Backlit Keyboard Not Getting Bright Enough - HP ENVY 16 inch Laptop PC 16-h1000

[Kathl_E]

I have an HP ENVY 16 inch Laptop PC 16-h1000 (754F5AV). 

Exact Model - HP ENVY Laptop 16-h1053dx
product number - 9U360UA
Serial number: Edited

For about a month now, the keyboard doesn't light up well. I can barely see the keys, especially since the keyboard is white lettering on a silver keyboard. It's greatly affected my ability to work since I keep hitting the wrong keys in the top row. (I can type well enough that I can use the main rows without issue.)

I already ran the hardware diagnostics with HP UFEI and it came back as all normal. This makes me think perhaps the keyboard needs to be replaced?? The backlight does turn on but it's barely noticeable even though I have it set to high. As I said, this started about a month ago.

Any advice would be appreciated.

If I need a new keyboard, I would appreciate it if someone could direct me where to purchase as I can't seem to find it on the parts store. I don't intend to install it myself as it seems too complicated and I don't want to mess up my laptop. 

FWIW, everything else is working great. I use this laptop a LOT, so maybe the keyboard or the backlighting is just worn out? I don't know; I've never had this issue before on my prior HP laptops. Then again, those had black keyboards so maybe it just wasn't so noticeable.

I do clean the keyboard, but I haven't yet tried a can of forced air; I have a computer cleaner to blow the fans and keyboard out but perhaps I should try some forced air?

Thank you in advance for any advice.

Kathleen

[Deep_World]

Hi  @Kathl_E 
 
Welcome to the HP Support Community!

Thank you for reaching out. I’m glad to hear that your HP ENVY 16-h1053dx is otherwise performing well. I understand that the keyboard backlight is illuminating but is not as bright as expected, making the keys more difficult to see during use. I'll be happy to help gather a few details and suggest few troubleshooting steps.

To better understand the behaviour, could you kindly confirm the below details : 

• Is the keyboard backlight dim immediately after powering on the notebook, or does it become less bright after the system has been running for some time?
• Does adjusting the keyboard backlight level using the keyboard shortcut keys (typically the F4/F5 keys, depending on your keyboard layout) make any visible difference between the brightness settings?

In the meantime, kindly try the below steps and confirm :

1. Perform a Hard Reset (Click here for steps )
   • Shut down the notebook.
   • Disconnect the charger and any external devices.
   • Press and hold the Power button for approximately 15 seconds.
   • Reconnect the charger and power the notebook back on.
2. Test in a Different Environment
   • Compare the keyboard brightness in both a dark room and a well-lit room to determine whether the illumination level has changed significantly from normal operation.

If the backlight remains noticeably dim after performing the above steps and there is no improvement across different brightness levels, the issue may require further hardware evaluation of the keyboard assembly or backlight circuitry.

I hope this helps. 

[Kathl_E]

Hello,

Thank you for the reply. It is appreciated. To answer your question, the keyboard is not Illuminating as soon as I turn it on regardless of how high I set it with the function keys. I am able to see it better in different rooms and light settings, however I didn't have this issue until recently, which is why I am concerned it's a hardware failure.

I am going to follow the steps for a hard reset that you were kind enough to provide in your reply, and I will post back with the results.

Thank you, 

Kathleen 

[Deep_World]

Hi @Kathl_E 
 

Thanks for your response and Thank you for the update, and I appreciate you taking the time to clarify the situation.

I understand your concern, especially since the keyboard backlight was functioning normally before and has only recently become difficult to see. Since the keyboard does not illuminate immediately after startup regardless of the brightness level selected, it is reasonable to investigate whether this may be related to a hardware issue.

For now, let's proceed with the hard reset steps and see if that restores normal keyboard backlight operation. Once you have completed the troubleshooting, please let us know the results. If the issue persists, we can continue with additional diagnostics to help determine whether the problem is hardware-related or caused by a software, BIOS, or system setting.

Thank you for your patience and cooperation. I look forward to hearing back from you with the outcome of the hard reset.

[Kathl_E]

Hello, 

I tried the reset and when the laptop restarted I got some message about the Bios and checksum. I hope I spelled the latter correctly. So I set everything in Bios back to default. I haven't changed those but I did it anyway just in case.

Unfortunately, the issue persists with the keyboard backlighting. At this point, I'm thinking it might need to be replaced but I don't know where to get that done. I live in a rural area and best buy said they don't do itm which I find hard to believe. 

Thank you for all your help. 

Kathleen 

[Deep_World · Accepted solution]

Hi @Kathl_E,

Thank you for the update and for taking the time to perform the troubleshooting steps. I appreciate the detailed information you shared.

I understand that after completing the hard reset, you received a BIOS checksum message and restored the BIOS settings to their defaults. Since the keyboard backlight issue continues and the backlighting does not illuminate properly even after the reset, this may require further hardware-level inspection.

At this stage, To get you the best assistance, we need to take this conversation to a private chat. We're inviting you to a private message to protect your privacy and ensure that any sensitive information remains confidential. 

To access your private message, just click the little blue envelope icon on the upper right corner of your HP Community profile, next to your profile name. Alternatively, you can click on this link. 

You can use this link as well: 

Private Messages - HP Support Community

We're looking forward to helping you resolve this issue! 

Stay tuned, and thanks for your patience! 

Regards,

Deep_World