Keycron Keyboards

Keychron Mechanical Keyboards Reference Guide

This guide details operating modes, Bluetooth pairing, RGB/LED light controls, default hotkeys, QMK/VIA customization, and Sway WM configuration for Keychron Mechanical Keyboards (K Series, Q Series, V Series, Pro Series).

1. Bluetooth Pairing & Switch Control

Toggle Switches (Side / Rear Panel)

Mode Switch:
- BT: Bluetooth wireless mode.
- OFF: Turns off battery power (wired USB connection still works).
- Cable: USB Type-C wired mode (disables Bluetooth radio).
OS Switch:
- Mac/iOS: Maps Option to Alt and Command to Win. Uses Layers 0 & 1 in QMK/VIA.
- Win/Android: Standard Windows/Linux layout. Uses Layers 2 & 3 in QMK/VIA.

Bluetooth Device Pairing & Switching

Keychron keyboards support up to 3 host devices:

Pairing Mode: Hold Fn + 1, Fn + 2, or Fn + 3 for 4 seconds until the number key LED flashes rapidly. Select Keychron K/Q Keyboard in your host's Bluetooth menu.
Switching Devices: Short-press Fn + 1, Fn + 2, or Fn + 3 to switch between paired hosts (takes ~1–2 seconds to re-connect).
Auto-Sleep / Power Saving:
- Disable Auto-Sleep: Hold Fn + S + O for 4 seconds (LED flashes to confirm).
- Re-enable Auto-Sleep: Hold Fn + S + O for 4 seconds.

2. LED Light & Backlight Controls

Keychron keyboards feature dedicated hardware keys and Fn shortcuts to control RGB/White backlighting:

Basic Backlight Controls

Toggle Light On/Off: Press the Light Effect Key (top-right bulb icon key) or Fn + Light Key (or Fn + Tab on select models).
Change Light Effect Pattern: Press Fn + Q or short-press the Light Effect Key to cycle through 18+ RGB animation modes.
Change Backlight Color: Press Fn + E or Fn + Right Arrow / Fn + Left Arrow to cycle through static colors.

Brightness & Speed Adjustments

Increase Brightness: Fn + W or Fn + Up Arrow (or Fn + F6 in Windows mode).
Decrease Brightness: Fn + S or Fn + Down Arrow (or Fn + F5 in Windows mode).
Increase Effect Animation Speed: Fn + = (Plus key) or Fn + D.
Decrease Effect Animation Speed: Fn + - (Minus key) or Fn + A.

3. Core Hotkeys & Functional Shortcuts

Multimedia & Function Keys (`F1` – `F12`)

Mac Mode (Default): Top row defaults to media functions (Brightness, Mission Control, Media Play/Pause, Volume). Press Fn + F1..F12 for standard F keys.
Windows Mode: Top row defaults to standard F1..F12 keys. Press Fn + F1..F12 for multimedia controls.
Toggle Function Key Mode: Hold Fn + K + C for 4 seconds to swap top-row default behavior between Media keys and F1..F12.

System Shortcuts & Troubleshooting

Factory Reset: Hold Fn + J + Z for 4 seconds until the backlight flashes 3 times.
Battery Level Indicator: Press Fn + B. The backlight green/red bar indicates remaining battery percentage.
Windows Key Lock: Press Fn + Win to disable the Windows Start key during gaming.

4. QMK / VIA Customization

Keychron Q Series, V Series, and Pro Series models support real-time remapping via VIA:

Access Configurator: Open usevia.app or caniusevia.com in a WebHID-compatible browser (Chrome/Edge/Brave).
Layer Mapping:
- Layer 0: Mac Base (Default Mac keys)
- Layer 1: Mac Fn (Mac shortcuts & media keys)
- Layer 2: Windows Base (Default Win/Linux keys)
- Layer 3: Windows Fn (Windows shortcuts & lighting)
Important Note for Windows/Linux Users: When the physical switch is set to Win/Android, VIA edits must be made on Layer 2 and Layer 3 for changes to take effect.
Linux Udev Permissions: To allow Chrome/Chromium WebHID access to /dev/hidraw*, create /etc/udev/rules.d/50-keychron.rules:
```
KERNEL=="hidraw*", ATTRS{idVendor}=="3434", MODE="0666", TAG+="uaccess"
```
Reload udev rules:
```
sudo udevadm control --reload-rules && sudo udevadm trigger
```

5. Sway WM / Linux (Arch & Debian) Configuration

This section covers setting up Keychron keyboards, function keys (F1–F12), rotary knobs, and custom buttons under the Sway window manager on Arch Linux and Debian / Ubuntu.

5.1 Required Package Installation

Install the recommended utilities for audio, brightness, media control, screenshots, and event debugging:

Arch Linux:

sudo pacman -S --needed \
  wireplumber \
  pipewire-audio \
  brightnessctl \
  playerctl \
  grim \
  slurp \
  wl-clipboard \
  wev

Debian / Ubuntu:

sudo apt update && sudo apt install -y \
  wireplumber \
  pipewire-audio-client-libraries \
  brightnessctl \
  playerctl \
  grim \
  slurp \
  wl-clipboard \
  wev

5.2 Kernel Apple/Keychron Driver Options (`hid_apple`)

If top-row function keys trigger media keys instead of standard F1–F12 (or vice-versa), configure the hid_apple kernel module:

Create or edit /etc/modprobe.d/hid_apple.conf:

options hid_apple fnmode=2

fnmode=2: Top row defaults to standard F1–F12 keys. Hold Fn for media functions.
fnmode=1: Top row defaults to media functions. Hold Fn for standard F1–F12.

Regenerate initramfs and reboot:

Arch Linux:
```
sudo mkinitcpio -P
```
Debian / Ubuntu:
```
sudo update-initramfs -u
```

5.3 Debugging Key Signals (`wev`)

To identify keycodes emitted by the rotary knob or custom PlayStation/macro buttons under Wayland/Sway:

wev

Press or turn the control while focusing the wev window. Note the reported XKB keysym name (e.g. XF86AudioRaiseVolume, XF86AudioPlay) or numeric keycode.

5.4 Modular Sway Configuration (`include`)

Sway natively supports the include directive to organize keybindings into dedicated configuration files.

Add the include directive in ~/.config/sway/config:

include config.d/*

Create ~/.config/sway/config.d/keychron.conf and populate it with your keyboard bindings:

# ==============================================================================
# Keychron Keyboard & Function Key Bindings for Sway
# Location: ~/.config/sway/config.d/keychron.conf
# ==============================================================================

# --- Volume & Rotary Knob Controls ---
# Knob Clockwise: Volume Up
bindsym XF86AudioRaiseVolume exec wpctl set-volume @DEFAULT_AUDIO_SINK@ 5%+
# Knob Counter-Clockwise: Volume Down
bindsym XF86AudioLowerVolume exec wpctl set-volume @DEFAULT_AUDIO_SINK@ 5%-
# Knob Click: Mute Audio
bindsym XF86AudioMute        exec wpctl set-mute @DEFAULT_AUDIO_SINK@ toggle
# Microphone Mute (if mapped)
bindsym XF86AudioMicMute     exec wpctl set-mute @DEFAULT_AUDIO_SOURCE@ toggle

# --- Media Playback Controls ---
# Play / Pause Toggle
bindsym XF86AudioPlay        exec playerctl play-pause
bindsym XF86AudioPause       exec playerctl pause
# Next Track
bindsym XF86AudioNext        exec playerctl next
# Previous Track
bindsym XF86AudioPrev        exec playerctl previous
# Stop Playback
bindsym XF86AudioStop        exec playerctl stop

# --- Display & Keyboard Backlight Brightness ---
# Screen Brightness Up / Down (F1 / F2 or dedicated keys)
bindsym XF86MonBrightnessUp   exec brightnessctl set +5%
bindsym XF86MonBrightnessDown exec brightnessctl set 5%-

# Keyboard LED Backlight (Hardware controlled or software via brightnessctl)
bindsym XF86KbdBrightnessUp   exec brightnessctl --device='*kbd*' set +10%
bindsym XF86KbdBrightnessDown exec brightnessctl --device='*kbd*' set 10%-

# --- Screenshots & Special Function Keys ---
# Screenshot Key / Keychron Camera Key
bindsym Print                      exec grim -g "$(slurp)" - | wl-copy
bindsym XF86SelectiveScreenshot    exec grim -g "$(slurp)" - | wl-copy

# App Launchers / Search / Calculator Keys
bindsym XF86Calculator             exec foot -e python3
bindsym XF86Search                 exec rofi -show drun
bindsym XF86Launch1                exec rofi -show drun

# --- Custom Knob & PlayStation / Macro Buttons (Remapped via VIA) ---
# If remapped in VIA to send unused function keys (F13 - F24):
# Example: Rotary Knob mapped to Screen Brightness (F13/F14)
bindsym F13 exec brightnessctl set 5%-
bindsym F14 exec brightnessctl set +5%

# Example: PlayStation / Novelty Macro Buttons (F15 - F18)
bindsym F15 exec foot
bindsym F16 exec rofi -show drun
bindsym F17 exec swaymsg workspace 1
bindsym F18 exec swaymsg workspace 2

5.5 Modifier Combinations with the Rotary Knob

You can bind modifier keys (Ctrl, Alt/Mod1, Shift, Super/Mod4) combined with knob rotation or press in ~/.config/sway/config.d/keychron.conf:

# --- Unmodified Knob Turn: Volume ---
bindsym XF86AudioRaiseVolume exec wpctl set-volume @DEFAULT_AUDIO_SINK@ 5%+
bindsym XF86AudioLowerVolume exec wpctl set-volume @DEFAULT_AUDIO_SINK@ 5%-
bindsym XF86AudioMute        exec wpctl set-mute @DEFAULT_AUDIO_SINK@ toggle

# --- Alt + Knob Turn: Screen Brightness ---
bindsym Mod1+XF86AudioRaiseVolume exec brightnessctl set +5%
bindsym Mod1+XF86AudioLowerVolume exec brightnessctl set 5%-

# --- Ctrl + Knob Turn: Track Prev / Next ---
bindsym Control+XF86AudioRaiseVolume exec playerctl next
bindsym Control+XF86AudioLowerVolume exec playerctl previous
bindsym Control+XF86AudioMute        exec playerctl play-pause

# --- Shift + Knob Turn: Switch Sway Workspaces ---
bindsym Shift+XF86AudioRaiseVolume exec swaymsg workspace next
bindsym Shift+XF86AudioLowerVolume exec swaymsg workspace prev

Reload Sway config after editing:

swaymsg reload

Keyboads

Home Office: Keychron Q6 Pro 2026-08-07 / Gateron Banana

Desktop Keychron Q6 QMK 2023-11-07 / Gateron G Pro Brown

Studio Keychron Q6 Pro 2023-11-07 / K Pro Banana

Portable:

Work Office: