manually.
3. Using Siri or Voice Command:
   • If enabled, you can use Siri or voice commands to adjust the keyboard brightness. Activate Siri by pressing and holding the Siri button on the Touch Bar or by saying, “Hey Siri, adjust keyboard brightness to [desired level].”
4. Check Ambient Light Sensor:
   • Ensure the ambient light sensor, which detects light conditions to adjust the keyboard backlight automatically, is not obstructed or covered by any object on your MacBook Air.

Remember that the MacBook Air M1’s keyboard backlight system is designed to adjust automatically based on the surrounding light levels. Therefore, manually controlling the backlight might be limited compared to other MacBook models. However, using the mentioned shortcuts or adjusting settings in System Preferences should provide you with the control you need over the keyboard backlight brightness on your MacBook Air M1.

How does the MacBook Air M1’s ambient light sensor adjust the keyboard backlight?

The ambient light sensor incorporated in the MacBook Air M1 is a hardware feature designed to automatically adjust the keyboard backlighting based on the surrounding environmental lighting conditions. Unlike some Intel-based MacBook models that had dedicated settings in the menu bar or System Preferences for manual adjustment of keyboard lighting, the M1 model typically relies on this sensor for automatic adjustments. This sensor, situated within the MacBook Air’s hardware, detects the ambient light intensity around the device. When the sensor detects low ambient light, indicative of dim or dark surroundings, it triggers the backlit keyboard to illuminate, enhancing the visibility of the keys for the user.

The integration of this ambient light sensor simplifies the user experience by removing the need for manual adjustment of keyboard backlighting through software settings or menu bar options, as seen in some previous Intel-based MacBook models. While users might not have direct control over the keyboard lighting using traditional settings or shortcuts due to the automatic nature of the sensor, the hardware function ensures that the keyboard backlighting adjusts seamlessly based on the surrounding light levels, providing optimal visibility for typing in varying lighting conditions without the need for an alternate method through software settings or a brightness menu.