Most keyboards let you change colour through software or built-in buttons
Whether your keyboard lights up depends on what you own. Gaming and mechanical keyboards almost always have colour-changing RGB lighting that you control through a program on your computer or buttons on the keyboard itself. Standard office keyboards usually do not light up at all, so there is nothing to change. Laptop keyboards almost never have adjustable lighting.
If your keyboard does have lighting, the method to change it depends on the brand and model. Some keyboards use dedicated buttons with plus and minus signs to cycle through colours. Others require you to download software from the manufacturer — Corsair, Razer, SteelSeries, and Logitech all make their own lighting control programs. A few keyboards do both.
The first step is figuring out what you actually have. Look at the keyboard itself for any buttons marked with light symbols, plus signs, or mode indicators. Check the underside or back for the brand name and model number. Then search online for "[brand name] [model number] lighting" to find the right instructions for your specific keyboard.
Key Takeaways
- Gaming and mechanical keyboards usually have RGB lighting you can change; standard office keyboards typically do not light up at all.
- Some keyboards use physical buttons to change colour, while others require you to download software from the manufacturer.
- Find your keyboard's brand and model number, then search online for the specific lighting instructions for that model.
- If your keyboard has no lighting buttons and no software available, it does not have adjustable colour lighting.
- Laptop keyboards almost never have colour-changing features, even if they are backlit.
Using physical buttons on your keyboard
Many gaming keyboards have dedicated buttons to control lighting without needing software. Look for buttons marked with a light bulb icon, plus and minus symbols, or words like "Mode" or "FN" combined with arrow keys. These buttons usually cycle through preset colours, brightness levels, and lighting effects like pulsing or rainbow waves.
Press and hold the button marked for lighting mode — often it is FN plus a function key (F1 through F12) — to enter colour selection. Then use the plus and minus buttons to move through the available colours. Some keyboards let you hold a button to cycle faster. Once you find the colour you want, release the button and it should stay on that setting until you change it again.
If the buttons do not respond, check whether the keyboard needs to be plugged in or charged. Wireless keyboards sometimes have a power switch on the underside that needs to be turned on. If the keyboard is plugged in and powered on but the buttons still do not work, the lighting feature may be broken or the keyboard may not have adjustable lighting at all.
Installing manufacturer software to change colours
Keyboards from Corsair, Razer, SteelSeries, Logitech, and other gaming brands usually come with software that gives you far more control than physical buttons alone. This software lets you set different colours for different keys, create custom lighting patterns, and sometimes sync the lighting with other devices like your mouse or headset.
Go to the manufacturer's website and find the support or downloads section. Search for your keyboard model and look for software with a name like "Corsair iCUE", "Razer Synapse", "SteelSeries GG", or "Logitech G Hub". Download the installer and run it on your computer. When you plug in your keyboard, the software should detect it automatically.
Once the software is open, look for a section called "Lighting", "RGB", "Effects", or "Colours". Click on any key or zone to change its colour. Most software shows a colour wheel or a list of preset colours to choose from. After you make changes, look for a button that says "Save" or "Apply" to store the settings. Some software saves automatically.
If the software does not detect your keyboard, try unplugging it and plugging it back in while the software is open. If it still does not appear, restart your computer and try again. Make sure you downloaded the software from the official manufacturer website, not from a third-party site.
Troubleshooting when colours won't change
If you press the lighting buttons and nothing happens, first check that the keyboard is actually powered on. For wired keyboards, make sure the cable is fully plugged into both the keyboard and the computer. For wireless keyboards, check that the battery is not dead — try replacing the batteries or charging the keyboard if it has a rechargeable battery.
Some keyboards require you to hold down a specific key combination to enter lighting mode. Check the manual or search online for "[brand] [model] lighting mode" to see if there is a special key combination you need to press first. A few keyboards have a separate power switch for the lighting feature itself, separate from the keyboard power.
If you installed software but it is not working, try uninstalling and reinstalling it. Close the software completely, go to your computer's control panel or settings, find the software in the list of installed programs, and select uninstall. Then download the latest version from the manufacturer's website and install it fresh. Restart your computer after installation.
If the keyboard has never had working lighting and you bought it used or it is very old, the lighting hardware inside may be broken. In that case, there is no software fix — you would need to replace the keyboard.
Understanding RGB and lighting effects
RGB stands for Red, Green, and Blue — the three colours of light that combine to make any colour on a screen or light. Most gaming keyboards use tiny LED lights under or behind each key that can be set to any colour by mixing different amounts of red, green, and blue light.
When you change the colour through software or buttons, you are telling those LEDs what mix of red, green, and blue to produce. A keyboard set to pure red has the red LED at full brightness and the green and blue LEDs off. A keyboard set to white has all three LEDs at full brightness. A keyboard set to purple has red and blue at full brightness and green off.
Lighting effects like "breathing" or "pulsing" make the lights fade in and out. "Rainbow" or "spectrum" effects cycle through all the colours. "Wave" effects make the colour move across the keyboard from one side to the other. These are just preset patterns that the keyboard's built-in chip runs automatically — you do not need to do anything to make them work once you select them.
What to do if your keyboard has no lighting at all
If your keyboard is a standard office keyboard or a basic laptop keyboard, it probably does not have any lighting feature. These keyboards are designed to be simple and affordable, and colour-changing lights are only found on gaming and premium mechanical keyboards.
You can tell whether your keyboard has lighting by looking at the keys themselves. If you see small LED lights visible through or behind the keys, or if the keys glow when you turn off the lights in the room, your keyboard has lighting. If the keys look completely dark and solid even in a dark room, there is no lighting to change.
If you want a keyboard with colour-changing lighting, you will need to buy a new one. Gaming keyboards with RGB lighting start at around 40 to 60 dollars and go up from there depending on the brand and features. Mechanical keyboards with lighting are usually more expensive but offer better typing feel and durability.
Syncing keyboard lighting with other devices
If you have multiple gaming devices like a mouse, headset, or monitor, many manufacturers let you sync the lighting across all of them so they all change colour together. This is called "unified lighting" or "ecosystem lighting".
To set this up, make sure all your devices are plugged in and detected by the manufacturer's software. In the software, look for a section called "Lighting Sync", "Unified Lighting", "Synchronization", or "Connected Devices". Select the devices you want to sync together and choose a colour or effect. When you change the colour in the software, all synced devices should change at the same time.
Syncing only works with devices from the same manufacturer. A Corsair keyboard will not sync with a Razer mouse, for example. Each manufacturer has its own software and lighting system. If you want all your devices to light up together, buy them from the same brand.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I change keyboard lighting on a laptop?
Most laptops do not have colour-changing keyboard lighting. Some high-end gaming laptops have RGB lighting that you control through a dedicated key combination or software, but this is rare. Check your laptop's manual or search online for your specific model to see if it has adjustable lighting.
Why does my keyboard lighting keep turning off?
Some keyboards turn off the lighting after a period of inactivity to save power. Check the software settings for a "timeout" or "sleep" option and disable it if you want the lights to stay on all the time. Alternatively, the keyboard may be in a power-saving mode — try pressing the lighting button or restarting the software.
Do I need to install software to use keyboard lighting?
No. Keyboards with physical buttons work without any software — the buttons control the lighting directly. Software is only needed if you want advanced features like custom colour patterns or syncing with other devices. Basic keyboards work fine with buttons alone.
What if the software says my keyboard is not compatible?
Make sure you downloaded the software from the official manufacturer website, not a third-party site. Check that your keyboard model matches the software version — older keyboards may not work with the newest software. If the software still does not recognize your keyboard, contact the manufacturer's support team with your keyboard model number.
Can I change the colour of individual keys?
Yes, but only if your keyboard has per-key RGB lighting and the manufacturer's software supports it. Most gaming keyboards let you click on individual keys in the software and set each one to a different colour. Budget keyboards usually only let you change the colour of the entire keyboard at once.