# phpman > man > setupcon(1)

[SETUPCON(1)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/SETUPCON/1/markdown)                          Console-setup User's Manual                         [SETUPCON(1)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/SETUPCON/1/markdown)



## NAME
       setupcon - sets up the font and the keyboard on the console


## SYNOPSIS
       **setupcon** [_OPTION_]... [_VARIANT_]


## DESCRIPTION
       **setupcon**  is  a  program for fast and easy setup of the font and the keyboard on the console.
       Most of the time you invoke **setupcon** without arguments.  The keyboard configuration is speci‐
       fied in _~/.keyboard_ or _/etc/default/keyboard_.  The font configuration is specified in _~/.con__‐
       _sole-setup_ or _/etc/default/console-setup_.  Consult [**keyboard**(5)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/keyboard/5/markdown) and [**console-setup**(5)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/console-setup/5/markdown)  for  in‐
       structions how to configure these two files.

       If you have to switch often between different encodings, keyboards or languages, you can pre‐
       pare several alternative configuration files for **setupcon**.  Suppose that most of the time you
       will  use Greek language with Greek keyboard layout, but sometimes you need to type in German
       with German keyboard layout.  In this situation you should customize the  main  configuration
       files  (_keyboard_  and _console-setup_) for Greek.  Also, create alternative configuration files
       for German named _keyboard.german_ and _console-setup.german_.  Then in order  to  configure  the
       console for Greek you will simply run the command with no arguments: _setupcon_ and in order to
       configure the console for German you will use _setupcon_ _german_.



## OPTIONS
       _VARIANT_
              Specifies which configuration file to use.  With no variant, the  configuration  files
              of  **setupcon** are named _console-setup_ and _keyboard_.  On the other hand, if you use e.g.
              _chukchi_ as _VARIANT_ then the configuration files  are  _console-setup.chukchi_  and  _key__‐
              _board.chukchi_.   In  this way you can have easy access to several different configura‐
              tions - for example one for the Chukchi language and another for the default  configu‐
              ration.


### -v --verbose
              Be more verbose.   Use this option if something goes wrong or while experimenting with
              the configuration files.


### -k --keyboard-only
              Setup the keyboard only, do not setup the font or the terminal.  On Linux it is enough
              to do this configuration only once.


### -f --font-only
              Setup the font only, do not setup the keyboard or the terminal.  On Linux this config‐
              uration should be repeated each time a new console driver is  activated  (for  example
              when the frame buffer becomes active).


### -t --terminal-only
              Setup the terminal only, do not setup the keyboard or the font.


### --current-tty
              Setup the only the current virtual terminal.


### --force
              Do not check whether we are on the console.  Notice that you can be forced to hard-re‐
              boot your computer if you run **setupcon** with this option and the screen  is  controlled
              by a X server.


       **--save** This  option can be useful if you want to use **setupcon** early in the boot process while
              _/usr_ is not yet mounted and the required data are not  available.   This  option  will
              make  **setupcon**  copy  the  required files in _/etc/console-setup/_ in order to make them
              available before _/usr_ is mounted.  If you use **setupcon** early in the boot process, then
              you should run it with this option after every change of the console configuration.


### --save-only
              The  same  as  _--save_,  but does not setup anything.  This option can be useful if you
              want to save the required files while the screen is controlled by a X server.


       **--save-keyboard** _FILE_
              For use by initrd builders.  Do not configure anything.  Save an usable keyboard  lay‐
              out in _FILE_.


       **--setup-dir** _DIR_
              For  use by initrd builders.  Do not configure anything.  Arrange in the directory _DIR_
              everything necessary in order to configure the console.  The file _DIR/morefiles_  lists
              all  binaries  the initrd builder has to install in the initrd image.  All other files
              in _DIR_ have to be copied unchanged in the initrd.  In order to configure  the  console
              one has to run the script _DIR/bin/setupcon_.


### -h --help
              Display usage information.


## FILES
       _~/.console-setup_
       _~/.keyboard_
       _/etc/default/console-setup_
       _/etc/default/keyboard_
       _/etc/default/console-setup.VARIANT_
       _/etc/default/keyboard.VARIANT_
       _/etc/console-setup/_


## SEE ALSO
       [**keyboard**(5)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/keyboard/5/markdown), [**console-setup**(5)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/console-setup/5/markdown)



console-setup                                2011-03-17                                  [SETUPCON(1)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/SETUPCON/1/markdown)