chvt

chvt N

N
    The number of the virtual terminal to switch to. N must be a positive integer. If the specified terminal is not already active, it will be activated.

The chvt command is used to change the foreground virtual terminal (VT) on a Linux system. Linux systems can have multiple virtual terminals, each behaving like a separate login session. chvt allows you to switch between these terminals. This is useful for running multiple programs simultaneously or for switching between different user sessions. Only a privileged user can use this command.

chvt requires write access to the controlling terminal. If you are not logged in on the current virtual terminal, switching might not work as expected. The virtual terminal must be configured on the system.

To switch to virtual terminal 2:
chvt 2

To switch back to virtual terminal 1:
chvt 1

The chvt command has been a standard utility on Linux systems for many years, providing a simple way to manage multiple text-based sessions. It allows a user to easily switch between processes, which is especially useful for server administration or development tasks without a GUI.

open(1), deallocvt(1), startx(1)