please half of my keyboard light is not working

[NanaBa2]

hp elitebook 

half of my keyboard light is not working

[Samrit26]

Hello,

when half of the keyboard backlight isn’t working on an HP EliteBook, that usually points to one of the following causes:

Possible Causes

1. Partial LED array failure inside the keyboard (hardware fault).

2. Loose keyboard ribbon cable connection to the system board.

3. BIOS or embedded controller glitch (rare, but seen after firmware updates).

4. Incorrect backlight control settings or partial dimming via HP Hotkeys (e.g., Fn+F4).

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Step-by-Step Checks

1. Check keyboard lighting levels

   • Press Fn + F4 (the keyboard backlight icon key) several times.

   • There are 3 stages: Off → Dim → Bright.

   • See if the half-lit section changes brightness — if not, likely a physical fault.

2. Power drain reset

   • Shut down the laptop.

   • Disconnect AC adapter and remove any external peripherals.

   • Hold the power button for 15 seconds.

   • Reconnect and boot again — sometimes this resets the keyboard controller.

3. BIOS test

   • Power on and immediately press Esc → F10 to enter BIOS.

   • In BIOS, the OS lighting drivers don’t load — if the issue persists here, it confirms hardware failure.

4. Update BIOS and drivers

   • From HP Support Assistant or HP Support website.

   • Update System BIOS, HP Hotkey Support, and Keyboard firmware (if listed).

5. Physical inspection (if under warranty or field-repairable unit)

   • If the lighting fault persists even in BIOS → the keyboard backlight circuit (LED line) is partially dead or the flex cable is loose.

   • This is a keyboard assembly replacement scenario — requires removing the top cover assembly.

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 Best Practice

If only half the keyboard is illuminated consistently, and BIOS update/reset doesn’t help, it’s definitely hardware — the LED backlight strip is integrated into the keyboard itself, not serviceable separately.

Action: The unit must go to HP Depot repair for keyboard replacement.
(If it’s still under warranty, they’ll replace the keyboard assembly.)