How to Install Under-Cabinet Lighting

Good under-cabinet lighting makes a kitchen look custom and makes the counters actually usable after dark. The best news: most of it is genuinely DIY. Here's how to do it well.

First choice: plug-in or hardwired

• Plug-in kits are the easy path — mount the fixtures under the cabinets and plug into an existing outlet, usually with a switch or remote. No line-voltage work. For most homeowners, a good plug-in LED under-cabinet kit gives you nearly the full result with none of the wiring risk.
• Hardwired looks cleaner (no visible cord) and can run off a wall switch, but it means connecting to house wiring — best if you want a permanent, switch-controlled install and are comfortable (or hire it out).

Choose the right fixture type

• Linear LED bars — the most even, professional, glare-free look. Best for task lighting over counters you work on.
• Puck lights — pools of light with dark gaps between; nice for accent, less ideal for working.
• Flexible strips — cheap and versatile, but need a diffuser and careful placement or you'll see individual dots.

For real kitchen work, bars win.

Mount for glare-free light

The single trick that separates amateur from pro:

• Mount the fixture toward the front edge of the cabinet underside (behind the face frame or a small valance), so light washes down the backsplash and counter — not out into your eyes.
• Use a frosted diffuser so you can't see the individual LEDs while standing at the counter.
• Pick a warm color temperature (about 2700–3000K) for a pleasant kitchen glow — see our how to choose LED bulbs guide on color temperature.

Hardwired basics (if you go that route)

Kill the breaker, verify dead, and tie the fixture's supply into a switched circuit — often extending from an existing switch or adding one. Confirm the circuit has capacity, keep drivers away from the sink, and use fixtures rated for the location. If connecting into a box or switch is beyond your comfort, a plug-in kit sidesteps all of it.

Bottom line

For most kitchens: a quality linear LED bar kit, mounted to the front underside with a diffuser and a warm color, plugged in and switched by remote — a weekend upgrade that looks like it cost a fortune. Want it wired to the wall switch with no cord showing? That's the moment to bring in an electrician.

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