The screen brightness cannot be adjusted using the keyboard keys.

Question

The F6 and F7 keys work, but when I press them together with the Fn key to adjust the screen brightness, the brightness changes only slightly and cannot be adjusted beyond a certain minimum or maximum

The laptop I’m using is a Surface Laptop 5.

Answer 1

Hello Hyeonjun,

Thank you so much for reaching out, I am Dexter an independent advisor, and I am glad to assist you today.

If you're experiencing limited screen brightness adjustment on your Surface Laptop 5, where pressing the Fn + F6/F7 keys only results in minor changes, here are several steps to help resolve the issue:

1. Toggle the Fn Lock

The Fn key may be locked, altering the behavior of function keys. To toggle the Fn lock:

Press and hold the Fn key.

While holding it, press the Esc key.

Release both keys.

This action switches the function keys between their standard functions and their secondary functions (like adjusting brightness).

2. Update or Reinstall Display Drivers

Outdated or corrupted display drivers can cause issues with brightness control. To update or reinstall your display drivers:

Press Windows + X and select Device Manager.

Expand the Display adapters section.

Right-click on your display adapter (e.g., Intel Iris Xe Graphics) and select Update driver.

Choose Search automatically for drivers and follow the on-screen instructions.

If updating doesn't help, you can uninstall the driver:

In Device Manager, right-click on your display adapter and select Uninstall device.

Restart your laptop; Windows will attempt to reinstall the driver upon reboot.

3. Uninstall GPIO Buttons Driver

The GPIO Buttons driver manages hardware buttons, including those for brightness. To uninstall it:

Press Windows + X and select Device Manager.

Expand the Human Interface Devices section.

Right-click on GPIO Buttons and select Uninstall device.

Restart your laptop; Windows will reinstall the driver automatically.

4. Run the Hardware and Devices Troubleshooter

Windows includes a troubleshooter to detect and fix hardware issues:

Press Windows + R, type msdt.exe -id DeviceDiagnostic, and press Enter.

Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the troubleshooting process.

5. Use the Action Center or Settings App

If keyboard adjustments remain limited, you can manually adjust brightness:

Action Center:

Click on the notification icon at the bottom-right corner of the screen.

Use the brightness slider to adjust the screen brightness.

Settings App:

Press Windows + I to open Settings.

Navigate to System > Display.

Use the brightness slider under Brightness and color.

6. Reset Your Surface Device

If the issue persists, consider resetting your Surface Laptop:

Press Windows + I to open Settings.

Go to System > Recovery.

Under Reset this PC, select Get started and choose an appropriate reset option.

Should you have more questions, please let me know.

Best regards,

Dexter