Refresh graphical login screen [SOLVED]

[hankivy]

How can I refresh the graphical login screen?

After boot up, a graphical login screen appears.

If I type Ctrl-Alt-F3, a mostly blank non-graphical login screen appears for tty3.
It asks "local host login:" If I type in "root" and the root user's password, then I have a Command Line Interface, CLI, as the root user.

If I type Ctrl-Alt-F2, a graphical login screen appears.
If I type Ctrl-Alt-F1, the screen is all blank.

Is there a keystroke that will refresh this graphical login screen?

[benmc]

hint: gnome login ( GDM ) suggests " last login on tty3 at 10:23 29/07/2025 ".

The login screen is presented on "tty1" or "tty2" or "tty3" ...etc, so, as it is a "tty" and prior to the desktop environment proper, I don't think there can be a single keystroke to switch between them.

I am happy be be corrected on this.

[canadaist]

What does

refresh the graphical login screen

mean?

I don't think that is a thing. Maybe switch to another terminal ctl-alt-number, login as user, run top, find the app for login and kill it, then ummm, switch back to tty1, start it? Will ctl-alt-backspace work before log-in?

This is my confusion. What does

refresh the graphical login screen

mean?

[doktor5000]

You might want to explain a little bit what you actually want to achieve. If you boot up and the graphical login screen appears, why switch to a tty ? Is there any issue with your graphical login?
For the ttys, tty1 is where boot happens, later this is unused, tty2-tty6 will start a getty for tty login and tty7 usually has your graphical desktop by default.
Not sure what you mean by "refresh". If you need to restart your graphical desktop from a tty, simply as root do

Code: Select all

systemctl restart sddm

or whatever login manager you use instead of sddm.
This will "refresh" your graphical login screen and take you back to the tty where the graphical session runs.

[hankivy]

Perhaps, I should explain some of my operational practices.

Ctrl-Alt-F3, and Ctrl-Alt-F4 switch my system monitor to a Command Line Interface login associated with TTY3, and TTY4, respectively. I use these to run a back-up script while the system has nothing running in the background. On rare occasion, I can use these to kill frozen windows, or trouble shoot system issues. If one has a hung process, I could use the other to kill the hung process.

But when I want to get back to a graphical window tools, I used to be able to use Ctrl-Alt-F1, or Ctrl-Alt-F2. Recently, going back to the initial login, using Ctrl-Alt-F1 results in seeing a totally black screen. There is not a graphical login background, nor fields for user id, password, or choice of graphical environment. During my dumb character terminal days, the editor, vi, upon receiving the Ctrl-l key would repaint, or refresh, the screen.

You may have answered my question. I will investigate further and get back to you.

[hankivy]

Thank you. The following got the job done.

Code: Select all

systemctl restart sddm