There are several ways to change your keyboard backlight color: an Fn key shortcut, the manufacturer’s app or, with compatible devices, your operating system. Windows 11 offers Dynamic Lighting for this purpose, while macOS only lets you adjust the brightness of the built-in keyboard, so external RGB keyboards on a Mac are controlled using shortcuts or dedicated software. This is usually an app installed on your computer, but a growing number of companies, including some of the biggest brands, offer configuration tools that run directly in your browser.
Before you start looking for the right key combination, check whether your keyboard model actually supports changing colors.
In this article, you’ll learn:
- What types of keyboard backlighting are available?
- How do you change the backlight color with an Fn shortcut?
- How can you control RGB lighting through software or system settings?
- How does the power source affect keyboard lighting?
- Why can colors look different on screen and on the keys?
- How can RGB lighting help with everyday tasks?
Computer keyboard types and backlighting options
Different types of computer keyboards, such as membrane and mechanical keyboards, use different mechanisms beneath the keys, while the backlighting depends on the LEDs and the controller that drives them. This means that both membrane and mechanical models can offer a single color or a full RGB palette.
In practice, there are three levels of lighting control. The simplest is single-color backlighting, common in business laptops, where you can only adjust brightness. One step up is zoned RGB, often found in membrane keyboards: it divides the keys into several areas and lets you give each one a different color, although all the keys within a zone light up in the same color. Per-key RGB offers the most freedom, with each key having its own independently controlled LED. This approach is used in many current gaming keyboards, including the ENDORFY Thock V2 series.
The easiest way to find out which of these backlighting options your keyboard has is to check its specifications. A product described as an RGB backlit keyboard lets you choose colors, though the range of settings depends on the model. A description that simply says “backlit keyboard” usually means single-color lighting.
How to change your keyboard backlight color with an Fn shortcut?
As I mentioned earlier, many models let you control basic RGB settings without additional software. They use combinations of the Fn key and keys assigned to color, brightness and effects, and the process usually comes down to four steps:
- Find the Fn key. On some models, it carries the manufacturer’s logo instead of the “Fn” label.
- Look for keys marked with lighting symbols. They are usually in the F1–F12 row, on the arrow keys or on the numeric keypad.
- Hold down Fn and press the relevant key until your chosen color or effect appears.
- If the color does not change, check the active mode. Depending on the model, some effects have fixed colors, so switch to a static lighting effect first.
There is no universal layout for lighting controls. A standard full-size keyboard with a numeric keypad has more space for additional functions, so smaller models, such as 75% keyboards, are more likely to place lighting controls on keys shared with other functions. Some models also have separate buttons for media or lighting controls.
For the same reason, the exact combinations used on ENDORFY keyboards, for example, depend on the specific model, so it is worth checking the device manual. If your model supports a custom mode, you can configure some lighting settings without launching an app.
Controlling lighting through the manufacturer’s app and system settings
An Fn shortcut is enough for a quick color or effect change. If you want more detailed RGB lighting control, the manufacturer’s software usually offers more options.
Depending on the model, it lets you select a specific color, adjust brightness and animation speed and, with per-key RGB, assign a separate color to individual keys. You can highlight WASD for gaming or the numeric keypad when working with spreadsheets. If the device has onboard memory and supports saving profiles, your settings may remain active after you close the program.
In Windows 11, Dynamic Lighting is an additional option, available under:
Settings → Personalization → Dynamic Lighting.
This feature lets you control the brightness, colors and effects of compatible devices directly through your operating system. If your keyboard does not appear in the list, check its compatibility and make sure your system and firmware are up to date. If the device supports both Dynamic Lighting and the manufacturer’s app, it is worth choosing one control method; otherwise, the settings may override each other.
On macOS, the way you control an external RGB keyboard depends primarily on the features its manufacturer provides. You can adjust the built-in Mac keyboard’s backlight through system settings, but external RGB models usually require controls on the keyboard itself or a compatible manufacturer app to change colors.
Wired or wireless keyboard? How the power source affects RGB
When it comes to backlighting, the main difference between a wired and wireless keyboard is the power source. Whether it uses a 2.4 GHz receiver or a Bluetooth connection, a wireless keyboard shares its energy between connectivity and LEDs. Higher brightness and more elaborate RGB effects mean less time between charges.
For this reason, wireless keyboards often dim or turn off their backlighting in power-saving mode. If the RGB lighting suddenly becomes dimmer or turns off sooner than usual, check the battery level and power settings first.
Conventional wired keyboards do not have this limitation. A USB keyboard draws power directly from the port, so it can stay at full brightness continuously. A wireless model, on the other hand, gives you more freedom to position your equipment and leaves fewer cables on your desk.
Color on screen, color on the keys
The color you select in an app does not always look exactly the same on your keyboard as it does on your monitor. RGB LEDs are only part of the reason: keycaps, switches and the color of the keyboard case also play a role.
An RGB LED creates white by mixing red, green and blue, so it often has a bluish or pinkish tint. You can adjust this by reducing the dominant color component in the manufacturer’s app. A colored switch housing can add its own tint to the light: traditional shine-through keycaps mainly let it pass through the legends, while pudding keycaps also diffuse it through their translucent sides. The keyboard case color matters too: a black keyboard absorbs some of the glow, while a light-colored one spreads it more widely.
RGB that works for you
Color can do more than look good: it can also mark frequently used shortcuts or groups of keys. When choosing a keyboard, the number of RGB effects does not have to be your main consideration. In practice, a convenient keyboard lets you quickly change the lighting and save it to your own profile. For some users, however, an ergonomic keyboard suited to the way they work will matter more, with RGB remaining an extra.
If all you need is a quick color change, start with an Fn shortcut. When you need more control, turn to the manufacturer’s app or the system tools available on your platform.
