Aura Frontlight doesn't work anymore

Francois16 · 06-14-2026, 08:19 AM

Hello,
The backlight on my Kobo Aura N514 suddenly went out after flickering for a few seconds.
The brightness icon is grayed out.
Everything else works fine.
If I turn it off and back on, it goes into reset mode.
Have you ever come across this kind of problem with the frontlight ? Is it a hardware issue?
Thanks for your help.

Francois16 · Yesterday, 07:34 AM

Hello,
Any idea or similar experience ?
Thank you.

Aleron Ives · Yesterday, 10:57 PM

If the firmware doesn't even allow you to select the frontlight option anymore, it does sound like a hardware failure, and the firmware doesn't detect that you have a frontlight anymore.

Apollyon202 · Today, 03:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aleron Ives

If the firmware doesn't even allow you to select the frontlight option anymore, it does sound like a hardware failure, and the firmware doesn't detect that you have a frontlight anymore.

The N514 has a hardware button for frontlight control that turns it off and on again. If it’s turned off, you can’t manage the frontlight through the screen, so it has to be turned on again first.
I’d try that first. It’s not really common for the frontlight to just die entirely on an E Ink screen.

06-14-2026, 08:19 AM	#1
Francois16 Junior Member Posts: 9 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jun 2026 Device: Aura N514	Frontlight doesn't work anymore Hello, The backlight on my Kobo Aura N514 suddenly went out after flickering for a few seconds. The brightness icon is grayed out. Everything else works fine. If I turn it off and back on, it goes into reset mode. Have you ever come across this kind of problem with the frontlight ? Is it a hardware issue? Thanks for your help. Last edited by Francois16; 06-14-2026 at 08:21 AM.

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Yesterday, 07:34 AM	#2
Francois16 Junior Member Posts: 9 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jun 2026 Device: Aura N514	Hello, Any idea or similar experience ? Thank you.

Yesterday, 10:57 PM	#3
Aleron Ives Wizard Posts: 1,931 Karma: 17671736 Join Date: Sep 2022 Device: Kobo Libra 2	If the firmware doesn't even allow you to select the frontlight option anymore, it does sound like a hardware failure, and the firmware doesn't detect that you have a frontlight anymore.