Fix: ASUS Keyboard Backlight Not Working

ASUS is one of the leading manufacturers in the computing market with products ranging from high-end motherboards to graphics cards. It is a pioneer in the field and its products are known for their durability and extreme performance.

Recently, we came across several cases where the ASUS Keyboard would not display the Backlight at all. Either this or the backlight was not controllable i.e. you cannot change the brightness or change the colors. Since each computer’s configuration is different, you may get a unique case that is not mentioned here.

What Causes ASUS Keyboard’s Backlight Not to Work in Windows 10?

After our initial survey, we calculated that around 70 or 80% of the users who were having this problem just shifted to a new Windows 10. When an operating system gets updated, there are tons of modules of the manufacturer which needs to be updated as well. Here are some of the reasons why the backlight might not be working on your OS.

Before we move on with the specific solutions, make sure that you are logged in as an administrator. Furthermore, you should also be having an active internet connection. Also, make sure Fn keys are enabled in your system’s BIOS. Moreover, do not forget to check for any loose cables.

Solution 1: Power Cycle the Computer

The best way to start our troubleshooting is by power cycling your system. Power Cycling is an act of completely shutting down your computer and draining the static charge as well. This forcefully resets the temporary configurations and forces the computer to reinitialize each one of them. Make sure you save your work before proceeding.

1. Turn off your computer by shutting it down and take out the power cable.
2. Now take out the battery and press and hold the power button for around 5-7 seconds.
3. Now wait for 2-3 minutes and plug everything back in. Now start your computer and check if the issue got resolved.

Solution 2: Run Hardware and Devices Troubleshooter

Before we reinstall the keyboard driver manually after downloading it from ASUS, we should try running the hardware and devices troubleshooter first. This module will check each of your hardware components one by one and quickly locate if anything is out of place. This will help us troubleshoot whether some driver is not installed or if there are some outdated modules out there.

1. Press Windows + R, type “control.exe” in the dialogue box and press Enter.

   

2. Now on the top right side of the screen, click on View By and select Large Icons from the list of options available.

   

3. Now select the option of Troubleshooting from the control panel.

   

4. Now on the left side of the window, select the “View all” option to list all the troubleshooting packs available on your computer.

   

5. Now select “Hardware and Devices” from the list of options available and click it.
6. Now select Next in the new window that pops up in front of you.
7. Now Windows will start scanning your computer for any issues with your hardware. If it finds any, it will notify you. Press OK if any fix is recommended.
8. Restart your computer after the fix is applied.

Solution 3: Execute Hcontrol.exe

ASUS has an executable named ‘hcontrol.exe’ which is used for managing all the hotkeys on your Asus Laptop and the functions associated with them. Furthermore, it is also responsible for managing other modules such as the backlight. If this executable is not initiated automatically, we will try manually and see if this makes a difference.

1. Press Windows + E to open File Explorer and navigate to the following file path:

 C:\Program Files (x86)\ASUS\ATK Package\ATK Hotkey

If you have your program files stored elsewhere, navigate there.

2. Now search for the file ‘hcontrol.exe’. Once you find it, double-click it to execute.

   

3. Now check if your backlight is working properly using the functions on your laptop.

Solution 4: Reinstall Keyboard Driver Manually (Using ATK)

If all the above methods don’t work and you are unable to access your backlight, we will try updating the keyboard drivers. Numerous users reported that when they upgraded to Windows 10, they either lost the proper keyboard driver or it was not compatible. We will navigate to the official driver’s website and download the utility from there.

1. Navigate to the official ASUS Download. Enter your product details and specification here.

   

2. Now after you have selected the operating system as well, you will be shown a page where all the drivers will be available for your machine. Navigate down until you find the following drivers:

   ATK
   
   Hotfix
   
   Smart Gesture
   
   Touchpad/Keyboard

   

3. Download each utility to an accessible location. Now right-click on each of them one by one, in the same order (otherwise you will face issues) and select Run as administrator.
4. Restart your computer properly after installing the drivers and check if the issue is resolved.