use keyboard to change keyboard brightness (solved)
I found this thread by Sean Johnston earlier
use keyboard to change keyboard brightness - Apple Community
and in the mean time stumbled on a workaround:
There's this app called Karabiner-Elements (https://karabiner-elements.pqrs.org/), which allows you to remap your keyboard. (I'm on a Macbook Pro 2024 so Idk if this works for Air but I guess it should...)
You can either download it from their page or, if you have Homebrew installed, run this in the Terminal:
brew install --cask karabiner-elements
Then you allow Background Items and Input Monitoring as instructed (yes it sounds sketchy but I guess tey are trustworthy -> https://karabiner-elements.pqrs.org/docs/privacy/)...
Ignore the keyboard type thing you're asked first, then go to "Complex Modifications", click on "Add your own rule", and throw the following code in:
(At least if you want the same keys to control it -> "⌥ F1" decreases and "⌥ F2" increases keyboard brightness. I find this useful as F1 and F2 are already controlling screen brightness...)
{
"description": "Option+F-Keys for Keyboard Backlight Control",
"manipulators": [
{
"from": {
"key_code": "f1",
"modifiers": {
"mandatory": ["option"],
"optional": ["any"]
}
},
"to": [{ "key_code": "illumination_decrement" }],
"type": "basic"
},
{
"from": {
"key_code": "f2",
"modifiers": {
"mandatory": ["option"],
"optional": ["any"]
}
},
"to": [{ "key_code": "illumination_increment" }],
"type": "basic"
}
]
}
Tadaaa have fun...
(If anyone sees any issues with this please tell me... I'm not really experienced with stuff like this... just so...)