How do I access the virtual consoles?

Frequently Asked Questions for FreeBSD 2.X : Miscellaneous Questions : How do I access the virtual consoles?
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7.6. How do I access the virtual consoles?

If the console is not currently displaying X Window, just press Alt-F1 to Alt-F12.

NOTE the default FreeBSD installation has only three (3) virtual consoles enabled, and so only Alt-F1, Alt-F2, and Alt-F3 will work to switch between three virtual consoles. If you want to increase this number, see the next question.

If the console is currently displaying X Window, you can use Ctrl-Alt-F1, etc. to switch to a virtual console. Note, however, that once you've switched away from X Window to a virtual terminal, you use only the Alt- function key to switch to another virtual terminal or back to X Window. You do not also press the Ctrl key; the Ctrl-Alt-function key combination is used only when switching from X Window to a virtual terminal.