[SOLVED] Laptop multimedia keys not working right

item_name · 2025-07-05 00:31:48

I have an HP 15-dy2073dx laptop, and I'm using KDE Plasma as my desktop. Basically on the laptop there is a top row of keys which have multimedia functions but are also the fn keys when shift is held, kinda like the number keys with symbols. Up until this morning, everything was working fine and I regulary used the keys for volume, but now when pressed they are only working as fn keys.

I made sure everything is updated, and volume is otherwise still working fine if I adjust volume with the slider in the widget.

Any idea what happened or how to fix it?

Edit: I'm using wayland and pipewire if that helps

Last edited by item_name (2025-07-06 20:30:34)

seth · 2025-07-05 06:56:24

Up until this morning, everything was working

So, what happened last night?
(likely more /var/log/pacman.log than the stuff in your bedroom… but we'll hear that, too )

Is it *only* the volume keys or do the other keys in that row also malfunction?
Do the multimedia keys show up in

libinput debug-events

or wev?

item_name · 2025-07-05 15:08:58

The whole row is just behaving as function keys (except escape, etc that are their own things)

Seems like wev is showing them as their respective fn keys, and libinput debug-events is showing volume down and up as ^[[18~ and ^[[19~

seth · 2025-07-05 15:39:42

showing volume down and up as ^[[18~ and ^[[19~

That's F7 and F8 (btw, "Fx", fn is the fn-lock)

Speaking of the fn-lock, googling up your device there's an Fn key and the row very much looks Fn operated (also because Shift+Fx is a frequent pattern) - holding that doesn't change anything about the key behavior?
HP is gonna have the Fn lock on Fn+Esc, Fn+LShift or Fn+CapsLock

item_name · 2025-07-05 16:14:14

I basically forgot that key existed because I never use it, lol

Holding fn makes the keys do the multimedia stuff

seth · 2025-07-05 16:35:16

The HW switch aside your wmi might come w/ an Fn-lock feature (as does typically the HW/UEFI to alter the default)
If you cannot control it in the uefi and don't want to manually operate the Fn-lock on every boot or use the Fn key to operate the multimedia keys (I doubt this has ever hinged on any shift key, because you need Shift+Fx to work):

lsmod

item_name · 2025-07-05 16:53:00

In uefi the option there is an option for the action keys as it calls them to be used without holding the fn key and its already enabled ;-;

I can get used to using fn with the keys for now and just wait for an update to magically fix this ig

seth · 2025-07-05 20:27:41

Try to flip the BIOS option, does that at all impact the situation.
Does flipping it back to its original value have?
If not, what is the output of "lsmod"?
If yes, is there a parallel windows installation?

item_name · 2025-07-06 17:50:51

Was about to say that flipping the option in uefi makes no difference, but then I checked for an update and sdl2-compat got updated and now everything works perfectly fine again ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

seth · 2025-07-06 19:55:58

It is beyond unlikely that sdl2-compat specifically has changed anything here and more about the firmware flipping but in any event and please always remember to mark resolved threads by editing your initial posts subject - so others will know that there's no task left, but maybe a solution to find.
Thanks.

Arch Linux

#1 2025-07-05 00:31:48

[SOLVED] Laptop multimedia keys not working right

#2 2025-07-05 06:56:24

Re: [SOLVED] Laptop multimedia keys not working right

#3 2025-07-05 15:08:58

Re: [SOLVED] Laptop multimedia keys not working right

#4 2025-07-05 15:39:42

Re: [SOLVED] Laptop multimedia keys not working right

#5 2025-07-05 16:14:14

Re: [SOLVED] Laptop multimedia keys not working right

#6 2025-07-05 16:35:16

Re: [SOLVED] Laptop multimedia keys not working right

#7 2025-07-05 16:53:00

Re: [SOLVED] Laptop multimedia keys not working right

#8 2025-07-05 20:27:41

Re: [SOLVED] Laptop multimedia keys not working right

#9 2025-07-06 17:50:51

Re: [SOLVED] Laptop multimedia keys not working right

#10 2025-07-06 19:55:58

Re: [SOLVED] Laptop multimedia keys not working right

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