Where are F14 and F15 keys on MBP?

Here’s how you used to be able to write on Mac to avoid a migraine:

1. Make text file
2. cmd+A
3. cmd+plus (make it big)
4. turn display brightness down
5. turn keyboard backlight on low when you need to find a key
6. touch type in glorious darkness!
7. turn on display on low to check now and then.

Wonderful, typing in darkness. Often I only turn on the keyboard backlight for the more obscure keys “![]{}/|” you know, that kind of stuff.

Now here’s what you have to do now:

1. Make text file
2. cmd+A
3. cmd+plus
4. hunt for the tiny cursor on a dim screen
5. hunt for the tiny Control Center icon
6. click on the keyboard backlight icon which is at the very bottom because it's not customisable and because for some reason it doesn’t get a slider right in Control Center the way display brightness or volume do and this again is not changeable (?).
7. use more fine motor skills to click and drag (or two finger slide which for some reason is SUPER SENSITIVE and you move your fingers by 1mm and it slides halfway over) the lil slider and trying not to overshoot while finding the lowest brightness setting.
8. turn down display
9. touch type
10. go through that whole process TWICE each time you want to find a key.

Customisability is great for everyone but it's an actual must for accessibility. All because someone at apple apparently went "who even needs a shortcut for keyboard backlight, right?"

from that link, it looks like the only way of doing it is.. to simply own a Mac that has keyboard brightness keys. Everyone else is SOL if they're trying to do it via a shortcut.

It's incredibly frustrating how this essential feature has been overlooked. It's a simple shortcut that made a huge difference, especially those with specific needs. It's disappointing that the new UI design overlooks this. Many people have visual and fine motor impairments that make shortcuts very useful. It's one thing to change the defaults- sure, but another to simply make it entirely impossible for anyone to create custom shortcuts.

Suddenly the problem has shifted from Display Brightness to Keyboard backlighting. Having F14 and F15 won't help at all with keyboard backlight brightness.

I once had a MacBook Pro that had meta-function buttons for keyboard brightness, but the one I have now does not have those. The only way to set keyboard brightness is in the Keyboard System settings.

I didn't see a way to add the keyboard brightness to the Control Center.

I guess from your workaround you don't operated with the keyboard backlighting set on at all? Perhaps that is a better workaround to your problem.

Barney-15E wrote:

from that link, it looks like the only way of doing it is.. to simply own a Mac that has keyboard brightness keys.

Everyone else is SOL if they're trying to do it via a shortcut.

Suddenly the problem has shifted from Display Brightness to Keyboard backlighting. Having F14 and F15 won't help at all with keyboard backlight brightness.

I once had a MacBook Pro that had meta-function buttons for keyboard brightness, but the one I have now does not have those. The only way to set keyboard brightness is in the Keyboard System settings.

I didn't see a way to add the keyboard brightness to the Control Center.

I guess from your workaround you don't operated with the keyboard backlighting set on at all? Perhaps that is a better workaround to your problem.

apologies for the lack of clarity- I found that along the way and wondered about it, though I did mention the keyboard brightness in my original post.

Yeah, my old MacBook had dedicated keys for it- ie they had a little keyboard light symbol on F5 and F6, but not only are these gone, it's also impossible to add any custom shortcut for this. Disappointing considering Apple's emphasis on accessibility features.

Yes, I can set it in System settings, but that requires a lot more navigating and clicking on a dim screen just for something that could easily be a physical shortcut. like at that point it's easier to just point a low flashlight at the keyboard, which is ridiculous but hey.

I could set it that way. but I don't want it to be always on. I want to control it with a key shortcut because I only need it sometimes and I don't want it to be on otherwise. Putting a function like this on a keyboard shortcut should not be some sort of insurmountable crazy task, it should go settings > keyboard shortcuts > create custom shortcut, done.

I've submitted feedback and I just won't use it. Very frustrating. I did see some folks fixing this with terminal elsewhere but I don't think I want to mess around with that.

yep, hence I've submitted feedback and I've just turned the backlight off.

anyone who stumbles in here with the same issue, here you can do so as well if you like: Product Feedback - Apple

ah okay. so on those the display brightness adjustment is elsewhere?

Well, good to know, but that doesn't help me with the keyboard backlight issue sadly :/