How to change the color of a mechanical keyboard

The best part about mechanical keyboards is their user experience. Apart from the satisfying tactile feedback, you can get an ambiance setup with their RGB backlights. Except for a few models, almost all mechanical keyboards are backlit. Especially the gaming keyboards are designed with backlights to increase the gaming vibe. But how do you change the color of a mechanical keyboard?



In this article, we will be discussing the method to change the color and the various modes you can use to shift between colors in a mechanical keyboard.

You can alter the color of any mechanical keyboard by pressing the toggle keys or you can also change them using the program provided by the keyboard manufacturer. Every backlit mechanical keyboard will have toggle keys to shift between color modes. In the higher price range, you will get custom software that enables you to play around with the lighting modes and colors as per your choice.

We shall now discuss the method to change the color of a mechanical keyboard with any brand or model.

Using toggle keys

As soon as you connect your keyboard to the PC or Mac using the USB cable, the keyboard starts to display the default color scheme. It might be anything but you can shift between the colors with the help of toggle keys.

Toggle keys are a combination of certain keys on your keyboard that alter the color and lighting mode. If you press these keys, you can change the color of the backlight and you can change how the light should be lit.

For example, when you press the toggle keys, you can change the color from blue to green or any other color combination. As for the way of lighting, you can make the lights blink, breathe, be reactive, etc. So, you can change both the color scheme and the way light is expressed on the keyboard.

But what are the toggle keys that change the color? In certain keyboards, it is any one of the Function keys (F1 to F12) or a combination of the Function key and Insert key or Delete Key or Spacebar.

Some keyboards will allow you to turn on and turn off with the function key and shift between color modes and lighting modes using a combination of function and INS, DEL, etc. You have to press both keys simultaneously to shift the color or lighting modes.

This is the easiest and simple way to change the color scheme in your mechanical keyboard. But it doesn’t enable you to perform personalized customizations. In premium keyboard models, you will have separate software to customize your keyboard specs. If you want to do such changes, move on to the next method.

Using Custom Program

If you get a premium mechanical keyboard, the manufacturer provides you with software that can customize your keyboard experience. The program allows you to change the color scheme and lighting mode more intimately as per your liking.

This will come in handy for users with an ambient room with a lighting setup. Because they would be able to match the keyboard lighting with the room lighting. You will be provided with the color wheel and you can choose the exact color that matches your ambient lighting.

As for the lighting modes, you can choose from a variety of lighting schemes and customize their speed, brightness, and frequency according to your liking.

You can also have specific modes which can be toggled when you enter an application. For example, if you are going to enter gaming mode, the lighting will change accordingly. Such type of modifications is possible with software support.

Open the software for the respective keyboard. If you haven’t installed it, get it from the manufacturer’s website.

Now choose the Keyboard option and go to edit. This will lead you to a menu with colors and animation options.

Choose the color scheme as per your liking and choose the type of animation you want with your keyboard.

Save the settings and check whether the lighting has changed. Exit the software and enjoy your keyboard experience.

These are the ways in which you can change the color of your mechanical keyboard and enhance the user experience with ambiance.

Popular Lighting modes in Mechanical Keyboards

If you own a full RGB keyboard with software support, then you will be able to choose a lot of color combinations with different lighting modes. Here are some of the popular modes you can get with any type of mechanical keyboard.

Solid color

This mode will display only a single color and doesn’t have any special effects. An RGB keyboard can have 16.4 million color choices from which you can choose one and let it glow on your keyboard.

You can also add animation to the color like a breathing effect. But apart from that, you cannot get any unique lighting scheme.

Solid or Breathing Rainbow

Instead of having a single color, you can have a combination of colors like a Rainbow. This will look much more fascinating and you can also combine different lighting mode effects with it.

You can make the light breathe, alternate between different colors, blink at different speeds, etc. This is one of the coolest modes you can have.

Color Phase

In this mode, with every animation, you will have a color transition. You can have a bunch of colors shifting periodically and it is very comfortable more than a solid color scheme.

It is not like Rainbow mode because all the keys will have same the color even when the transition happens.

Reactive Mode

This is a highly sought mode popular among gamers which expresses a backlight in the keyboard whenever any key is pressed. It can be very enjoyable when you are playing games.

Conclusion

You can have any kind of customization with a mechanical keyboard. Especially the lighting and animation can be altered as per your preference. Changing the color can be one of the best features of a mechanical keyboard that provides the ultimate user experience.