Very seldom do we need to work entirely on a console, but for those who do, you might like to change the font or the appearance of the console so it is more pleasing to the eye. Here is how you can do so in Ubuntu.
Note: the font used in the console is monospaced and is not the same as the ttf, otf fonts that we used for document and browsers. In addition, there is also a limited selection fonts that you can choose from.
Changing the console font is very easy. Here is what you need to do. Open a terminal and type:
sudo dpkg-reconfigure console-setup
You will see this:
Press “Enter” to select the default.
Next, it will ask you for the character set the console should support. Similarly, press “Enter” to select the default.
The next screen is the one that is most important to you – changing the font used in the console. There are only a few choices: VGA, Fixed, Terminus, TerminusBold and TerminusBoldVGA. Fixed seems to have the best coverage for international scripts while Terminus is the most pleasing to the eyes. Make your choice with the arrow up/down key and press Enter.
Lastly, you can set the font size used in the console. The default is 16, but you can change it to a bigger or smaller font size.
To see the font change in action, you have to open a virtual console (not to be confused with the terminal).
1. Press “Alt + Ctrl + F1” on your keyboard. The virtual console should open full screen. Login with your username and password.
2. Once you are logged into the console, type:
setupcon
3. You should see the font change immediately.
4. To get out of the console, press “Alt + Ctrl + F7” on your keyboard. This will return you to the desktop.
That’s it.
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Damien Oh
Damien Oh started writing tech articles since 2007 and has over 10 years of experience in the tech industry. He is proficient in Windows, Linux, Mac, Android and iOS, and worked as a part time WordPress Developer. He is currently the owner and Editor-in-Chief of Make Tech Easier.
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