Keyboard Backlight Question

My keyboard light does not remain on and periodically turns on and off. I have set preferences to always stay backlight. What gives?

The backlight will only stay on in low-light conditions. You can't keep it on constantly if the room is bright enough.

there is a program....(cant remember the name, there is another thread that covers it) ....that will allow the keyboard backlight to stay on all the time.

D3v1L80Y said:

The backlight will only stay on in low-light conditions. You can't keep it on constantly if the room is bright enough.

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What's odd about my situation is that the light conditions were almost dark and the backlight kept cycling on and off.

Keyboard Backlight Solution

Yes, that has been a big problem for me, too. In case you are not a programmer or don't want to search for patches to fix the problem, here's a way to make it stay lit until you don't want it to stay lit. There are two light sensors on each side of the keyboard that can be covered by a tiny piece of electrical tape that will make your computer think it is in darkness. I have not noticed any negative impacts on the performance except for the visual look of the tape. You can test the spots by sitting in a bright room or tilting your screen toward the keyboard until the keyboard backlight turns off. Then place your right thumb just below the power button and your left thumb at the top (that's the part farthest from you) center of the left speaker. The backlight should come back on as soon as both thumbs are in place. I put a 1/2" by 1/2" piece of electrical tape on each spot, and now the keyboard stays lit until I turn it off. There may be a better way that everyone knows except me, but this method will work. And don't use duct tape. It will leave goo on your computer that is really tough to clean off. Gaffers tape would be the very best choice, but it's not likely to be in your house. Anyway, good luck with it!

LabTick Utility

Look for the LabTick Utility.
It is free and allows you to have a menu bar control slider for your keyboard backlight that you can set for whatever level you want.

Thanks! I'll be happy to get rid of this stupid tape!

First I'd take it in and have it looked at since that's not supposed to happen.

do all mbps have backlit keyboards? or is it a special order, cuz i dont know if i have one? thanx

Yes, all Macbook Pros have the backlit keyboard.