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Ctrl+Alt+f1 through Ctrl+Alt+f6 will pull up terminals and Ctrl+Alt+f7 pulls up the xserver.

But Ctrl+Alt+f8 pulls a blank screen with a blinking cursor.

I can't type anything. Does this serve a purpose?

Seth
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colboynik
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    This Q could be duplicated to http://askubuntu.com/questions/277517/what-does-ctrl-alt-f12-do, which has a good general explanation answering this. Likewise http://askubuntu.com/questions/14284/why-is-a-virtual-terminal-virtual-and-what-why-where-is-the-real-terminal?rq=1 is good. I'm new to StackOverflow / AskUbuntu - how can I duplicate a Q? – vorburger Jan 11 '14 at 11:35

1 Answers1

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Only virtual terminals 1 through 7 are used by default on Ubuntu. Virtual terminals beyond 7 are left unused. But if you use multiple logins using the "Switch Account" feature, then these will go from 8 onwards.

Robie Basak
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    Is there a limit to virtual terminals? What will occur if there are more inactive user sessions than TTYs? – nanofarad Feb 08 '13 at 23:38