Need help creating a Keyboard Maestro macro to turn off MacBook keyboard backlight on battery power

[igh_033]

Hi everyone,

I’m trying to create a Keyboard Maestro macro for my MacBook Pro that automatically controls the keyboard backlight depending on the power source.

What I want to achieve:

When my MacBook switches to battery power:

• Turn the keyboard backlight completely off

When my MacBook is connected to AC power:

• Turn the keyboard backlight back on, or increase it to a usable level

I would strongly prefer a solution that does not rely on Terminal, Homebrew, shell scripts, or external command-line tools. Ideally, I want this to be done only with native Keyboard Maestro actions.

I tried making a macro using a power-status-changed trigger and actions related to keyboard backlight / illumination, but I could not get it working properly. I may be using the wrong internal action names or the wrong macro structure.

I also tried using simulated hardware keys such as Illumination Down / Illumination Up, but I’m not sure if my macro is built correctly, or whether this works reliably on Apple Silicon MacBooks.

Could someone please help me create a working .kmmacros file that I can import directly into Keyboard Maestro?

Ideally, I would like:

• One single macro
• Triggered when the power source changes
• If power source is Battery: turn keyboard backlight off
• If power source is AC Power: turn keyboard backlight on or raise brightness
• No shell script if possible
• Importable as a downloadable .kmmacros file

Here is the type of logic I’m looking for:

Power source changes
→ Check whether Mac is on battery power
→ If battery: keyboard backlight off
→ Else: keyboard backlight on / increase illumination

My Mac specs from the attached screenshot:

MacBook Pro
13-inch, M1, 2020
Chip: Apple M1

Latest currently available Keyboard Maestro version:

Keyboard Maestro 11.0.4

Thank you very much for any help. I would really appreciate it if someone could attach a working macro file or show the exact Keyboard Maestro actions needed.

[Alexander]

On my M1 Max MacBook Pro running MacOS Tahoe, the Illumination Toggle Hardware Key doesn't function. However, the illumination Up/Down Hardware Keys do work, so the macro below works for switching from full illumination to no illumination when the Power Status changes to running on battery power, and the other way around. Decrease number of repeats in the second Repeat to have illuminations retunred to a level less than full when charger is plugged back in.

Keyboard Illumination on-off from Power Status Changes.kmmacros (v11.0.4, 17 KB)

Macro Image

[igh_033]

Thank you very much!

That makes sense. I’ll try using the Illumination Up/Down hardware keys instead of Illumination Toggle, and adjust the repeat count for the brightness level when AC power is connected.

I really appreciate your help!