Your Acer laptop is a champ. Until the Fn + F5 or Fn + F6 keys suddenly stop working. Now your brightness won’t change. Or your screen refuses to switch. Annoying, right? Don’t worry. This is a common problem. And yes, it’s usually easy to fix.
TLDR: If Acer Fn F5 and F6 are not working, the issue is usually related to hotkey drivers, keyboard settings, or BIOS configuration. Start by restarting your laptop and checking if the Fn Lock is enabled. Then update or reinstall Acer hotkey drivers and keyboard drivers. If needed, tweak settings in BIOS to restore the function keys.
First, What Do Fn + F5 and F6 Actually Do?
On most Acer laptops, these keys control display features:
- Fn + F5 – Switch display output (laptop screen, external monitor, projector).
- Fn + F6 – Turn screen off or adjust screen-related features depending on model.
If they stop responding, you may not be able to:
- Connect to a second monitor
- Fix brightness issues
- Turn the display on or off properly
Let’s fix that.
1. Restart Your Laptop (Yes, Really)
This sounds simple. But it works more often than you think.
Temporary glitches can disable hotkeys. A restart clears small system errors.
What to do:
- Click Start.
- Select Restart.
- After reboot, test Fn + F5 and Fn + F6.
If it works, great. If not, keep going.
2. Check If Fn Lock Is Enabled
Some Acer laptops have an Fn Lock. When enabled, your function keys behave differently.
You might need to press Fn + Esc to toggle Fn Lock.
Try this:
- Press Fn + Esc once.
- Try using F5 and F6 again (with or without Fn).
If that fixes it, you’re done.
If not, let’s dig deeper.
3. Update or Reinstall Acer Hotkey Drivers
This is the most common fix.
Your Fn keys depend on special software called Hotkey drivers. If the driver is missing or corrupted, the keys stop working.
Image not found in postmetaHow to Update Drivers
- Press Windows + X.
- Click Device Manager.
- Expand Keyboards.
- Right-click your keyboard device.
- Select Update driver.
Choose Search automatically for drivers.
Restart your laptop.
Better Option: Reinstall from Acer Website
For best results:
- Go to Acer’s official support page.
- Enter your laptop model number.
- Download the Hotkey Application or Launch Manager.
- Install it.
- Restart your laptop.
This solves the issue in most cases.
4. Check Windows Mobility Center
Sometimes the issue isn’t the keyboard. It’s a display setting.
To check:
- Press Windows + X.
- Select Mobility Center.
Here you can manually adjust:
- Brightness
- Display settings
- External monitor settings
If brightness controls are missing, that confirms a driver problem.
5. Update Graphics Drivers
Your display keys rely on your graphics card driver.
If it’s outdated, Fn shortcuts may fail.
How to Update Graphics Driver
- Open Device Manager.
- Expand Display adapters.
- Right-click your graphics card.
- Select Update driver.
Or download the latest version from:
- Intel website
- NVIDIA website
- AMD website
Install. Restart. Test again.
6. Check BIOS Settings
If software fixes don’t work, check BIOS.
Don’t worry. It sounds scary. It’s not.
Image not found in postmetaHow to Enter BIOS
- Shut down your laptop.
- Turn it on.
- Immediately press F2 repeatedly.
Now look for:
- Function Key Behavior
- Action Keys Mode
- Hotkey Mode
If it is set incorrectly, change it.
Usually you want:
- Hotkey Mode: Enabled
Press F10 to save and exit.
Test your keys again.
7. Run Windows Troubleshooter
Windows has built-in troubleshooting tools.
Here’s how:
- Go to Settings.
- Click System.
- Select Troubleshoot.
- Choose Other troubleshooters.
Run:
- Keyboard Troubleshooter
It can automatically detect driver or configuration issues.
8. Check for Windows Updates
Sometimes Windows updates break hotkeys.
Other times, updates fix them.
It’s worth checking.
- Open Settings.
- Click Windows Update.
- Select Check for updates.
Install any pending updates.
Restart.
9. Test with an External Keyboard
This helps identify hardware issues.
Plug in a USB keyboard.
Try pressing:
- Fn equivalents
- Brightness shortcuts
If the external keyboard works fine, your laptop keyboard might have:
- Loose internal connection
- Physical damage
- Liquid damage
If that’s the case, you may need repair service.
10. Perform a Power Reset
This often fixes weird key problems.
Steps for Power Reset
- Turn off your laptop.
- Unplug the charger.
- If removable, take out the battery.
- Hold the power button for 15–20 seconds.
- Reinsert battery.
- Plug in charger.
- Turn on laptop.
This clears residual electrical charge.
Now test your keys.
What If Nothing Works?
If you tried everything above, consider these possibilities:
- The keyboard ribbon cable is loose.
- The keyboard itself is faulty.
- The motherboard has a minor issue.
At this point, it’s best to:
- Contact Acer support.
- Visit a certified technician.
- Check warranty status.
Hardware repairs are rare. But possible.
Quick Checklist
Here’s a fast recap:
- ✔ Restart laptop
- ✔ Toggle Fn Lock (Fn + Esc)
- ✔ Update Hotkey drivers
- ✔ Update Graphics drivers
- ✔ Check BIOS settings
- ✔ Run Troubleshooter
- ✔ Perform power reset
- ✔ Test external keyboard
Work through them one by one.
Most users fix the problem by step 3.
Why This Problem Happens
Let’s keep it simple.
Fn keys are not basic keys.
They depend on:
- Keyboard hardware
- Hotkey software
- Graphics drivers
- BIOS configuration
- Windows updates
If one piece fails, the shortcut fails.
It’s like a chain. One broken link stops everything.
Good News
This issue is very common.
And very fixable.
In most cases, reinstalling the Acer hotkey driver solves it in minutes.
No expensive repair.
No new laptop.
Just a bit of troubleshooting.
Final Thoughts
Fn + F5 and F6 not working can feel frustrating. Especially when you need to connect to a monitor quickly.
But now you know what to do.
Start simple. Restart. Check Fn Lock. Update drivers.
Work step by step.
You’ve got this.
And soon, those keys will be working like new again.
