1muttrc(5) User Manuals muttrc(5)
2
6 muttrc - Configuration file for the Mutt Mail User Agent
7
9 A mutt configuration file consists of a series of “commands”. Each
10 line of the file may contain one or more commands. When multiple com‐
11 mands are used, they must be separated by a semicolon (“;”).
12 The hash mark, or pound sign (“#”), is used as a “comment” character.
14 You can use it to annotate your initialization file. All text after the
15 comment character to the end of the line is ignored.
16 Single quotes (“'”) and double quotes (“"”) can be used to quote
18 strings which contain spaces or other special characters. The differ‐
19 ence between the two types of quotes is similar to that of many popular
20 shell programs, namely that a single quote is used to specify a literal
21 string (one that is not interpreted for shell variables or quoting with
22 a backslash [see next paragraph]), while double quotes indicate a
23 string which should be evaluated. For example, backticks are evaluated
24 inside of double quotes, but not single quotes.
25 \ quotes the next character, just as in shells such as bash and zsh.
27 For example, if want to put quotes (“"”) inside of a string, you can
28 use “\” to force the next character to be a literal instead of inter‐
29 preted character.
30 “\\” means to insert a literal “\” into the line. “\n” and “\r” have
32 their usual C meanings of linefeed and carriage-return, respectively.
33 A “\” at the end of a line can be used to split commands over multiple
35 lines, provided that the split points don't appear in the middle of
36 command names.
37 It is also possible to substitute the output of a Unix command in an
39 initialization file. This is accomplished by enclosing the command in
40 backticks (`command`).
41 UNIX environment variables can be accessed like the way it is done in
43 shells like sh and bash: Prepend the name of the variable by a dollar
44 (“$”) sign.
45
47 alias [-group name [...]] key address [, address [ ... ]]
48 unalias [ * | key ]
49 alias defines an alias key for the given addresses. Each address
51 will be resolved into either an email address (user@example.com)
52 or a named email address (User Name <user@example.com>). The
53 address may be specified in either format, or in the format
54 “user@example.com (User Name)”. unalias removes the alias cor‐
55 responding to the given key or all aliases when “*” is used as
56 an argument. The optional -group argument to alias causes the
57 aliased address(es) to be added to the named group.
58 group [-group name] [-rx EXPR [ ... ]] [-addr address [ ... ]]
60 ungroup [-group name ] [ * | [[-rx EXPR [ ... ]] [-addr address [ ... ]]]
61 group is used to directly add either addresses or regular
63 expressions to the specified group or groups. The different cat‐
64 egories of arguments to the group command can be in any order.
65 The flags -rx and -addr specify what the following strings (that
66 cannot begin with a hyphen) should be interpreted as: either a
67 regular expression or an email address, respectively. ungroup
68 is used to remove addresses or regular expressions from the
69 specified group or groups. The syntax is similar to the group
70 command, however the special character * can be used to empty a
71 group of all of its contents.
72 These address groups can also be created implicitly by the
74 alias, lists, subscribe and alternates commands by specifying
75 the optional -group option.
76 Once defined, these address groups can be used in patterns to
78 search for and limit the display to messages matching a group.
79 alternates [-group name] regexp [ regexp [ ... ]]
81 unalternates [ * | regexp [ regexp [ ... ]] ]
82 alternates is used to inform mutt about alternate addresses
84 where you receive mail; you can use regular expressions to spec‐
85 ify alternate addresses. This affects mutt's idea about mes‐
86 sages from you, and messages addressed to you. unalternates
87 removes a regular expression from the list of known alternates.
88 The -group flag causes all of the subsequent regular expressions
89 to be added to the named group.
90 alternative_order type[/subtype] [ ... ]
92 unalternative_order [ * | type/subtype] [...]
93 alternative_order command permits you to define an order of
95 preference which is used by mutt to determine which part of a
96 multipart/alternative body to display. A subtype of “*” matches
97 any subtype, as does an empty subtype. unalternative_order
98 removes entries from the ordered list or deletes the entire list
99 when “*” is used as an argument.
100 auto_view type[/subtype] [ ... ]
102 unauto_view type[/subtype] [ ... ]
103 This commands permits you to specify that mutt should automati‐
105 cally convert the given MIME types to text/plain when displaying
106 messages. For this to work, there must be a mailcap(5) entry
107 for the given MIME type with the copiousoutput flag set. A sub‐
108 type of “*” matches any subtype, as does an empty subtype.
109 mime_lookup type[/subtype] [ ... ]
111 unmime_lookup type[/subtype] [ ... ]
112 This command permits you to define a list of "data" MIME content
114 types for which mutt will try to determine the actual file type
115 from the file name, and not use a mailcap(5) entry given for the
116 original MIME type. For instance, you may add the applica‐
117 tion/octet-stream MIME type to this list.
118 bind map1,map2,... key function
120 This command binds the given key for the given map or maps to
121 the given function. Multiple maps may be specified by separating
122 them with commas (no whitespace is allowed).
123 Valid maps are: generic, alias, attach, browser, editor, index,
125 compose, pager, pgp, postpone, mix.
126 For more information on keys and functions, please consult the
128 Mutt Manual. Note that the function name is to be specified
129 without angle brackets.
130 account-hook [!]regexp command
132 This hook is executed whenever you access a remote mailbox. Use‐
133 ful to adjust configuration settings to different IMAP or POP
134 servers.
135 charset-hook alias charset
137 This command defines an alias for a character set. This is use‐
138 ful to properly display messages which are tagged with a charac‐
139 ter set name not known to mutt.
140 iconv-hook charset local-charset
142 This command defines a system-specific name for a character set.
143 This is useful when your system's iconv(3) implementation does
144 not understand MIME character set names (such as iso-8859-1),
145 but instead insists on being fed with implementation-specific
146 character set names (such as 8859-1). In this specific case,
147 you'd put this into your configuration file:
148 iconv-hook iso-8859-1 8859-1
150 message-hook [!]pattern command
152 Before mutt displays (or formats for replying or forwarding) a
153 message which matches the given pattern (or, when it is preceded
154 by an exclamation mark, does not match the pattern), the given
155 command is executed. When multiple message-hooks match, they
156 are executed in the order in which they occur in the configu‐
157 ration file.
158 folder-hook [!]regexp command
160 When mutt enters a folder which matches regexp (or, when regexp
161 is preceded by an exclamation mark, does not match regexp), the
162 given command is executed.
163 When several folder-hooks match a given mail folder, they are
165 executed in the order given in the configuration file.
166 macro map key sequence [ description ]
168 This command binds the given sequence of keys to the given key
169 in the given map or maps. For valid maps, see bind. To specify
170 multiple maps, put only a comma between the maps.
171 color object foreground background [ regexp ]
173 color index foreground background [ pattern ]
174 color compose composeobject foreground background
175 uncolor index pattern [ pattern ... ]
176 If your terminal supports color, these commands can be used to
178 assign foreground/background combinations to certain objects.
179 Valid objects are: attachment, body, bold, error, header, hdrde‐
180 fault, index, indicator, markers, message, normal, prompt,
181 quoted, quotedN, search, signature, status, tilde, tree, under‐
182 line. If the sidebar is enabled the following objects are also
183 valid: sidebar_divider, sidebar_flagged, sidebar_highlight,
184 sidebar_indicator, sidebar_new, sidebar_spoolfile. The body and
185 header objects allow you to restrict the colorization to a regu‐
186 lar expression. The index object permits you to select colored
187 messages by pattern.
188 Valid composeobjects include header, security_encrypt, secu‐
190 rity_sign, security_both, security_none.
191 Valid colors include: white, black, green, magenta, blue, cyan,
193 yellow, red, default, colorN.
194 mono object attribute [ regexp ]
196 mono index attribute [ pattern ]
197 For terminals which don't support color, you can still assign
199 attributes to objects. Valid attributes include: none, bold,
200 underline, reverse, and standout.
201 [un]ignore pattern [ pattern ... ]
203 The ignore command permits you to specify header fields which
204 you usually don't wish to see. Any header field whose tag
205 begins with an “ignored” pattern will be ignored.
206 The unignore command permits you to define exceptions from the
208 above mentioned list of ignored headers.
209 lists [-group name] regexp [ regexp ... ]
211 unlists regexp [ regexp ... ]
212 subscribe [-group name] regexp [ regexp ... ]
213 unsubscribe regexp [ regexp ... ]
214 Mutt maintains two lists of mailing list address patterns, a
216 list of subscribed mailing lists, and a list of known mailing
217 lists. All subscribed mailing lists are known. Patterns use
218 regular expressions.
219 The lists command adds a mailing list address to the list of
221 known mailing lists. The unlists command removes a mailing list
222 from the lists of known and subscribed mailing lists. The sub‐
223 scribe command adds a mailing list to the lists of known and
224 subscribed mailing lists. The unsubscribe command removes it
225 from the list of subscribed mailing lists. The -group flag adds
226 all of the subsequent regular expressions to the named group.
227 mbox-hook [!]regexp mailbox
229 When mutt changes to a mail folder which matches regexp, mailbox
230 will be used as the “mbox” folder, i.e., read messages will be
231 moved to that folder when the mail folder is left.
232 The first matching mbox-hook applies.
234 mailboxes filename [ filename ... ]
236 unmailboxes [ * | filename ... ]
237 The mailboxes specifies folders which can receive mail and which
239 will be checked for new messages. When changing folders, press‐
240 ing space will cycle through folders with new mail. The unmail‐
241 boxes command is used to remove a file name from the list of
242 folders which can receive mail. If "*" is specified as the file
243 name, the list is emptied.
244 my_hdr string
246 unmy_hdr field
247 Using my_hdr, you can define headers which will be added to the
249 messages you compose. unmy_hdr will remove the given user-
250 defined headers.
251 hdr_order header1 header2 [ ... ]
253 With this command, you can specify an order in which mutt will
254 attempt to present headers to you when viewing messages.
255 save-hook [!]pattern filename
257 When a message matches pattern, the default file name when sav‐
258 ing it will be the given filename.
259 fcc-hook [!]pattern filename
261 When an outgoing message matches pattern, the default file name
262 for storing a copy (fcc) will be the given filename.
263 fcc-save-hook [!]pattern filename
265 This command is an abbreviation for identical fcc-hook and save-
266 hook commands.
267 send-hook [!]pattern command
269 When composing a message matching pattern, command is executed.
270 When multiple send-hooks match, they are executed in the order
271 in which they occur in the configuration file.
272 send2-hook [!]pattern command
274 Whenever a message matching pattern is changed (either by edit‐
275 ing it or by using the compose menu), command is executed. When
276 multiple send2-hooks match, they are executed in the order in
277 which they occur in the configuration file. Possible applica‐
278 tions include setting the $sendmail variable when a message's
279 from header is changed.
280 send2-hook execution is not triggered by use of enter-command
282 from the compose menu.
283 reply-hook [!]pattern command
285 When replying to a message matching pattern, command is exe‐
286 cuted. When multiple reply-hooks match, they are executed in
287 the order in which they occur in the configuration file, but all
288 reply-hooks are matched and executed before send-hooks, regard‐
289 less of their order in the configuration file.
290 crypt-hook regexp key-id
292 The crypt-hook command provides a method by which you can spec‐
293 ify the ID of the public key to be used when encrypting messages
294 to a certain recipient. The meaning of "key ID" is to be taken
295 broadly: This can be a different e-mail address, a numerical key
296 ID, or even just an arbitrary search string. You may use multi‐
297 ple crypt-hooks with the same regexp; multiple matching crypt-
298 hooks result in the use of multiple key-ids for a recipient.
299 index-format-hook name [!]pattern format-string
301 This command is used to inject format strings dynamically into
302 $index_format based on pattern matching against the current mes‐
303 sage.
304 The $index_format expando %@name@ specifies a placeholder for
306 the injection. Index-format-hooks with the same name are matched
307 using pattern against the current message. Matching is done in
308 the order specified in the .muttrc, with the first match being
309 used. The hook's format-string is then substituted and evalu‐
310 ated.
311 open-hook regexp "command"
313 close-hook regexp "command"
314 append-hook regexp "command"
315 These commands provide a way to handle compressed folders. The
317 given regexp specifies which folders are taken as compressed
318 (e.g. "\\.gz$"). The commands tell Mutt how to uncompress a
319 folder (open-hook), compress a folder (close-hook) or append a
320 compressed mail to a compressed folder (append-hook). The com‐
321 mand string is the printf(3) like format string, and it should
322 accept two parameters: %f, which is replaced with the (com‐
323 pressed) folder name, and %t which is replaced with the name of
324 the temporary folder to which to write.
325 push string
327 This command adds the named string to the keyboard buffer.
328 set [no|inv|&|?]variable[=value] [ ... ]
330 toggle variable [ ... ]
331 unset variable [ ... ]
332 reset variable [ ... ]
333 These commands are used to set and manipulate configuration
335 variables.
336 Mutt knows four basic types of variables: boolean, number,
338 string and quadoption. Boolean variables can be set (true),
339 unset (false), or toggled. Number variables can be assigned a
340 positive integer value.
341 String variables consist of any number of printable characters.
343 Strings must be enclosed in quotes if they contain spaces or
344 tabs. You may also use the “C” escape sequences \n and \t for
345 newline and tab, respectively.
346 Quadoption variables are used to control whether or not to be
348 prompted for certain actions, or to specify a default action. A
349 value of yes will cause the action to be carried out automati‐
350 cally as if you had answered yes to the question. Similarly, a
351 value of no will cause the the action to be carried out as if
352 you had answered “no.” A value of ask-yes will cause a prompt
353 with a default answer of “yes” and ask-no will provide a default
354 answer of “no.”
355 The reset command resets all given variables to the compile time
357 defaults. If you reset the special variable all, all variables
358 will reset to their compile time defaults.
359 source filename
361 The given file will be evaluated as a configuration file.
362 spam pattern format
364 nospam pattern
365 These commands define spam-detection patterns from external spam
367 filters, so that mutt can sort, limit, and search on ``spam
368 tags'' or ``spam attributes'', or display them in the index. See
369 the Mutt manual for details.
370 subjectrx pattern replacement
372 unsubjectrx [ * | pattern ]
373 subjectrx specifies a regular expression pattern which, if
375 detected in a message subject, causes the subject to be replaced
376 with the replacement value. The replacement is subject to sub‐
377 stitutions in the same way as for the spam command: %L for the
378 text to the left of the match, %R for text to the right of the
379 match, and %1 for the first subgroup in the match (etc). If you
380 simply want to erase the match, set it to “%L%R”. Any number of
381 subjectrx commands may coexist.
382 Note this well: the replacement value replaces the entire sub‐
384 ject, not just the match!
385 unsubjectrx removes a given subjectrx from the substitution
387 list. If * is used as the pattern, all substitutions will be
388 removed.
389 unhook [ * | hook-type ]
391 This command will remove all hooks of a given type, or all hooks
392 when “*” is used as an argument. hook-type can be any of the
393 -hook commands documented above.
394 mailto_allow header-field [ ... ]
396 unmailto_allow [ * | header-field ... ]
397 These commands allow the user to modify the list of allowed
399 header fields in a mailto: URL that Mutt will include in the the
400 generated message. By default the list contains only subject
401 and body, as specified by RFC2368.
402 echo message
404 Prints message to the message window. After printing the mes‐
405 sage, echo will pause for the number of seconds specified by
406 $sleep_time.
407
409 In various places with mutt, including some of the above mentioned hook
410 commands, you can specify patterns to match messages.
411 Constructing Patterns
413 A simple pattern consists of an operator of the form “~character”, pos‐
414 sibly followed by a parameter against which mutt is supposed to match
415 the object specified by this operator. For some characters, the ~ may
416 be replaced by another character to alter the behavior of the match.
417 These are described in the list of operators, below.
418 With some of these operators, the object to be matched consists of sev‐
420 eral e-mail addresses. In these cases, the object is matched if at
421 least one of these e-mail addresses matches. You can prepend a hat
422 (“^”) character to such a pattern to indicate that all addresses must
423 match in order to match the object.
424 You can construct complex patterns by combining simple patterns with
426 logical operators. Logical AND is specified by simply concatenating
427 two simple patterns, for instance “~C mutt-dev ~s bug”. Logical OR is
428 specified by inserting a vertical bar (“|”) between two patterns, for
429 instance “~C mutt-dev | ~s bug”. Additionally, you can negate a pat‐
430 tern by prepending a bang (“!”) character. For logical grouping, use
431 braces (“()”). Example: “!(~t mutt|~c mutt) ~f elkins”.
432 Simple Patterns
434 Mutt understands the following simple patterns:
435 ~A all messages
437 ~b EXPR messages which contain EXPR in the message body.
438 =b STRING If IMAP is enabled, like ~b but searches for STRING on the
439 server, rather than downloading each message and searching
440 it locally.
441 ~B EXPR messages which contain EXPR in the whole message.
442 =B STRING If IMAP is enabled, like ~B but searches for STRING on the
443 server, rather than downloading each message and searching
444 it locally.
445 ~c EXPR messages carbon-copied to EXPR
446 %c GROUP messages carbon-copied to any member of GROUP
447 ~C EXPR messages either to: or cc: EXPR
448 %C GROUP messages either to: or cc: to any member of GROUP
449 ~d MIN-MAX messages with “date-sent” in a Date range
450 ~D deleted messages
451 ~e EXPR messages which contain EXPR in the “Sender” field
452 %e GROUP messages which contain a member of GROUP in the “Sender”
453 field
454 ~E expired messages
455 ~f EXPR messages originating from EXPR
456 %f GROUP messages originating from any member of GROUP
457 ~F flagged messages
458 ~g PGP signed messages
459 ~G PGP encrypted messages
460 ~h EXPR messages which contain EXPR in the message header
461 =h STRING If IMAP is enabled, like ~h but searches for STRING on the
462 server, rather than downloading each message and searching
463 it locally. STRING must be of the form “header: substring”
464 ~H EXPR messages with spam tags matching EXPR
465 ~i EXPR messages which match EXPR in the “Message-ID” field
466 ~k messages containing PGP key material
467 ~l messages addressed to a known mailing list (defined by
468 either subscribe or list)
469 ~L EXPR messages either originated or received by EXPR
470 %L GROUP messages either originated or received by any member of
471 GROUP
472 ~m MIN-MAX message in the range MIN to MAX
473 ~M EXPR messages which contain a mime Content-Type matching EXPR
474 ~n MIN-MAX messages with a score in the range MIN to MAX
475 ~N new messages
476 ~O old messages
477 ~p messages addressed to you (as defined by alternates)
478 ~P messages from you (as defined by alternates)
479 ~Q messages which have been replied to
480 ~r MIN-MAX messages with “date-received” in a Date range
481 ~R read messages
482 ~s EXPR messages having EXPR in the “Subject” field.
483 ~S superseded messages
484 ~t EXPR messages addressed to EXPR
485 ~T tagged messages
486 ~u messages addressed to a subscribed mailing list (defined by
487 subscribe commands)
488 ~U unread messages
489 ~v message is part of a collapsed thread.
490 ~V cryptographically verified messages
491 ~x EXPR messages which contain EXPR in the “References” or “In-
492 Reply-To” field
493 ~X MIN-MAX messages with MIN - MAX attachments
494 ~y EXPR messages which contain EXPR in the “X-Label” field
495 ~z MIN-MAX messages with a size in the range MIN to MAX
496 ~= duplicated messages (see $duplicate_threads)
497 ~$ unreferenced message (requires threaded view)
498 ~(PATTERN) messages in threads containing messages matching a certain
499 pattern, e.g. all threads containing messages from you:
500 ~(~P)
501 ~<(PATTERN) messages whose immediate parent matches PATTERN, e.g.
502 replies to your messages: ~<(~P)
503 ~>(PATTERN) messages having an immediate child matching PATTERN, e.g.
504 messages you replied to: ~>(~P)
505 In the above, EXPR is a regular expression.
507 With the ~d, ~m, ~n, ~r, ~X, and ~z operators, you can also specify
509 ranges in the forms <MAX, >MIN, MIN-, and -MAX.
510 With the ~z operator, the suffixes “K” and “M” are allowed to specify
512 kilobyte and megabyte respectively.
513 The ~b, ~B, ~h, ~M, and ~X operators require reading each message in,
515 which can be much slower.
516 You can force Mutt to treat EXPR as a simple string instead of a regu‐
518 lar expression by using = instead of ~ in the pattern name.
519 Matching dates
521 The ~d and ~r operators are used to match date ranges, which are inter‐
522 preted to be given in your local time zone.
523 A date is of the form DD[/MM[/[cc]YY]], that is, a two-digit date,
525 optionally followed by a two-digit month, optionally followed by a year
526 specifications. Omitted fields default to the current month and year.
527 Mutt understands either two or four digit year specifications. When
529 given a two-digit year, mutt will interpret values less than 70 as
530 lying in the 21st century (i.e., “38” means 2038 and not 1938, and “00”
531 is interpreted as 2000), and values greater than or equal to 70 as
532 lying in the 20th century.
533 Note that this behavior is Y2K compliant, but that mutt does have a
535 Y2.07K problem.
536 If a date range consists of a single date, the operator in question
538 will match that precise date. If the date range consists of a dash
539 (“-”), followed by a date, this range will match any date before and up
540 to the date given. Similarly, a date followed by a dash matches the
541 date given and any later point of time. Two dates, separated by a
542 dash, match any date which lies in the given range of time.
543 You can also modify any absolute date by giving an error range. An
545 error range consists of one of the characters +, -, *, followed by a
546 positive number, followed by one of the unit characters y, m, w, or d,
547 specifying a unit of years, months, weeks, or days. + increases the
548 maximum date matched by the given interval of time, - decreases the
549 minimum date matched by the given interval of time, and * increases the
550 maximum date and decreases the minimum date matched by the given inter‐
551 val of time. It is possible to give multiple error margins, which
552 cumulate. Example: 1/1/2001-1w+2w*3d
553 You can also specify offsets relative to the current date. An offset
555 is specified as one of the characters <, >, =, followed by a positive
556 number, followed by one of the unit characters y, m, w, d, H, M, or S.
557 > matches dates which are older than the specified amount of time, an
558 offset which begins with the character < matches dates which are more
559 recent than the specified amount of time, and an offset which begins
560 with the character = matches points of time which are precisely the
561 given amount of time ago.
562
564 abort_noattach
565 Type: quadoption
566 Default: no
567 When the body of the message matches $abort_noattach_regexp and
569 there are no attachments, this quadoption controls whether to
570 abort sending the message.
571 abort_noattach_regexp
575 Type: regular expression
576 Default: “attach”
577 Specifies a regular expression to match against the body of the
579 message, to determine if an attachment was mentioned but mistak‐
580 enly forgotten. If it matches, $abort_noattach will be con‐
581 sulted to determine if message sending will be aborted.
582 Like other regular expressions in Mutt, the search is case sen‐
584 sitive if the pattern contains at least one upper case letter,
585 and case insensitive otherwise.
586 abort_nosubject
590 Type: quadoption
591 Default: ask-yes
592 If set to yes, when composing messages and no subject is given
594 at the subject prompt, composition will be aborted. If set to
595 no, composing messages with no subject given at the subject
596 prompt will never be aborted.
597 abort_unmodified
601 Type: quadoption
602 Default: yes
603 If set to yes, composition will automatically abort after edit‐
605 ing the message body if no changes are made to the file (this
606 check only happens after the first edit of the file). When set
607 to no, composition will never be aborted.
608 alias_file
612 Type: path
613 Default: “~/.muttrc”
614 The default file in which to save aliases created by the <cre‐
616 ate-alias> function. Entries added to this file are encoded in
617 the character set specified by $config_charset if it is set or
618 the current character set otherwise.
619 Note: Mutt will not automatically source this file; you must
621 explicitly use the “source” command for it to be executed in
622 case this option points to a dedicated alias file.
623 The default for this option is the currently used muttrc file,
625 or “~/.muttrc” if no user muttrc was found.
626 alias_format
630 Type: string
631 Default: “%4n %2f %t %-10a %r”
632 Specifies the format of the data displayed for the “alias” menu.
634 The following printf(3)-style sequences are available:
635 %a alias name
636 %f flags - currently, a “d” for an alias marked for deletion
637 %n index number
638 %r address which alias expands to
639 %t character which indicates if the alias is tagged for
640 inclusion
641 allow_8bit
644 Type: boolean
645 Default: yes
646 Controls whether 8-bit data is converted to 7-bit using either
648 Quoted- Printable or Base64 encoding when sending mail.
649 allow_ansi
653 Type: boolean
654 Default: no
655 Controls whether ANSI color codes in messages (and color tags in
657 rich text messages) are to be interpreted. Messages containing
658 these codes are rare, but if this option is set, their text will
659 be colored accordingly. Note that this may override your color
660 choices, and even present a security problem, since a message
661 could include a line like
662 [-- PGP output follows ...
665 and give it the same color as your attachment color (see also
668 $crypt_timestamp).
669 arrow_cursor
673 Type: boolean
674 Default: no
675 When set, an arrow (“->”) will be used to indicate the current
677 entry in menus instead of highlighting the whole line. On slow
678 network or modem links this will make response faster because
679 there is less that has to be redrawn on the screen when moving
680 to the next or previous entries in the menu.
681 ascii_chars
685 Type: boolean
686 Default: no
687 If set, Mutt will use plain ASCII characters when displaying
689 thread and attachment trees, instead of the default ACS charac‐
690 ters.
691 askbcc
695 Type: boolean
696 Default: no
697 If set, Mutt will prompt you for blind-carbon-copy (Bcc) recipi‐
699 ents before editing an outgoing message.
700 askcc
704 Type: boolean
705 Default: no
706 If set, Mutt will prompt you for carbon-copy (Cc) recipients
708 before editing the body of an outgoing message.
709 assumed_charset
713 Type: string
714 Default: “”
715 This variable is a colon-separated list of character encoding
717 schemes for messages without character encoding indication.
718 Header field values and message body content without character
719 encoding indication would be assumed that they are written in
720 one of this list. By default, all the header fields and message
721 body without any charset indication are assumed to be in
722 “us-ascii”.
723 For example, Japanese users might prefer this:
725 set assumed_charset=”iso-2022-jp:euc-jp:shift_jis:utf-8”
728 However, only the first content is valid for the message body.
731 attach_charset
735 Type: string
736 Default: “”
737 This variable is a colon-separated list of character encoding
739 schemes for text file attachments. Mutt uses this setting to
740 guess which encoding files being attached are encoded in to con‐
741 vert them to a proper character set given in $send_charset.
742 If unset, the value of $charset will be used instead. For exam‐
744 ple, the following configuration would work for Japanese text
745 handling:
746 set attach_charset=”iso-2022-jp:euc-jp:shift_jis:utf-8”
749 Note: for Japanese users, “iso-2022-*” must be put at the head
752 of the value as shown above if included.
753 attach_format
757 Type: string
758 Default: “%u%D%I %t%4n %T%.40d%> [%.7m/%.10M, %.6e%?C?, %C?, %s] ”
759 This variable describes the format of the “attachment” menu.
761 The following printf(3)-style sequences are understood:
762 %C charset
763 %c requires charset conversion (“n” or “c”)
764 %D deleted flag
765 %d description (if none, falls back to %F)
766 %e MIME content-transfer-encoding
767 %F filename in content-disposition header (if none, falls
768 back to %f)
769 %f filename
770 %I disposition (“I” for inline, “A” for attachment)
771 %m major MIME type
772 %M MIME subtype
773 %n attachment number
774 %Q “Q”, if MIME part qualifies for attachment counting
775 %s size
776 %t tagged flag
777 %T graphic tree characters
778 %u unlink (=to delete) flag
779 %X number of qualifying MIME parts in this part and its
780 children (please see the “attachments” section for possi‐
781 ble speed effects)
782 %>X right justify the rest of the string and pad with charac‐
783 ter “X”
784 %|X pad to the end of the line with character “X”
785 %*X soft-fill with character “X” as pad
786 For an explanation of “soft-fill”, see the $index_format docu‐
788 mentation.
789 attach_sep
793 Type: string
794 Default: “\n”
795 The separator to add between attachments when operating (saving,
797 printing, piping, etc) on a list of tagged attachments.
798 attach_split
802 Type: boolean
803 Default: yes
804 If this variable is unset, when operating (saving, printing,
806 piping, etc) on a list of tagged attachments, Mutt will concate‐
807 nate the attachments and will operate on them as a single
808 attachment. The $attach_sep separator is added after each
809 attachment. When set, Mutt will operate on the attachments one
810 by one.
811 attribution
815 Type: string
816 Default: “On %d, %n wrote:”
817 This is the string that will precede a message which has been
819 included in a reply. For a full listing of defined
820 printf(3)-like sequences see the section on $index_format.
821 attribution_locale
825 Type: string
826 Default: “”
827 The locale used by strftime(3) to format dates in the attribu‐
829 tion string. Legal values are the strings your system accepts
830 for the locale environment variable $LC_TIME.
831 This variable is to allow the attribution date format to be cus‐
833 tomized by recipient or folder using hooks. By default, Mutt
834 will use your locale environment, so there is no need to set
835 this except to override that default.
836 auto_tag
840 Type: boolean
841 Default: no
842 When set, functions in the index menu which affect a message
844 will be applied to all tagged messages (if there are any). When
845 unset, you must first use the <tag-prefix> function (bound to
846 “;” by default) to make the next function apply to all tagged
847 messages.
848 autoedit
852 Type: boolean
853 Default: no
854 When set along with $edit_headers, Mutt will skip the initial
856 send-menu (prompting for subject and recipients) and allow you
857 to immediately begin editing the body of your message. The
858 send-menu may still be accessed once you have finished editing
859 the body of your message.
860 Note: when this option is set, you cannot use send-hooks that
862 depend on the recipients when composing a new (non-reply) mes‐
863 sage, as the initial list of recipients is empty.
864 Also see $fast_reply.
866 beep
870 Type: boolean
871 Default: yes
872 When this variable is set, mutt will beep when an error occurs.
874 beep_new
878 Type: boolean
879 Default: no
880 When this variable is set, mutt will beep whenever it prints a
882 message notifying you of new mail. This is independent of the
883 setting of the $beep variable.
884 bounce
888 Type: quadoption
889 Default: ask-yes
890 Controls whether you will be asked to confirm bouncing messages.
892 If set to yes you don't get asked if you want to bounce a mes‐
893 sage. Setting this variable to no is not generally useful, and
894 thus not recommended, because you are unable to bounce messages.
895 bounce_delivered
899 Type: boolean
900 Default: yes
901 When this variable is set, mutt will include Delivered-To head‐
903 ers when bouncing messages. Postfix users may wish to unset
904 this variable.
905 braille_friendly
909 Type: boolean
910 Default: no
911 When this variable is set, mutt will place the cursor at the
913 beginning of the current line in menus, even when the
914 $arrow_cursor variable is unset, making it easier for blind per‐
915 sons using Braille displays to follow these menus. The option
916 is unset by default because many visual terminals don't permit
917 making the cursor invisible.
918 browser_abbreviate_mailboxes
922 Type: boolean
923 Default: yes
924 When this variable is set, mutt will abbreviate mailbox names in
926 the browser mailbox list, using '~' and '=' shortcuts.
927 The default ”alpha” setting of $sort_browser uses locale-based
929 sorting (using strcoll(3)), which ignores some punctuation.
930 This can lead to some situations where the order doesn't make
931 intuitive sense. In those cases, it may be desirable to unset
932 this variable.
933 certificate_file
937 Type: path
938 Default: “~/.mutt_certificates”
939 This variable specifies the file where the certificates you
941 trust are saved. When an unknown certificate is encountered, you
942 are asked if you accept it or not. If you accept it, the cer‐
943 tificate can also be saved in this file and further connections
944 are automatically accepted.
945 You can also manually add CA certificates in this file. Any
947 server certificate that is signed with one of these CA certifi‐
948 cates is also automatically accepted.
949 Example:
951 set certificate_file=~/.mutt/certificates
954 change_folder_next
959 Type: boolean
960 Default: no
961 When this variable is set, the <change-folder> function mailbox
963 suggestion will start at the next folder in your “mailboxes”
964 list, instead of starting at the first folder in the list.
965 charset
969 Type: string
970 Default: “”
971 Character set your terminal uses to display and enter textual
973 data. It is also the fallback for $send_charset.
974 Upon startup Mutt tries to derive this value from environment
976 variables such as $LC_CTYPE or $LANG.
977 Note: It should only be set in case Mutt isn't able to determine
979 the character set used correctly.
980 check_mbox_size
984 Type: boolean
985 Default: no
986 When this variable is set, mutt will use file size attribute
988 instead of access time when checking for new mail in mbox and
989 mmdf folders.
990 This variable is unset by default and should only be enabled
992 when new mail detection for these folder types is unreliable or
993 doesn't work.
994 Note that enabling this variable should happen before any “mail‐
996 boxes” directives occur in configuration files regarding mbox or
997 mmdf folders because mutt needs to determine the initial new
998 mail status of such a mailbox by performing a fast mailbox scan
999 when it is defined. Afterwards the new mail status is tracked
1000 by file size changes.
1001 check_new
1005 Type: boolean
1006 Default: yes
1007 Note: this option only affects maildir and MH style mailboxes.
1009 When set, Mutt will check for new mail delivered while the mail‐
1011 box is open. Especially with MH mailboxes, this operation can
1012 take quite some time since it involves scanning the directory
1013 and checking each file to see if it has already been looked at.
1014 If this variable is unset, no check for new mail is performed
1015 while the mailbox is open.
1016 collapse_unread
1020 Type: boolean
1021 Default: yes
1022 When unset, Mutt will not collapse a thread if it contains any
1024 unread messages.
1025 compose_format
1029 Type: string
1030 Default: “-- Mutt: Compose [Approx. msg size: %l Atts: %a]%>-”
1031 Controls the format of the status line displayed in the “com‐
1033 pose” menu. This string is similar to $status_format, but has
1034 its own set of printf(3)-like sequences:
1035 %a total number of attachments
1036 %h local hostname
1037 %l approximate size (in bytes) of the current message
1038 %v Mutt version string
1039 See the text describing the $status_format option for more
1041 information on how to set $compose_format.
1042 config_charset
1046 Type: string
1047 Default: “”
1048 When defined, Mutt will recode commands in rc files from this
1050 encoding to the current character set as specified by $charset
1051 and aliases written to $alias_file from the current character
1052 set.
1053 Please note that if setting $charset it must be done before set‐
1055 ting $config_charset.
1056 Recoding should be avoided as it may render unconvertable char‐
1058 acters as question marks which can lead to undesired side
1059 effects (for example in regular expressions).
1060 confirmappend
1064 Type: boolean
1065 Default: yes
1066 When set, Mutt will prompt for confirmation when appending mes‐
1068 sages to an existing mailbox.
1069 confirmcreate
1073 Type: boolean
1074 Default: yes
1075 When set, Mutt will prompt for confirmation when saving messages
1077 to a mailbox which does not yet exist before creating it.
1078 connect_timeout
1082 Type: number
1083 Default: 30
1084 Causes Mutt to timeout a network connection (for IMAP, POP or
1086 SMTP) after this many seconds if the connection is not able to
1087 be established. A negative value causes Mutt to wait indefi‐
1088 nitely for the connection attempt to succeed.
1089 content_type
1093 Type: string
1094 Default: “text/plain”
1095 Sets the default Content-Type for the body of newly composed
1097 messages.
1098 copy
1102 Type: quadoption
1103 Default: yes
1104 This variable controls whether or not copies of your outgoing
1106 messages will be saved for later references. Also see $record,
1107 $save_name, $force_name and “fcc-hook”.
1108 crypt_autoencrypt
1112 Type: boolean
1113 Default: no
1114 Setting this variable will cause Mutt to always attempt to PGP
1116 encrypt outgoing messages. This is probably only useful in con‐
1117 nection to the “send-hook” command. It can be overridden by use
1118 of the pgp menu, when encryption is not required or signing is
1119 requested as well. If $smime_is_default is set, then OpenSSL is
1120 used instead to create S/MIME messages and settings can be over‐
1121 ridden by use of the smime menu instead. (Crypto only)
1122 crypt_autopgp
1126 Type: boolean
1127 Default: yes
1128 This variable controls whether or not mutt may automatically
1130 enable PGP encryption/signing for messages. See also
1131 $crypt_autoencrypt, $crypt_replyencrypt, $crypt_autosign,
1132 $crypt_replysign and $smime_is_default.
1133 crypt_autosign
1137 Type: boolean
1138 Default: no
1139 Setting this variable will cause Mutt to always attempt to cryp‐
1141 tographically sign outgoing messages. This can be overridden by
1142 use of the pgp menu, when signing is not required or encryption
1143 is requested as well. If $smime_is_default is set, then OpenSSL
1144 is used instead to create S/MIME messages and settings can be
1145 overridden by use of the smime menu instead of the pgp menu.
1146 (Crypto only)
1147 crypt_autosmime
1151 Type: boolean
1152 Default: yes
1153 This variable controls whether or not mutt may automatically
1155 enable S/MIME encryption/signing for messages. See also
1156 $crypt_autoencrypt, $crypt_replyencrypt, $crypt_autosign,
1157 $crypt_replysign and $smime_is_default.
1158 crypt_confirmhook
1162 Type: boolean
1163 Default: yes
1164 If set, then you will be prompted for confirmation of keys when
1166 using the crypt-hook command. If unset, no such confirmation
1167 prompt will be presented. This is generally considered unsafe,
1168 especially where typos are concerned.
1169 crypt_opportunistic_encrypt
1173 Type: boolean
1174 Default: no
1175 Setting this variable will cause Mutt to automatically enable
1177 and disable encryption, based on whether all message recipient
1178 keys can be located by Mutt.
1179 When this option is enabled, Mutt will enable/disable encryption
1181 each time the TO, CC, and BCC lists are edited. If $edit_head‐
1182 ers is set, Mutt will also do so each time the message is
1183 edited.
1184 While this is set, encryption can't be manually enabled/dis‐
1186 abled. The pgp or smime menus provide a selection to temporar‐
1187 ily disable this option for the current message.
1188 If $crypt_autoencrypt or $crypt_replyencrypt enable encryption
1190 for a message, this option will be disabled for that message.
1191 It can be manually re-enabled in the pgp or smime menus.
1192 (Crypto only)
1193 crypt_replyencrypt
1197 Type: boolean
1198 Default: yes
1199 If set, automatically PGP or OpenSSL encrypt replies to messages
1201 which are encrypted. (Crypto only)
1202 crypt_replysign
1206 Type: boolean
1207 Default: no
1208 If set, automatically PGP or OpenSSL sign replies to messages
1210 which are signed.
1211 Note: this does not work on messages that are encrypted and
1213 signed! (Crypto only)
1214 crypt_replysignencrypted
1218 Type: boolean
1219 Default: no
1220 If set, automatically PGP or OpenSSL sign replies to messages
1222 which are encrypted. This makes sense in combination with
1223 $crypt_replyencrypt, because it allows you to sign all messages
1224 which are automatically encrypted. This works around the prob‐
1225 lem noted in $crypt_replysign, that mutt is not able to find out
1226 whether an encrypted message is also signed. (Crypto only)
1227 crypt_timestamp
1231 Type: boolean
1232 Default: yes
1233 If set, mutt will include a time stamp in the lines surrounding
1235 PGP or S/MIME output, so spoofing such lines is more difficult.
1236 If you are using colors to mark these lines, and rely on these,
1237 you may unset this setting. (Crypto only)
1238 crypt_use_gpgme
1242 Type: boolean
1243 Default: no
1244 This variable controls the use of the GPGME-enabled crypto back‐
1246 ends. If it is set and Mutt was built with gpgme support, the
1247 gpgme code for S/MIME and PGP will be used instead of the clas‐
1248 sic code. Note that you need to set this option in .muttrc; it
1249 won't have any effect when used interactively.
1250 Note that the GPGME backend does not support creating old-style
1252 inline (traditional) PGP encrypted or signed messages (see
1253 $pgp_autoinline).
1254 crypt_use_pka
1258 Type: boolean
1259 Default: no
1260 Controls whether mutt uses PKA (see
1262 http://www.g10code.de/docs/pka-intro.de.pdf) during signature
1263 verification (only supported by the GPGME backend).
1264 crypt_verify_sig
1268 Type: quadoption
1269 Default: yes
1270 If “yes”, always attempt to verify PGP or S/MIME signatures. If
1272 “ask-*”, ask whether or not to verify the signature. If “no”,
1273 never attempt to verify cryptographic signatures. (Crypto only)
1274 date_format
1278 Type: string
1279 Default: “!%a, %b %d, %Y at %I:%M:%S%p %Z”
1280 This variable controls the format of the date printed by the
1282 “%d” sequence in $index_format. This is passed to the strf‐
1283 time(3) function to process the date, see the man page for the
1284 proper syntax.
1285 Unless the first character in the string is a bang (“!”), the
1287 month and week day names are expanded according to the locale.
1288 If the first character in the string is a bang, the bang is dis‐
1289 carded, and the month and week day names in the rest of the
1290 string are expanded in the C locale (that is in US English).
1291 default_hook
1295 Type: string
1296 Default: “~f %s !~P | (~P ~C %s)”
1297 This variable controls how “message-hook”, “reply-hook”, “send-
1299 hook”, “send2-hook”, “save-hook”, and “fcc-hook” will be inter‐
1300 preted if they are specified with only a simple regexp, instead
1301 of a matching pattern. The hooks are expanded when they are
1302 declared, so a hook will be interpreted according to the value
1303 of this variable at the time the hook is declared.
1304 The default value matches if the message is either from a user
1306 matching the regular expression given, or if it is from you (if
1307 the from address matches “alternates”) and is to or cc'ed to a
1308 user matching the given regular expression.
1309 delete
1313 Type: quadoption
1314 Default: ask-yes
1315 Controls whether or not messages are really deleted when closing
1317 or synchronizing a mailbox. If set to yes, messages marked for
1318 deleting will automatically be purged without prompting. If set
1319 to no, messages marked for deletion will be kept in the mailbox.
1320 delete_untag
1324 Type: boolean
1325 Default: yes
1326 If this option is set, mutt will untag messages when marking
1328 them for deletion. This applies when you either explicitly
1329 delete a message, or when you save it to another folder.
1330 digest_collapse
1334 Type: boolean
1335 Default: yes
1336 If this option is set, mutt's received-attachments menu will not
1338 show the subparts of individual messages in a multipart/digest.
1339 To see these subparts, press “v” on that menu.
1340 display_filter
1344 Type: path
1345 Default: “”
1346 When set, specifies a command used to filter messages. When a
1348 message is viewed it is passed as standard input to $dis‐
1349 play_filter, and the filtered message is read from the standard
1350 output.
1351 dotlock_program
1355 Type: path
1356 Default: “/usr/bin/mutt_dotlock”
1357 Contains the path of the mutt_dotlock(8) binary to be used by
1359 mutt.
1360 dsn_notify
1364 Type: string
1365 Default: “”
1366 This variable sets the request for when notification is
1368 returned. The string consists of a comma separated list (no
1369 spaces!) of one or more of the following: never, to never
1370 request notification, failure, to request notification on trans‐
1371 mission failure, delay, to be notified of message delays, suc‐
1372 cess, to be notified of successful transmission.
1373 Example:
1375 set dsn_notify=”failure,delay”
1378 Note: when using $sendmail for delivery, you should not enable
1381 this unless you are either using Sendmail 8.8.x or greater or a
1382 MTA providing a sendmail(1)-compatible interface supporting the
1383 -N option for DSN. For SMTP delivery, DSN support is
1384 auto-detected so that it depends on the server whether DSN will
1385 be used or not.
1386 dsn_return
1390 Type: string
1391 Default: “”
1392 This variable controls how much of your message is returned in
1394 DSN messages. It may be set to either hdrs to return just the
1395 message header, or full to return the full message.
1396 Example:
1398 set dsn_return=hdrs
1401 Note: when using $sendmail for delivery, you should not enable
1404 this unless you are either using Sendmail 8.8.x or greater or a
1405 MTA providing a sendmail(1)-compatible interface supporting the
1406 -R option for DSN. For SMTP delivery, DSN support is
1407 auto-detected so that it depends on the server whether DSN will
1408 be used or not.
1409 duplicate_threads
1413 Type: boolean
1414 Default: yes
1415 This variable controls whether mutt, when $sort is set to
1417 threads, threads messages with the same Message-Id together. If
1418 it is set, it will indicate that it thinks they are duplicates
1419 of each other with an equals sign in the thread tree.
1420 edit_headers
1424 Type: boolean
1425 Default: no
1426 This option allows you to edit the header of your outgoing mes‐
1428 sages along with the body of your message.
1429 Although the compose menu may have localized header labels, the
1431 labels passed to your editor will be standard RFC 2822 headers,
1432 (e.g. To:, Cc:, Subject:). Headers added in your editor must
1433 also be RFC 2822 headers, or one of the pseudo headers listed in
1434 “edit-header”. Mutt will not understand localized header
1435 labels, just as it would not when parsing an actual email.
1436 Note that changes made to the References: and Date: headers are
1438 ignored for interoperability reasons.
1439 editor
1443 Type: path
1444 Default: “”
1445 This variable specifies which editor is used by mutt. It
1447 defaults to the value of the $VISUAL, or $EDITOR, environment
1448 variable, or to the string “vi” if neither of those are set.
1449 The $editor string may contain a %s escape, which will be
1451 replaced by the name of the file to be edited. If the %s escape
1452 does not appear in $editor, a space and the name to be edited
1453 are appended.
1454 The resulting string is then executed by running
1456 sh -c 'string'
1459 where string is the expansion of $editor described above.
1462 encode_from
1466 Type: boolean
1467 Default: no
1468 When set, mutt will quoted-printable encode messages when they
1470 contain the string “From ” (note the trailing space) in the
1471 beginning of a line. This is useful to avoid the tampering cer‐
1472 tain mail delivery and transport agents tend to do with messages
1473 (in order to prevent tools from misinterpreting the line as a
1474 mbox message separator).
1475 entropy_file
1479 Type: path
1480 Default: “”
1481 The file which includes random data that is used to initialize
1483 SSL library functions.
1484 envelope_from_address
1488 Type: e-mail address
1489 Default: “”
1490 Manually sets the envelope sender for outgoing messages. This
1492 value is ignored if $use_envelope_from is unset.
1493 error_history
1497 Type: number
1498 Default: 30
1499 This variable controls the size (in number of strings remem‐
1501 bered) of the error messages displayed by mutt. These can be
1502 shown with the <error-history> function. The history is cleared
1503 each time this variable is set.
1504 escape
1508 Type: string
1509 Default: “~”
1510 Escape character to use for functions in the built-in editor.
1512 fast_reply
1516 Type: boolean
1517 Default: no
1518 When set, the initial prompt for recipients and subject are
1520 skipped when replying to messages, and the initial prompt for
1521 subject is skipped when forwarding messages.
1522 Note: this variable has no effect when the $autoedit variable is
1524 set.
1525 fcc_attach
1529 Type: quadoption
1530 Default: yes
1531 This variable controls whether or not attachments on outgoing
1533 messages are saved along with the main body of your message.
1534 fcc_clear
1538 Type: boolean
1539 Default: no
1540 When this variable is set, FCCs will be stored unencrypted and
1542 unsigned, even when the actual message is encrypted and/or
1543 signed. (PGP only)
1544 flag_safe
1548 Type: boolean
1549 Default: no
1550 If set, flagged messages cannot be deleted.
1552 folder
1556 Type: path
1557 Default: “~/Mail”
1558 Specifies the default location of your mailboxes. A “+” or “=”
1560 at the beginning of a pathname will be expanded to the value of
1561 this variable. Note that if you change this variable (from the
1562 default) value you need to make sure that the assignment occurs
1563 before you use “+” or “=” for any other variables since expan‐
1564 sion takes place when handling the “mailboxes” command.
1565 folder_format
1569 Type: string
1570 Default: “%2C %t %N %F %2l %-8.8u %-8.8g %8s %d %f”
1571 This variable allows you to customize the file browser display
1573 to your personal taste. This string is similar to $index_for‐
1574 mat, but has its own set of printf(3)-like sequences:
1575 %C current file number
1576 %d date/time folder was last modified
1577 %D date/time folder was last modified using $date_format.
1578 %f filename (“/” is appended to directory names, “@” to sym‐
1579 bolic links and “*” to executable files)
1580 %F file permissions
1581 %g group name (or numeric gid, if missing)
1582 %l number of hard links
1583 %m number of messages in the mailbox *
1584 %n number of unread messages in the mailbox *
1585 %N N if mailbox has new mail, blank otherwise
1586 %s size in bytes
1587 %t “*” if the file is tagged, blank otherwise
1588 %u owner name (or numeric uid, if missing)
1589 %>X right justify the rest of the string and pad with charac‐
1590 ter “X”
1591 %|X pad to the end of the line with character “X”
1592 %*X soft-fill with character “X” as pad
1593 For an explanation of “soft-fill”, see the $index_format docu‐
1595 mentation.
1596 * = can be optionally printed if nonzero
1598 %m, %n, and %N only work for monitored mailboxes. %m requires
1600 $mail_check_stats to be set. %n requires $mail_check_stats to
1601 be set (except for IMAP mailboxes).
1602 followup_to
1606 Type: boolean
1607 Default: yes
1608 Controls whether or not the “Mail-Followup-To:” header field is
1610 generated when sending mail. When set, Mutt will generate this
1611 field when you are replying to a known mailing list, specified
1612 with the “subscribe” or “lists” commands.
1613 This field has two purposes. First, preventing you from receiv‐
1615 ing duplicate copies of replies to messages which you send to
1616 mailing lists, and second, ensuring that you do get a reply sep‐
1617 arately for any messages sent to known lists to which you are
1618 not subscribed.
1619 The header will contain only the list's address for subscribed
1621 lists, and both the list address and your own email address for
1622 unsubscribed lists. Without this header, a group reply to your
1623 message sent to a subscribed list will be sent to both the list
1624 and your address, resulting in two copies of the same email for
1625 you.
1626 force_name
1630 Type: boolean
1631 Default: no
1632 This variable is similar to $save_name, except that Mutt will
1634 store a copy of your outgoing message by the username of the
1635 address you are sending to even if that mailbox does not exist.
1636 Also see the $record variable.
1638 forward_attribution_intro
1642 Type: string
1643 Default: “----- Forwarded message from %f -----”
1644 This is the string that will precede a message which has been
1646 forwarded in the main body of a message (when $mime_forward is
1647 unset). For a full listing of defined printf(3)-like sequences
1648 see the section on $index_format. See also $attribution_locale.
1649 forward_attribution_trailer
1653 Type: string
1654 Default: “----- End forwarded message -----”
1655 This is the string that will follow a message which has been
1657 forwarded in the main body of a message (when $mime_forward is
1658 unset). For a full listing of defined printf(3)-like sequences
1659 see the section on $index_format. See also $attribution_locale.
1660 forward_decode
1664 Type: boolean
1665 Default: yes
1666 Controls the decoding of complex MIME messages into text/plain
1668 when forwarding a message. The message header is also RFC2047
1669 decoded. This variable is only used, if $mime_forward is unset,
1670 otherwise $mime_forward_decode is used instead.
1671 forward_decrypt
1675 Type: boolean
1676 Default: yes
1677 Controls the handling of encrypted messages when forwarding a
1679 message. When set, the outer layer of encryption is stripped
1680 off. This variable is only used if $mime_forward is set and
1681 $mime_forward_decode is unset. (PGP only)
1682 forward_edit
1686 Type: quadoption
1687 Default: yes
1688 This quadoption controls whether or not the user is automati‐
1690 cally placed in the editor when forwarding messages. For those
1691 who always want to forward with no modification, use a setting
1692 of “no”.
1693 forward_format
1697 Type: string
1698 Default: “[%a: %s]”
1699 This variable controls the default subject when forwarding a
1701 message. It uses the same format sequences as the $index_format
1702 variable.
1703 forward_quote
1707 Type: boolean
1708 Default: no
1709 When set, forwarded messages included in the main body of the
1711 message (when $mime_forward is unset) will be quoted using
1712 $indent_string.
1713 from
1717 Type: e-mail address
1718 Default: “”
1719 When set, this variable contains a default from address. It can
1721 be overridden using “my_hdr” (including from a “send-hook”) and
1722 $reverse_name. This variable is ignored if $use_from is unset.
1723 This setting defaults to the contents of the environment vari‐
1725 able $EMAIL.
1726 gecos_mask
1730 Type: regular expression
1731 Default: “^[^,]*”
1732 A regular expression used by mutt to parse the GECOS field of a
1734 password entry when expanding the alias. The default value will
1735 return the string up to the first “,” encountered. If the GECOS
1736 field contains a string like “lastname, firstname” then you
1737 should set it to “.*”.
1738 This can be useful if you see the following behavior: you
1740 address an e-mail to user ID “stevef” whose full name is “Steve
1741 Franklin”. If mutt expands “stevef” to “”Franklin”
1742 stevef@foo.bar” then you should set the $gecos_mask to a regular
1743 expression that will match the whole name so mutt will expand
1744 “Franklin” to “Franklin, Steve”.
1745 hdrs
1749 Type: boolean
1750 Default: yes
1751 When unset, the header fields normally added by the “my_hdr”
1753 command are not created. This variable must be unset before
1754 composing a new message or replying in order to take effect. If
1755 set, the user defined header fields are added to every new mes‐
1756 sage.
1757 header
1761 Type: boolean
1762 Default: no
1763 When set, this variable causes Mutt to include the header of the
1765 message you are replying to into the edit buffer. The $weed
1766 setting applies.
1767 header_cache
1771 Type: path
1772 Default: “”
1773 This variable points to the header cache database. If pointing
1775 to a directory Mutt will contain a header cache database file
1776 per folder, if pointing to a file that file will be a single
1777 global header cache. By default it is unset so no header caching
1778 will be used.
1779 Header caching can greatly improve speed when opening POP, IMAP
1781 MH or Maildir folders, see “caching” for details.
1782 header_cache_compress
1786 Type: boolean
1787 Default: yes
1788 When mutt is compiled with qdbm, tokyocabinet, or kyotocabinet
1790 as header cache backend, this option determines whether the
1791 database will be compressed. Compression results in database
1792 files roughly being one fifth of the usual diskspace, but the
1793 decompression can result in a slower opening of cached folder(s)
1794 which in general is still much faster than opening non header
1795 cached folders.
1796 header_cache_pagesize
1800 Type: string
1801 Default: “16384”
1802 When mutt is compiled with either gdbm or bdb4 as the header
1804 cache backend, this option changes the database page size. Too
1805 large or too small values can waste space, memory, or CPU time.
1806 The default should be more or less optimal for most use cases.
1807 header_color_partial
1811 Type: boolean
1812 Default: no
1813 When set, color header regexps behave like color body regexps:
1815 color is applied to the exact text matched by the regexp. When
1816 unset, color is applied to the entire header.
1817 One use of this option might be to apply color to just the
1819 header labels.
1820 See “color” for more details.
1822 help
1826 Type: boolean
1827 Default: yes
1828 When set, help lines describing the bindings for the major func‐
1830 tions provided by each menu are displayed on the first line of
1831 the screen.
1832 Note: The binding will not be displayed correctly if the func‐
1834 tion is bound to a sequence rather than a single keystroke.
1835 Also, the help line may not be updated if a binding is changed
1836 while Mutt is running. Since this variable is primarily aimed
1837 at new users, neither of these should present a major problem.
1838 hidden_host
1842 Type: boolean
1843 Default: no
1844 When set, mutt will skip the host name part of $hostname vari‐
1846 able when adding the domain part to addresses. This variable
1847 does not affect the generation of Message-IDs, and it will not
1848 lead to the cut-off of first-level domains.
1849 hide_limited
1853 Type: boolean
1854 Default: no
1855 When set, mutt will not show the presence of messages that are
1857 hidden by limiting, in the thread tree.
1858 hide_missing
1862 Type: boolean
1863 Default: yes
1864 When set, mutt will not show the presence of missing messages in
1866 the thread tree.
1867 hide_thread_subject
1871 Type: boolean
1872 Default: yes
1873 When set, mutt will not show the subject of messages in the
1875 thread tree that have the same subject as their parent or clos‐
1876 est previously displayed sibling.
1877 hide_top_limited
1881 Type: boolean
1882 Default: no
1883 When set, mutt will not show the presence of messages that are
1885 hidden by limiting, at the top of threads in the thread tree.
1886 Note that when $hide_limited is set, this option will have no
1887 effect.
1888 hide_top_missing
1892 Type: boolean
1893 Default: yes
1894 When set, mutt will not show the presence of missing messages at
1896 the top of threads in the thread tree. Note that when
1897 $hide_missing is set, this option will have no effect.
1898 history
1902 Type: number
1903 Default: 10
1904 This variable controls the size (in number of strings remem‐
1906 bered) of the string history buffer per category. The buffer is
1907 cleared each time the variable is set.
1908 history_file
1912 Type: path
1913 Default: “~/.mutthistory”
1914 The file in which Mutt will save its history.
1916 Also see $save_history.
1918 history_remove_dups
1922 Type: boolean
1923 Default: no
1924 When set, all of the string history will be scanned for dupli‐
1926 cates when a new entry is added. Duplicate entries in the $his‐
1927 tory_file will also be removed when it is periodically com‐
1928 pacted.
1929 honor_disposition
1933 Type: boolean
1934 Default: no
1935 When set, Mutt will not display attachments with a disposition
1937 of “attachment” inline even if it could render the part to plain
1938 text. These MIME parts can only be viewed from the attachment
1939 menu.
1940 If unset, Mutt will render all MIME parts it can properly trans‐
1942 form to plain text.
1943 honor_followup_to
1947 Type: quadoption
1948 Default: yes
1949 This variable controls whether or not a Mail-Followup-To header
1951 is honored when group-replying to a message.
1952 hostname
1956 Type: string
1957 Default: “”
1958 Specifies the fully-qualified hostname of the system mutt is
1960 running on containing the host's name and the DNS domain it
1961 belongs to. It is used as the domain part (after “@”) for local
1962 email addresses as well as Message-Id headers.
1963 Its value is determined at startup as follows: the node's host‐
1965 name is first determined by the uname(3) function. The domain
1966 is then looked up using the gethostname(2) and getaddrinfo(3)
1967 functions. If those calls are unable to determine the domain,
1968 the full value returned by uname is used. Optionally, Mutt can
1969 be compiled with a fixed domain name in which case a detected
1970 one is not used.
1971 Also see $use_domain and $hidden_host.
1973 idn_decode
1977 Type: boolean
1978 Default: yes
1979 When set, Mutt will show you international domain names decoded.
1981 Note: You can use IDNs for addresses even if this is unset.
1982 This variable only affects decoding. (IDN only)
1983 idn_encode
1987 Type: boolean
1988 Default: yes
1989 When set, Mutt will encode international domain names using IDN.
1991 Unset this if your SMTP server can handle newer (RFC 6531) UTF-8
1992 encoded domains. (IDN only)
1993 ignore_linear_white_space
1997 Type: boolean
1998 Default: no
1999 This option replaces linear-white-space between encoded-word and
2001 text to a single space to prevent the display of MIME-encoded
2002 “Subject:” field from being divided into multiple lines.
2003 ignore_list_reply_to
2007 Type: boolean
2008 Default: no
2009 Affects the behavior of the <reply> function when replying to
2011 messages from mailing lists (as defined by the “subscribe” or
2012 “lists” commands). When set, if the “Reply-To:” field is set to
2013 the same value as the “To:” field, Mutt assumes that the
2014 “Reply-To:” field was set by the mailing list to automate
2015 responses to the list, and will ignore this field. To direct a
2016 response to the mailing list when this option is set, use the
2017 <list-reply> function; <group-reply> will reply to both the
2018 sender and the list.
2019 imap_authenticators
2023 Type: string
2024 Default: “”
2025 This is a colon-delimited list of authentication methods mutt
2027 may attempt to use to log in to an IMAP server, in the order
2028 mutt should try them. Authentication methods are either “login”
2029 or the right side of an IMAP “AUTH=xxx” capability string, e.g.
2030 “digest-md5”, “gssapi” or “cram-md5”. This option is case-insen‐
2031 sitive. If it's unset (the default) mutt will try all available
2032 methods, in order from most-secure to least-secure.
2033 Example:
2035 set imap_authenticators=”gssapi:cram-md5:login”
2038 Note: Mutt will only fall back to other authentication methods
2041 if the previous methods are unavailable. If a method is avail‐
2042 able but authentication fails, mutt will not connect to the IMAP
2043 server.
2044 imap_check_subscribed
2048 Type: boolean
2049 Default: no
2050 When set, mutt will fetch the set of subscribed folders from
2052 your server on connection, and add them to the set of mailboxes
2053 it polls for new mail just as if you had issued individual
2054 “mailboxes” commands.
2055 imap_condstore
2059 Type: boolean
2060 Default: no
2061 When set, mutt will use the CONDSTORE extension (RFC 7162) if
2063 advertised by the server. Mutt's current implementation is
2064 basic, used only for initial message fetching and flag updates.
2065 For some IMAP servers, enabling this will slightly speed up
2067 downloading initial messages. Unfortunately, Gmail is not one
2068 those, and displays worse performance when enabled. Your
2069 mileage may vary.
2070 imap_delim_chars
2074 Type: string
2075 Default: “/.”
2076 This contains the list of characters which you would like to
2078 treat as folder separators for displaying IMAP paths. In partic‐
2079 ular it helps in using the “=” shortcut for your folder vari‐
2080 able.
2081 imap_headers
2085 Type: string
2086 Default: “”
2087 Mutt requests these header fields in addition to the default
2089 headers (“Date:”, “From:”, “Sender:”, “Subject:”, “To:”, “Cc:”,
2090 “Message-Id:”, “References:”, “Content-Type:”, “Content-Descrip‐
2091 tion:”, “In-Reply-To:”, “Reply-To:”, “Lines:”, “List-Post:”,
2092 “X-Label:”) from IMAP servers before displaying the index menu.
2093 You may want to add more headers for spam detection.
2094 Note: This is a space separated list, items should be uppercase
2096 and not contain the colon, e.g. “X-BOGOSITY X-SPAM-STATUS” for
2097 the “X-Bogosity:” and “X-Spam-Status:” header fields.
2098 imap_idle
2102 Type: boolean
2103 Default: no
2104 When set, mutt will attempt to use the IMAP IDLE extension to
2106 check for new mail in the current mailbox. Some servers (dovecot
2107 was the inspiration for this option) react badly to mutt's
2108 implementation. If your connection seems to freeze up periodi‐
2109 cally, try unsetting this.
2110 imap_keepalive
2114 Type: number
2115 Default: 300
2116 This variable specifies the maximum amount of time in seconds
2118 that mutt will wait before polling open IMAP connections, to
2119 prevent the server from closing them before mutt has finished
2120 with them. The default is well within the RFC-specified minimum
2121 amount of time (30 minutes) before a server is allowed to do
2122 this, but in practice the RFC does get violated every now and
2123 then. Reduce this number if you find yourself getting discon‐
2124 nected from your IMAP server due to inactivity.
2125 imap_list_subscribed
2129 Type: boolean
2130 Default: no
2131 This variable configures whether IMAP folder browsing will look
2133 for only subscribed folders or all folders. This can be toggled
2134 in the IMAP browser with the <toggle-subscribed> function.
2135 imap_login
2139 Type: string
2140 Default: “”
2141 Your login name on the IMAP server.
2143 This variable defaults to the value of $imap_user.
2145 imap_oauth_refresh_command
2149 Type: string
2150 Default: “”
2151 The command to run to generate an OAUTH refresh token for autho‐
2153 rizing your connection to your IMAP server. This command will
2154 be run on every connection attempt that uses the OAUTHBEARER
2155 authentication mechanism. See “oauth” for details.
2156 imap_pass
2160 Type: string
2161 Default: “”
2162 Specifies the password for your IMAP account. If unset, Mutt
2164 will prompt you for your password when you invoke the
2165 <imap-fetch-mail> function or try to open an IMAP folder.
2166 Warning: you should only use this option when you are on a
2168 fairly secure machine, because the superuser can read your mut‐
2169 trc even if you are the only one who can read the file.
2170 imap_passive
2174 Type: boolean
2175 Default: yes
2176 When set, mutt will not open new IMAP connections to check for
2178 new mail. Mutt will only check for new mail over existing IMAP
2179 connections. This is useful if you don't want to be prompted
2180 for user/password pairs on mutt invocation, or if opening the
2181 connection is slow.
2182 imap_peek
2186 Type: boolean
2187 Default: yes
2188 When set, mutt will avoid implicitly marking your mail as read
2190 whenever you fetch a message from the server. This is generally
2191 a good thing, but can make closing an IMAP folder somewhat
2192 slower. This option exists to appease speed freaks.
2193 imap_pipeline_depth
2197 Type: number
2198 Default: 15
2199 Controls the number of IMAP commands that may be queued up
2201 before they are sent to the server. A deeper pipeline reduces
2202 the amount of time mutt must wait for the server, and can make
2203 IMAP servers feel much more responsive. But not all servers cor‐
2204 rectly handle pipelined commands, so if you have problems you
2205 might want to try setting this variable to 0.
2206 Note: Changes to this variable have no effect on open connec‐
2208 tions.
2209 imap_poll_timeout
2213 Type: number
2214 Default: 15
2215 This variable specifies the maximum amount of time in seconds
2217 that mutt will wait for a response when polling IMAP connections
2218 for new mail, before timing out and closing the connection. Set
2219 to 0 to disable timing out.
2220 imap_qresync
2224 Type: boolean
2225 Default: no
2226 When set, mutt will use the QRESYNC extension (RFC 7162) if
2228 advertised by the server. Mutt's current implementation is
2229 basic, used only for initial message fetching and flag updates.
2230 Note: this feature is currently experimental. If you experience
2232 strange behavior, such as duplicate or missing messages please
2233 file a bug report to let us know.
2234 imap_servernoise
2238 Type: boolean
2239 Default: yes
2240 When set, mutt will display warning messages from the IMAP
2242 server as error messages. Since these messages are often harm‐
2243 less, or generated due to configuration problems on the server
2244 which are out of the users' hands, you may wish to suppress them
2245 at some point.
2246 imap_user
2250 Type: string
2251 Default: “”
2252 The name of the user whose mail you intend to access on the IMAP
2254 server.
2255 This variable defaults to your user name on the local machine.
2257 implicit_autoview
2261 Type: boolean
2262 Default: no
2263 If set to “yes”, mutt will look for a mailcap entry with the
2265 “copiousoutput” flag set for every MIME attachment it doesn't
2266 have an internal viewer defined for. If such an entry is found,
2267 mutt will use the viewer defined in that entry to convert the
2268 body part to text form.
2269 include
2273 Type: quadoption
2274 Default: ask-yes
2275 Controls whether or not a copy of the message(s) you are reply‐
2277 ing to is included in your reply.
2278 include_onlyfirst
2282 Type: boolean
2283 Default: no
2284 Controls whether or not Mutt includes only the first attachment
2286 of the message you are replying.
2287 indent_string
2291 Type: string
2292 Default: “> ”
2293 Specifies the string to prepend to each line of text quoted in a
2295 message to which you are replying. You are strongly encouraged
2296 not to change this value, as it tends to agitate the more fanat‐
2297 ical netizens.
2298 The value of this option is ignored if $text_flowed is set,
2300 because the quoting mechanism is strictly defined for for‐
2301 mat=flowed.
2302 This option is a format string, please see the description of
2304 $index_format for supported printf(3)-style sequences.
2305 index_format
2309 Type: string
2310 Default: “%4C %Z %{%b %d} %-15.15L (%?l?%4l&%4c?) %s”
2311 This variable allows you to customize the message index display
2313 to your personal taste.
2314 “Format strings” are similar to the strings used in the C func‐
2316 tion printf(3) to format output (see the man page for more
2317 details). For an explanation of the %? construct, see the $sta‐
2318 tus_format description. The following sequences are defined in
2319 Mutt:
2320 %a address of the author
2321 %A reply-to address (if present; otherwise: address of
2322 author)
2323 %b filename of the original message folder (think mailbox)
2324 %B the list to which the letter was sent, or else the folder
2325 name (%b).
2326 %c number of characters (bytes) in the message
2327 %C current message number
2328 %d date and time of the message in the format specified by
2329 $date_format converted to sender's time zone
2330 %D date and time of the message in the format specified by
2331 $date_format converted to the local time zone
2332 %e current message number in thread
2333 %E number of messages in current thread
2334 %f sender (address + real name), either From: or
2335 Return-Path:
2336 %F author name, or recipient name if the message is from you
2337 %H spam attribute(s) of this message
2338 %i message-id of the current message
2339 %l number of lines in the message (does not work with
2340 maildir, mh, and possibly IMAP folders)
2341 %L If an address in the “To:” or “Cc:” header field matches
2342 an address defined by the users “subscribe” command, this
2343 displays ”To <list-name>”, otherwise the same as %F.
2344 %m total number of message in the mailbox
2345 %M number of hidden messages if the thread is collapsed.
2346 %N message score
2347 %n author's real name (or address if missing)
2348 %O original save folder where mutt would formerly have
2349 stashed the message: list name or recipient name if not
2350 sent to a list
2351 %P progress indicator for the built-in pager (how much of
2352 the file has been displayed)
2353 %r comma separated list of “To:” recipients
2354 %R comma separated list of “Cc:” recipients
2355 %s subject of the message
2356 %S single character status of the message
2357 (“N”/“O”/“D”/“d”/“!”/“r”/“*”)
2358 %t “To:” field (recipients)
2359 %T the appropriate character from the $to_chars string
2360 %u user (login) name of the author
2361 %v first name of the author, or the recipient if the message
2362 is from you
2363 %X number of attachments (please see the “attachments” sec‐
2364 tion for possible speed effects)
2365 %y “X-Label:” field, if present
2366 %Y “X-Label:” field, if present, and [4m(1) not at part of a
2367 thread tree, [4m(2) at the top of a thread, or [4m(3)
2368 “X-Label:” is different from preceding message's
2369 “X-Label:”.
2370 %Z a three character set of message status flags. the first
2371 character is new/read/replied flags
2372 (“n”/“o”/“r”/“O”/“N”). the second is deleted or encryp‐
2373 tion flags (“D”/“d”/“S”/“P”/“s”/“K”). the third is
2374 either tagged/flagged (“*”/“!”), or one of the characters
2375 listed in $to_chars.
2376 %@name@
2377 insert and evaluate format-string from the matching
2378 “index-format-hook” command
2379 %{fmt} the date and time of the message is converted to sender's
2380 time zone, and “fmt” is expanded by the library function
2381 strftime(3); a leading bang disables locales
2382 %[fmt] the date and time of the message is converted to the
2383 local time zone, and “fmt” is expanded by the library
2384 function strftime(3); a leading bang disables locales
2385 %(fmt) the local date and time when the message was received.
2386 “fmt” is expanded by the library function strftime(3); a
2387 leading bang disables locales
2388 %<fmt> the current local time. “fmt” is expanded by the library
2389 function strftime(3); a leading bang disables locales.
2390 %>X right justify the rest of the string and pad with charac‐
2391 ter “X”
2392 %|X pad to the end of the line with character “X”
2393 %*X soft-fill with character “X” as pad
2394 “Soft-fill” deserves some explanation: Normal right-justifica‐
2396 tion will print everything to the left of the “%>”, displaying
2397 padding and whatever lies to the right only if there's room. By
2398 contrast, soft-fill gives priority to the right-hand side, guar‐
2399 anteeing space to display it and showing padding only if there's
2400 still room. If necessary, soft-fill will eat text leftwards to
2401 make room for rightward text.
2402 Note that these expandos are supported in “save-hook”, “fcc-
2404 hook”, “fcc-save-hook”, and “index-format-hook”.
2405 They are also supported in the configuration variables $attribu‐
2407 tion, $forward_attribution_intro, $forward_attribution_trailer,
2408 $forward_format, $indent_string, $message_format, $pager_format,
2409 and $post_indent_string.
2410 ispell
2414 Type: path
2415 Default: “/usr/bin/hunspell”
2416 How to invoke ispell (GNU's spell-checking software).
2418 keep_flagged
2422 Type: boolean
2423 Default: no
2424 If set, read messages marked as flagged will not be moved from
2426 your spool mailbox to your $mbox mailbox, or as a result of a
2427 “mbox-hook” command.
2428 mail_check
2432 Type: number
2433 Default: 5
2434 This variable configures how often (in seconds) mutt should look
2436 for new mail. Also see the $timeout variable.
2437 mail_check_recent
2441 Type: boolean
2442 Default: yes
2443 When set, Mutt will only notify you about new mail that has been
2445 received since the last time you opened the mailbox. When
2446 unset, Mutt will notify you if any new mail exists in the mail‐
2447 box, regardless of whether you have visited it recently.
2448 When $mark_old is set, Mutt does not consider the mailbox to
2450 contain new mail if only old messages exist.
2451 mail_check_stats
2455 Type: boolean
2456 Default: no
2457 When set, mutt will periodically calculate message statistics of
2459 a mailbox while polling for new mail. It will check for unread,
2460 flagged, and total message counts. Because this operation is
2461 more performance intensive, it defaults to unset, and has a sep‐
2462 arate option, $mail_check_stats_interval, to control how often
2463 to update these counts.
2464 Message statistics can also be explicitly calculated by invoking
2466 the <check-stats> function.
2467 mail_check_stats_interval
2471 Type: number
2472 Default: 60
2473 When $mail_check_stats is set, this variable configures how
2475 often (in seconds) mutt will update message counts.
2476 mailcap_path
2480 Type: string
2481 Default: “”
2482 This variable specifies which files to consult when attempting
2484 to display MIME bodies not directly supported by Mutt.
2485 mailcap_sanitize
2489 Type: boolean
2490 Default: yes
2491 If set, mutt will restrict possible characters in mailcap %
2493 expandos to a well-defined set of safe characters. This is the
2494 safe setting, but we are not sure it doesn't break some more
2495 advanced MIME stuff.
2496 DON'T CHANGE THIS SETTING UNLESS YOU ARE REALLY SURE WHAT YOU
2498 ARE DOING!
2499 maildir_header_cache_verify
2503 Type: boolean
2504 Default: yes
2505 Check for Maildir unaware programs other than mutt having modi‐
2507 fied maildir files when the header cache is in use. This incurs
2508 one stat(2) per message every time the folder is opened (which
2509 can be very slow for NFS folders).
2510 maildir_trash
2514 Type: boolean
2515 Default: no
2516 If set, messages marked as deleted will be saved with the
2518 maildir trashed flag instead of unlinked. Note: this only
2519 applies to maildir-style mailboxes. Setting it will have no
2520 effect on other mailbox types.
2521 maildir_check_cur
2525 Type: boolean
2526 Default: no
2527 If set, mutt will poll both the new and cur directories of a
2529 maildir folder for new messages. This might be useful if other
2530 programs interacting with the folder (e.g. dovecot) are moving
2531 new messages to the cur directory. Note that setting this
2532 option may slow down polling for new messages in large folders,
2533 since mutt has to scan all cur messages.
2534 mark_macro_prefix
2538 Type: string
2539 Default: “'”
2540 Prefix for macros created using mark-message. A new macro auto‐
2542 matically generated with <mark-message>a will be composed from
2543 this prefix and the letter a.
2544 mark_old
2548 Type: boolean
2549 Default: yes
2550 Controls whether or not mutt marks new unread messages as old if
2552 you exit a mailbox without reading them. With this option set,
2553 the next time you start mutt, the messages will show up with an
2554 “O” next to them in the index menu, indicating that they are
2555 old.
2556 markers
2560 Type: boolean
2561 Default: yes
2562 Controls the display of wrapped lines in the internal pager. If
2564 set, a “+” marker is displayed at the beginning of wrapped
2565 lines.
2566 Also see the $smart_wrap variable.
2568 mask
2572 Type: regular expression
2573 Default: “!^\.[^.]”
2574 A regular expression used in the file browser, optionally pre‐
2576 ceded by the not operator “!”. Only files whose names match
2577 this mask will be shown. The match is always case-sensitive.
2578 mbox
2582 Type: path
2583 Default: “~/mbox”
2584 This specifies the folder into which read mail in your
2586 $spoolfile folder will be appended.
2587 Also see the $move variable.
2589 mbox_type
2593 Type: folder magic
2594 Default: mbox
2595 The default mailbox type used when creating new folders. May be
2597 any of “mbox”, “MMDF”, “MH” and “Maildir”. This is overridden by
2598 the -m command-line option.
2599 menu_context
2603 Type: number
2604 Default: 0
2605 This variable controls the number of lines of context that are
2607 given when scrolling through menus. (Similar to $pager_context.)
2608 menu_move_off
2612 Type: boolean
2613 Default: yes
2614 When unset, the bottom entry of menus will never scroll up past
2616 the bottom of the screen, unless there are less entries than
2617 lines. When set, the bottom entry may move off the bottom.
2618 menu_scroll
2622 Type: boolean
2623 Default: no
2624 When set, menus will be scrolled up or down one line when you
2626 attempt to move across a screen boundary. If unset, the screen
2627 is cleared and the next or previous page of the menu is dis‐
2628 played (useful for slow links to avoid many redraws).
2629 message_cache_clean
2633 Type: boolean
2634 Default: no
2635 If set, mutt will clean out obsolete entries from the message
2637 cache when the mailbox is synchronized. You probably only want
2638 to set it every once in a while, since it can be a little slow
2639 (especially for large folders).
2640 message_cachedir
2644 Type: path
2645 Default: “”
2646 Set this to a directory and mutt will cache copies of messages
2648 from your IMAP and POP servers here. You are free to remove
2649 entries at any time.
2650 When setting this variable to a directory, mutt needs to fetch
2652 every remote message only once and can perform regular expres‐
2653 sion searches as fast as for local folders.
2654 Also see the $message_cache_clean variable.
2656 message_format
2660 Type: string
2661 Default: “%s”
2662 This is the string displayed in the “attachment” menu for
2664 attachments of type message/rfc822. For a full listing of
2665 defined printf(3)-like sequences see the section on $index_for‐
2666 mat.
2667 meta_key
2671 Type: boolean
2672 Default: no
2673 If set, forces Mutt to interpret keystrokes with the high bit
2675 (bit 8) set as if the user had pressed the Esc key and whatever
2676 key remains after having the high bit removed. For example, if
2677 the key pressed has an ASCII value of 0xf8, then this is treated
2678 as if the user had pressed Esc then “x”. This is because the
2679 result of removing the high bit from 0xf8 is 0x78, which is the
2680 ASCII character “x”.
2681 metoo
2685 Type: boolean
2686 Default: no
2687 If unset, Mutt will remove your address (see the “alternates”
2689 command) from the list of recipients when replying to a message.
2690 mh_purge
2694 Type: boolean
2695 Default: no
2696 When unset, mutt will mimic mh's behavior and rename deleted
2698 messages to ,<old file name> in mh folders instead of really
2699 deleting them. This leaves the message on disk but makes pro‐
2700 grams reading the folder ignore it. If the variable is set, the
2701 message files will simply be deleted.
2702 This option is similar to $maildir_trash for Maildir folders.
2704 mh_seq_flagged
2708 Type: string
2709 Default: “flagged”
2710 The name of the MH sequence used for flagged messages.
2712 mh_seq_replied
2716 Type: string
2717 Default: “replied”
2718 The name of the MH sequence used to tag replied messages.
2720 mh_seq_unseen
2724 Type: string
2725 Default: “unseen”
2726 The name of the MH sequence used for unseen messages.
2728 mime_forward
2732 Type: quadoption
2733 Default: no
2734 When set, the message you are forwarding will be attached as a
2736 separate message/rfc822 MIME part instead of included in the
2737 main body of the message. This is useful for forwarding MIME
2738 messages so the receiver can properly view the message as it was
2739 delivered to you. If you like to switch between MIME and not
2740 MIME from mail to mail, set this variable to “ask-no” or
2741 “ask-yes”.
2742 Also see $forward_decode and $mime_forward_decode.
2744 mime_forward_decode
2748 Type: boolean
2749 Default: no
2750 Controls the decoding of complex MIME messages into text/plain
2752 when forwarding a message while $mime_forward is set. Otherwise
2753 $forward_decode is used instead.
2754 mime_forward_rest
2758 Type: quadoption
2759 Default: yes
2760 When forwarding multiple attachments of a MIME message from the
2762 attachment menu, attachments which cannot be decoded in a rea‐
2763 sonable manner will be attached to the newly composed message if
2764 this option is set.
2765 mime_type_query_command
2769 Type: string
2770 Default: “”
2771 This specifies a command to run, to determine the mime type of a
2773 new attachment when composing a message. Unless
2774 $mime_type_query_first is set, this will only be run if the
2775 attachment's extension is not found in the mime.types file.
2776 The string may contain a “%s”, which will be substituted with
2778 the attachment filename. Mutt will add quotes around the string
2779 substituted for “%s” automatically according to shell quoting
2780 rules, so you should avoid adding your own. If no “%s” is found
2781 in the string, Mutt will append the attachment filename to the
2782 end of the string.
2783 The command should output a single line containing the attach‐
2785 ment's mime type.
2786 Suggested values are “xdg-mime query filetype” or “file -bi”.
2788 mime_type_query_first
2792 Type: boolean
2793 Default: no
2794 When set, the $mime_type_query_command will be run before the
2796 mime.types lookup.
2797 mix_entry_format
2801 Type: string
2802 Default: “%4n %c %-16s %a”
2803 This variable describes the format of a remailer line on the
2805 mixmaster chain selection screen. The following printf(3)-like
2806 sequences are supported:
2807 %n The running number on the menu.
2808 %c Remailer capabilities.
2809 %s The remailer's short name.
2810 %a The remailer's e-mail address.
2811 mixmaster
2814 Type: path
2815 Default: “mixmaster”
2816 This variable contains the path to the Mixmaster binary on your
2818 system. It is used with various sets of parameters to gather
2819 the list of known remailers, and to finally send a message
2820 through the mixmaster chain.
2821 move
2825 Type: quadoption
2826 Default: no
2827 Controls whether or not Mutt will move read messages from your
2829 spool mailbox to your $mbox mailbox, or as a result of a “mbox-
2830 hook” command.
2831 narrow_tree
2835 Type: boolean
2836 Default: no
2837 This variable, when set, makes the thread tree narrower, allow‐
2839 ing deeper threads to fit on the screen.
2840 net_inc
2844 Type: number
2845 Default: 10
2846 Operations that expect to transfer a large amount of data over
2848 the network will update their progress every $net_inc kilobytes.
2849 If set to 0, no progress messages will be displayed.
2850 See also $read_inc, $write_inc and $net_inc.
2852 new_mail_command
2856 Type: path
2857 Default: “”
2858 If set, Mutt will call this command after a new message is
2860 received. See the $status_format documentation for the values
2861 that can be formatted into this command.
2862 pager
2866 Type: path
2867 Default: “builtin”
2868 This variable specifies which pager you would like to use to
2870 view messages. The value “builtin” means to use the built-in
2871 pager, otherwise this variable should specify the pathname of
2872 the external pager you would like to use.
2873 Using an external pager may have some disadvantages: Additional
2875 keystrokes are necessary because you can't call mutt functions
2876 directly from the pager, and screen resizes cause lines longer
2877 than the screen width to be badly formatted in the help menu.
2878 pager_context
2882 Type: number
2883 Default: 0
2884 This variable controls the number of lines of context that are
2886 given when displaying the next or previous page in the internal
2887 pager. By default, Mutt will display the line after the last
2888 one on the screen at the top of the next page (0 lines of con‐
2889 text).
2890 This variable also specifies the amount of context given for
2892 search results. If positive, this many lines will be given
2893 before a match, if 0, the match will be top-aligned.
2894 pager_format
2898 Type: string
2899 Default: “-%Z- %C/%m: %-20.20n %s%* -- (%P)”
2900 This variable controls the format of the one-line message “sta‐
2902 tus” displayed before each message in either the internal or an
2903 external pager. The valid sequences are listed in the
2904 $index_format section.
2905 pager_index_lines
2909 Type: number
2910 Default: 0
2911 Determines the number of lines of a mini-index which is shown
2913 when in the pager. The current message, unless near the top or
2914 bottom of the folder, will be roughly one third of the way down
2915 this mini-index, giving the reader the context of a few messages
2916 before and after the message. This is useful, for example, to
2917 determine how many messages remain to be read in the current
2918 thread. One of the lines is reserved for the status bar from
2919 the index, so a setting of 6 will only show 5 lines of the
2920 actual index. A value of 0 results in no index being shown. If
2921 the number of messages in the current folder is less than
2922 $pager_index_lines, then the index will only use as many lines
2923 as it needs.
2924 pager_stop
2928 Type: boolean
2929 Default: no
2930 When set, the internal-pager will not move to the next message
2932 when you are at the end of a message and invoke the <next-page>
2933 function.
2934 pgp_auto_decode
2938 Type: boolean
2939 Default: no
2940 If set, mutt will automatically attempt to decrypt traditional
2942 PGP messages whenever the user performs an operation which ordi‐
2943 narily would result in the contents of the message being oper‐
2944 ated on. For example, if the user displays a pgp-traditional
2945 message which has not been manually checked with the <check-tra‐
2946 ditional-pgp> function, mutt will automatically check the mes‐
2947 sage for traditional pgp.
2948 pgp_autoinline
2952 Type: boolean
2953 Default: no
2954 This option controls whether Mutt generates old-style inline
2956 (traditional) PGP encrypted or signed messages under certain
2957 circumstances. This can be overridden by use of the pgp menu,
2958 when inline is not required. The GPGME backend does not support
2959 this option.
2960 Note that Mutt might automatically use PGP/MIME for messages
2962 which consist of more than a single MIME part. Mutt can be con‐
2963 figured to ask before sending PGP/MIME messages when inline
2964 (traditional) would not work.
2965 Also see the $pgp_mime_auto variable.
2967 Also note that using the old-style PGP message format is
2969 strongly deprecated. (PGP only)
2970 pgp_check_exit
2974 Type: boolean
2975 Default: yes
2976 If set, mutt will check the exit code of the PGP subprocess when
2978 signing or encrypting. A non-zero exit code means that the sub‐
2979 process failed. (PGP only)
2980 pgp_check_gpg_decrypt_status_fd
2984 Type: boolean
2985 Default: yes
2986 If set, mutt will check the status file descriptor output of
2988 $pgp_decrypt_command and $pgp_decode_command for GnuPG status
2989 codes indicating successful decryption. This will check for the
2990 presence of DECRYPTION_OKAY, absence of DECRYPTION_FAILED, and
2991 that all PLAINTEXT occurs between the BEGIN_DECRYPTION and
2992 END_DECRYPTION status codes.
2993 If unset, mutt will instead match the status fd output against
2995 $pgp_decryption_okay. (PGP only)
2996 pgp_clearsign_command
3000 Type: string
3001 Default: “”
3002 This format is used to create an old-style “clearsigned” PGP
3004 message. Note that the use of this format is strongly depre‐
3005 cated.
3006 This is a format string, see the $pgp_decode_command command for
3008 possible printf(3)-like sequences. (PGP only)
3009 pgp_decode_command
3013 Type: string
3014 Default: “”
3015 This format strings specifies a command which is used to decode
3017 application/pgp attachments.
3018 The PGP command formats have their own set of printf(3)-like
3020 sequences:
3021 %p Expands to PGPPASSFD=0 when a pass phrase is needed, to
3022 an empty string otherwise. Note: This may be used with a
3023 %? construct.
3024 %f Expands to the name of a file containing a message.
3025 %s Expands to the name of a file containing the signature
3026 part
3027 of a multipart/signed attachment when verify‐
3028 ing it.
3029 %a The value of $pgp_sign_as if set, otherwise the value of
3030 $pgp_default_key.
3031 %r One or more key IDs (or fingerprints if available).
3032 For examples on how to configure these formats for the various
3034 versions of PGP which are floating around, see the pgp and gpg
3035 sample configuration files in the samples/ subdirectory which
3036 has been installed on your system alongside the documentation.
3037 (PGP only)
3038 pgp_decrypt_command
3042 Type: string
3043 Default: “”
3044 This command is used to decrypt a PGP encrypted message.
3046 This is a format string, see the $pgp_decode_command command for
3048 possible printf(3)-like sequences. (PGP only)
3049 pgp_decryption_okay
3053 Type: regular expression
3054 Default: “”
3055 If you assign text to this variable, then an encrypted PGP mes‐
3057 sage is only considered successfully decrypted if the output
3058 from $pgp_decrypt_command contains the text. This is used to
3059 protect against a spoofed encrypted message, with multi‐
3060 part/encrypted headers but containing a block that is not actu‐
3061 ally encrypted. (e.g. simply signed and ascii armored text).
3062 Note that if $pgp_check_gpg_decrypt_status_fd is set, this vari‐
3064 able is ignored. (PGP only)
3065 pgp_default_key
3069 Type: string
3070 Default: “”
3071 This is the default key-pair to use for PGP operations. It will
3073 be used for encryption (see $postpone_encrypt and
3074 $pgp_self_encrypt).
3075 It will also be used for signing unless $pgp_sign_as is set.
3077 The (now deprecated) pgp_self_encrypt_as is an alias for this
3079 variable, and should no longer be used. (PGP only)
3080 pgp_encrypt_only_command
3084 Type: string
3085 Default: “”
3086 This command is used to encrypt a body part without signing it.
3088 This is a format string, see the $pgp_decode_command command for
3090 possible printf(3)-like sequences. (PGP only)
3091 pgp_encrypt_sign_command
3095 Type: string
3096 Default: “”
3097 This command is used to both sign and encrypt a body part.
3099 This is a format string, see the $pgp_decode_command command for
3101 possible printf(3)-like sequences. (PGP only)
3102 pgp_entry_format
3106 Type: string
3107 Default: “%4n %t%f %4l/0x%k %-4a %2c %u”
3108 This variable allows you to customize the PGP key selection menu
3110 to your personal taste. This string is similar to $index_format,
3111 but has its own set of printf(3)-like sequences:
3112 %n number
3113 %k key id
3114 %u user id
3115 %a algorithm
3116 %l key length
3117 %f flags
3118 %c capabilities
3119 %t trust/validity of the key-uid association
3120 %[<s>] date of the key where <s> is an strftime(3) expression
3121 (PGP only)
3123 pgp_export_command
3127 Type: string
3128 Default: “”
3129 This command is used to export a public key from the user's key
3131 ring.
3132 This is a format string, see the $pgp_decode_command command for
3134 possible printf(3)-like sequences. (PGP only)
3135 pgp_getkeys_command
3139 Type: string
3140 Default: “”
3141 This command is invoked whenever Mutt needs to fetch the public
3143 key associated with an email address. Of the sequences sup‐
3144 ported by $pgp_decode_command, %r is the only printf(3)-like
3145 sequence used with this format. Note that in this case, %r
3146 expands to the email address, not the public key ID (the key ID
3147 is unknown, which is why Mutt is invoking this command). (PGP
3148 only)
3149 pgp_good_sign
3153 Type: regular expression
3154 Default: “”
3155 If you assign a text to this variable, then a PGP signature is
3157 only considered verified if the output from $pgp_verify_command
3158 contains the text. Use this variable if the exit code from the
3159 command is 0 even for bad signatures. (PGP only)
3160 pgp_ignore_subkeys
3164 Type: boolean
3165 Default: yes
3166 Setting this variable will cause Mutt to ignore OpenPGP subkeys.
3168 Instead, the principal key will inherit the subkeys' capabili‐
3169 ties. Unset this if you want to play interesting key selection
3170 games. (PGP only)
3171 pgp_import_command
3175 Type: string
3176 Default: “”
3177 This command is used to import a key from a message into the
3179 user's public key ring.
3180 This is a format string, see the $pgp_decode_command command for
3182 possible printf(3)-like sequences. (PGP only)
3183 pgp_list_pubring_command
3187 Type: string
3188 Default: “”
3189 This command is used to list the public key ring's contents.
3191 The output format must be analogous to the one used by
3192 gpg --list-keys --with-colons --with-fingerprint
3195 This format is also generated by the mutt_pgpring utility which
3198 comes with mutt.
3199 Note: gpg's fixed-list-mode option should not be used. It pro‐
3201 duces a different date format which may result in mutt showing
3202 incorrect key generation dates.
3203 This is a format string, see the $pgp_decode_command command for
3205 possible printf(3)-like sequences. (PGP only)
3206 pgp_list_secring_command
3210 Type: string
3211 Default: “”
3212 This command is used to list the secret key ring's contents.
3214 The output format must be analogous to the one used by:
3215 gpg --list-keys --with-colons --with-fingerprint
3218 This format is also generated by the mutt_pgpring utility which
3221 comes with mutt.
3222 Note: gpg's fixed-list-mode option should not be used. It pro‐
3224 duces a different date format which may result in mutt showing
3225 incorrect key generation dates.
3226 This is a format string, see the $pgp_decode_command command for
3228 possible printf(3)-like sequences. (PGP only)
3229 pgp_long_ids
3233 Type: boolean
3234 Default: yes
3235 If set, use 64 bit PGP key IDs, if unset use the normal 32 bit
3237 key IDs. NOTE: Internally, Mutt has transitioned to using fin‐
3238 gerprints (or long key IDs as a fallback). This option now only
3239 controls the display of key IDs in the key selection menu and a
3240 few other places. (PGP only)
3241 pgp_mime_auto
3245 Type: quadoption
3246 Default: ask-yes
3247 This option controls whether Mutt will prompt you for automati‐
3249 cally sending a (signed/encrypted) message using PGP/MIME when
3250 inline (traditional) fails (for any reason).
3251 Also note that using the old-style PGP message format is
3253 strongly deprecated. (PGP only)
3254 pgp_replyinline
3258 Type: boolean
3259 Default: no
3260 Setting this variable will cause Mutt to always attempt to cre‐
3262 ate an inline (traditional) message when replying to a message
3263 which is PGP encrypted/signed inline. This can be overridden by
3264 use of the pgp menu, when inline is not required. This option
3265 does not automatically detect if the (replied-to) message is
3266 inline; instead it relies on Mutt internals for previously
3267 checked/flagged messages.
3268 Note that Mutt might automatically use PGP/MIME for messages
3270 which consist of more than a single MIME part. Mutt can be con‐
3271 figured to ask before sending PGP/MIME messages when inline
3272 (traditional) would not work.
3273 Also see the $pgp_mime_auto variable.
3275 Also note that using the old-style PGP message format is
3277 strongly deprecated. (PGP only)
3278 pgp_retainable_sigs
3282 Type: boolean
3283 Default: no
3284 If set, signed and encrypted messages will consist of nested
3286 multipart/signed and multipart/encrypted body parts.
3287 This is useful for applications like encrypted and signed mail‐
3289 ing lists, where the outer layer (multipart/encrypted) can be
3290 easily removed, while the inner multipart/signed part is
3291 retained. (PGP only)
3292 pgp_self_encrypt
3296 Type: boolean
3297 Default: yes
3298 When set, PGP encrypted messages will also be encrypted using
3300 the key in $pgp_default_key. (PGP only)
3301 pgp_show_unusable
3305 Type: boolean
3306 Default: yes
3307 If set, mutt will display non-usable keys on the PGP key selec‐
3309 tion menu. This includes keys which have been revoked, have
3310 expired, or have been marked as “disabled” by the user. (PGP
3311 only)
3312 pgp_sign_as
3316 Type: string
3317 Default: “”
3318 If you have a different key pair to use for signing, you should
3320 set this to the signing key. Most people will only need to set
3321 $pgp_default_key. It is recommended that you use the keyid form
3322 to specify your key (e.g. 0x00112233). (PGP only)
3323 pgp_sign_command
3327 Type: string
3328 Default: “”
3329 This command is used to create the detached PGP signature for a
3331 multipart/signed PGP/MIME body part.
3332 This is a format string, see the $pgp_decode_command command for
3334 possible printf(3)-like sequences. (PGP only)
3335 pgp_sort_keys
3339 Type: sort order
3340 Default: address
3341 Specifies how the entries in the pgp menu are sorted. The fol‐
3343 lowing are legal values:
3344 address
3345 sort alphabetically by user id
3346 keyid sort alphabetically by key id
3347 date sort by key creation date
3348 trust sort by the trust of the key
3349 If you prefer reverse order of the above values, prefix it with
3351 “reverse-”. (PGP only)
3352 pgp_strict_enc
3356 Type: boolean
3357 Default: yes
3358 If set, Mutt will automatically encode PGP/MIME signed messages
3360 as quoted-printable. Please note that unsetting this variable
3361 may lead to problems with non-verifyable PGP signatures, so only
3362 change this if you know what you are doing. (PGP only)
3363 pgp_timeout
3367 Type: number (long)
3368 Default: 300
3369 The number of seconds after which a cached passphrase will
3371 expire if not used. (PGP only)
3372 pgp_use_gpg_agent
3376 Type: boolean
3377 Default: no
3378 If set, mutt will use a possibly-running gpg-agent(1) process.
3380 Note that as of version 2.1, GnuPG no longer exports
3381 GPG_AGENT_INFO, so mutt no longer verifies if the agent is run‐
3382 ning. (PGP only)
3383 pgp_verify_command
3387 Type: string
3388 Default: “”
3389 This command is used to verify PGP signatures.
3391 This is a format string, see the $pgp_decode_command command for
3393 possible printf(3)-like sequences. (PGP only)
3394 pgp_verify_key_command
3398 Type: string
3399 Default: “”
3400 This command is used to verify key information from the key
3402 selection menu.
3403 This is a format string, see the $pgp_decode_command command for
3405 possible printf(3)-like sequences. (PGP only)
3406 pipe_decode
3410 Type: boolean
3411 Default: no
3412 Used in connection with the <pipe-message> command. When unset,
3414 Mutt will pipe the messages without any preprocessing. When set,
3415 Mutt will weed headers and will attempt to decode the messages
3416 first.
3417 pipe_sep
3421 Type: string
3422 Default: “\n”
3423 The separator to add between messages when piping a list of
3425 tagged messages to an external Unix command.
3426 pipe_split
3430 Type: boolean
3431 Default: no
3432 Used in connection with the <pipe-message> function following
3434 <tag-prefix>. If this variable is unset, when piping a list of
3435 tagged messages Mutt will concatenate the messages and will pipe
3436 them all concatenated. When set, Mutt will pipe the messages
3437 one by one. In both cases the messages are piped in the current
3438 sorted order, and the $pipe_sep separator is added after each
3439 message.
3440 pop_auth_try_all
3444 Type: boolean
3445 Default: yes
3446 If set, Mutt will try all available authentication methods.
3448 When unset, Mutt will only fall back to other authentication
3449 methods if the previous methods are unavailable. If a method is
3450 available but authentication fails, Mutt will not connect to the
3451 POP server.
3452 pop_authenticators
3456 Type: string
3457 Default: “”
3458 This is a colon-delimited list of authentication methods mutt
3460 may attempt to use to log in to an POP server, in the order mutt
3461 should try them. Authentication methods are either “user”,
3462 “apop” or any SASL mechanism, e.g. “digest-md5”, “gssapi” or
3463 “cram-md5”. This option is case-insensitive. If this option is
3464 unset (the default) mutt will try all available methods, in
3465 order from most-secure to least-secure.
3466 Example:
3468 set pop_authenticators=”digest-md5:apop:user”
3471 pop_checkinterval
3476 Type: number
3477 Default: 60
3478 This variable configures how often (in seconds) mutt should look
3480 for new mail in the currently selected mailbox if it is a POP
3481 mailbox.
3482 pop_delete
3486 Type: quadoption
3487 Default: ask-no
3488 If set, Mutt will delete successfully downloaded messages from
3490 the POP server when using the <fetch-mail> function. When
3491 unset, Mutt will download messages but also leave them on the
3492 POP server.
3493 pop_host
3497 Type: string
3498 Default: “”
3499 The name of your POP server for the <fetch-mail> function. You
3501 can also specify an alternative port, username and password,
3502 i.e.:
3503 [pop[s]://][username[:password]@]popserver[:port]
3506 where “[...]” denotes an optional part.
3509 pop_last
3513 Type: boolean
3514 Default: no
3515 If this variable is set, mutt will try to use the “LAST” POP
3517 command for retrieving only unread messages from the POP server
3518 when using the <fetch-mail> function.
3519 pop_oauth_refresh_command
3523 Type: string
3524 Default: “”
3525 The command to run to generate an OAUTH refresh token for autho‐
3527 rizing your connection to your POP server. This command will be
3528 run on every connection attempt that uses the OAUTHBEARER
3529 authentication mechanism. See “oauth” for details.
3530 pop_pass
3534 Type: string
3535 Default: “”
3536 Specifies the password for your POP account. If unset, Mutt
3538 will prompt you for your password when you open a POP mailbox.
3539 Warning: you should only use this option when you are on a
3541 fairly secure machine, because the superuser can read your mut‐
3542 trc even if you are the only one who can read the file.
3543 pop_reconnect
3547 Type: quadoption
3548 Default: ask-yes
3549 Controls whether or not Mutt will try to reconnect to the POP
3551 server if the connection is lost.
3552 pop_user
3556 Type: string
3557 Default: “”
3558 Your login name on the POP server.
3560 This variable defaults to your user name on the local machine.
3562 post_indent_string
3566 Type: string
3567 Default: “”
3568 Similar to the $attribution variable, Mutt will append this
3570 string after the inclusion of a message which is being replied
3571 to. For a full listing of defined printf(3)-like sequences see
3572 the section on $index_format.
3573 postpone
3577 Type: quadoption
3578 Default: ask-yes
3579 Controls whether or not messages are saved in the $postponed
3581 mailbox when you elect not to send immediately.
3582 Also see the $recall variable.
3584 postponed
3588 Type: path
3589 Default: “~/postponed”
3590 Mutt allows you to indefinitely “postpone sending a message”
3592 which you are editing. When you choose to postpone a message,
3593 Mutt saves it in the mailbox specified by this variable.
3594 Also see the $postpone variable.
3596 postpone_encrypt
3600 Type: boolean
3601 Default: no
3602 When set, postponed messages that are marked for encryption will
3604 be self-encrypted. Mutt will first try to encrypt using the
3605 value specified in $pgp_default_key or $smime_default_key. If
3606 those are not set, it will try the deprecated $post‐
3607 pone_encrypt_as. (Crypto only)
3608 postpone_encrypt_as
3612 Type: string
3613 Default: “”
3614 This is a deprecated fall-back variable for $postpone_encrypt.
3616 Please use $pgp_default_key or $smime_default_key. (Crypto
3617 only)
3618 preconnect
3622 Type: string
3623 Default: “”
3624 If set, a shell command to be executed if mutt fails to estab‐
3626 lish a connection to the server. This is useful for setting up
3627 secure connections, e.g. with ssh(1). If the command returns a
3628 nonzero status, mutt gives up opening the server. Example:
3629 set preconnect=”ssh -f -q -L 1234:mailhost.net:143 mailhost.net \
3632 sleep 20 < /dev/null > /dev/null”
3633 Mailbox “foo” on “mailhost.net” can now be reached as “{local‐
3636 host:1234}foo”.
3637 Note: For this example to work, you must be able to log in to
3639 the remote machine without having to enter a password.
3640 print
3644 Type: quadoption
3645 Default: ask-no
3646 Controls whether or not Mutt really prints messages. This is
3648 set to “ask-no” by default, because some people accidentally hit
3649 “p” often.
3650 print_command
3654 Type: path
3655 Default: “lpr”
3656 This specifies the command pipe that should be used to print
3658 messages.
3659 print_decode
3663 Type: boolean
3664 Default: yes
3665 Used in connection with the <print-message> command. If this
3667 option is set, the message is decoded before it is passed to the
3668 external command specified by $print_command. If this option is
3669 unset, no processing will be applied to the message when print‐
3670 ing it. The latter setting may be useful if you are using some
3671 advanced printer filter which is able to properly format e-mail
3672 messages for printing.
3673 print_split
3677 Type: boolean
3678 Default: no
3679 Used in connection with the <print-message> command. If this
3681 option is set, the command specified by $print_command is exe‐
3682 cuted once for each message which is to be printed. If this
3683 option is unset, the command specified by $print_command is exe‐
3684 cuted only once, and all the messages are concatenated, with a
3685 form feed as the message separator.
3686 Those who use the enscript(1) program's mail-printing mode will
3688 most likely want to set this option.
3689 prompt_after
3693 Type: boolean
3694 Default: yes
3695 If you use an external $pager, setting this variable will cause
3697 Mutt to prompt you for a command when the pager exits rather
3698 than returning to the index menu. If unset, Mutt will return to
3699 the index menu when the external pager exits.
3700 query_command
3704 Type: path
3705 Default: “”
3706 This specifies the command Mutt will use to make external
3708 address queries. The string may contain a “%s”, which will be
3709 substituted with the query string the user types. Mutt will add
3710 quotes around the string substituted for “%s” automatically
3711 according to shell quoting rules, so you should avoid adding
3712 your own. If no “%s” is found in the string, Mutt will append
3713 the user's query to the end of the string. See “query” for more
3714 information.
3715 query_format
3719 Type: string
3720 Default: “%4c %t %-25.25a %-25.25n %?e?(%e)?”
3721 This variable describes the format of the “query” menu. The fol‐
3723 lowing printf(3)-style sequences are understood:
3724 %a destination address
3725 %c current entry number
3726 %e extra information *
3727 %n destination name
3728 %t “*” if current entry is tagged, a space otherwise
3729 %>X right justify the rest of the string and pad with “X”
3730 %|X pad to the end of the line with “X”
3731 %*X soft-fill with character “X” as pad
3732 For an explanation of “soft-fill”, see the $index_format docu‐
3734 mentation.
3735 * = can be optionally printed if nonzero, see the $status_format
3737 documentation.
3738 quit
3742 Type: quadoption
3743 Default: yes
3744 This variable controls whether “quit” and “exit” actually quit
3746 from mutt. If this option is set, they do quit, if it is unset,
3747 they have no effect, and if it is set to ask-yes or ask-no, you
3748 are prompted for confirmation when you try to quit.
3749 quote_regexp
3753 Type: regular expression
3754 Default: “^([ \t]*[|>:}#])+”
3755 A regular expression used in the internal pager to determine
3757 quoted sections of text in the body of a message. Quoted text
3758 may be filtered out using the <toggle-quoted> command, or col‐
3759 ored according to the “color quoted” family of directives.
3760 Higher levels of quoting may be colored differently (“color
3762 quoted1”, “color quoted2”, etc.). The quoting level is deter‐
3763 mined by removing the last character from the matched text and
3764 recursively reapplying the regular expression until it fails to
3765 produce a match.
3766 Match detection may be overridden by the $smileys regular
3768 expression.
3769 read_inc
3773 Type: number
3774 Default: 10
3775 If set to a value greater than 0, Mutt will display which mes‐
3777 sage it is currently on when reading a mailbox or when perform‐
3778 ing search actions such as search and limit. The message is
3779 printed after this many messages have been read or searched
3780 (e.g., if set to 25, Mutt will print a message when it is at
3781 message 25, and then again when it gets to message 50). This
3782 variable is meant to indicate progress when reading or searching
3783 large mailboxes which may take some time. When set to 0, only a
3784 single message will appear before the reading the mailbox.
3785 Also see the $write_inc, $net_inc and $time_inc variables and
3787 the “tuning” section of the manual for performance considera‐
3788 tions.
3789 read_only
3793 Type: boolean
3794 Default: no
3795 If set, all folders are opened in read-only mode.
3797 realname
3801 Type: string
3802 Default: “”
3803 This variable specifies what “real” or “personal” name should be
3805 used when sending messages.
3806 By default, this is the GECOS field from /etc/passwd. Note that
3808 this variable will not be used when the user has set a real name
3809 in the $from variable.
3810 recall
3814 Type: quadoption
3815 Default: ask-yes
3816 Controls whether or not Mutt recalls postponed messages when
3818 composing a new message.
3819 Setting this variable to yes is not generally useful, and thus
3821 not recommended. Note that the <recall-message> function can be
3822 used to manually recall postponed messages.
3823 Also see $postponed variable.
3825 record
3829 Type: path
3830 Default: “~/sent”
3831 This specifies the file into which your outgoing messages should
3833 be appended. (This is meant as the primary method for saving a
3834 copy of your messages, but another way to do this is using the
3835 “my_hdr” command to create a “Bcc:” field with your email
3836 address in it.)
3837 The value of $record is overridden by the $force_name and
3839 $save_name variables, and the “fcc-hook” command. Also see
3840 $copy.
3841 reflow_space_quotes
3845 Type: boolean
3846 Default: yes
3847 This option controls how quotes from format=flowed messages are
3849 displayed in the pager and when replying (with $text_flowed
3850 unset). When set, this option adds spaces after each level of
3851 quote marks, turning ”>>>foo” into ”> > > foo”.
3852 Note: If $reflow_text is unset, this option has no effect.
3854 Also, this option does not affect replies when $text_flowed is
3855 set.
3856 reflow_text
3860 Type: boolean
3861 Default: yes
3862 When set, Mutt will reformat paragraphs in text/plain parts
3864 marked format=flowed. If unset, Mutt will display paragraphs
3865 unaltered from how they appear in the message body. See RFC3676
3866 for details on the format=flowed format.
3867 Also see $reflow_wrap, and $wrap.
3869 reflow_wrap
3873 Type: number
3874 Default: 78
3875 This variable controls the maximum paragraph width when refor‐
3877 matting text/plain parts when $reflow_text is set. When the
3878 value is 0, paragraphs will be wrapped at the terminal's right
3879 margin. A positive value sets the paragraph width relative to
3880 the left margin. A negative value set the paragraph width rela‐
3881 tive to the right margin.
3882 Also see $wrap.
3884 reply_regexp
3888 Type: regular expression
3889 Default: “^(re([\[0-9\]+])*|aw):[ \t]*”
3890 A regular expression used to recognize reply messages when
3892 threading and replying. The default value corresponds to the
3893 English ”Re:” and the German ”Aw:”.
3894 reply_self
3898 Type: boolean
3899 Default: no
3900 If unset and you are replying to a message sent by you, Mutt
3902 will assume that you want to reply to the recipients of that
3903 message rather than to yourself.
3904 Also see the “alternates” command.
3906 reply_to
3910 Type: quadoption
3911 Default: ask-yes
3912 If set, when replying to a message, Mutt will use the address
3914 listed in the Reply-to: header as the recipient of the reply.
3915 If unset, it will use the address in the From: header field
3916 instead. This option is useful for reading a mailing list that
3917 sets the Reply-To: header field to the list address and you want
3918 to send a private message to the author of a message.
3919 resolve
3923 Type: boolean
3924 Default: yes
3925 When set, the cursor will be automatically advanced to the next
3927 (possibly undeleted) message whenever a command that modifies
3928 the current message is executed.
3929 resume_draft_files
3933 Type: boolean
3934 Default: no
3935 If set, draft files (specified by -H on the command line) are
3937 processed similarly to when resuming a postponed message.
3938 Recipients are not prompted for; send-hooks are not evaluated;
3939 no alias expansion takes place; user-defined headers and signa‐
3940 tures are not added to the message.
3941 resume_edited_draft_files
3945 Type: boolean
3946 Default: yes
3947 If set, draft files previously edited (via -E -H on the command
3949 line) will have $resume_draft_files automatically set when they
3950 are used as a draft file again.
3951 The first time a draft file is saved, mutt will add a header,
3953 X-Mutt-Resume-Draft to the saved file. The next time the draft
3954 file is read in, if mutt sees the header, it will set
3955 $resume_draft_files.
3956 This option is designed to prevent multiple signatures,
3958 user-defined headers, and other processing effects from being
3959 made multiple times to the draft file.
3960 reverse_alias
3964 Type: boolean
3965 Default: no
3966 This variable controls whether or not Mutt will display the
3968 “personal” name from your aliases in the index menu if it finds
3969 an alias that matches the message's sender. For example, if you
3970 have the following alias:
3971 alias juser abd30425@somewhere.net (Joe User)
3974 and then you receive mail which contains the following header:
3977 From: abd30425@somewhere.net
3980 It would be displayed in the index menu as “Joe User” instead of
3983 “abd30425@somewhere.net.” This is useful when the person's
3984 e-mail address is not human friendly.
3985 reverse_name
3989 Type: boolean
3990 Default: no
3991 It may sometimes arrive that you receive mail to a certain
3993 machine, move the messages to another machine, and reply to some
3994 the messages from there. If this variable is set, the default
3995 From: line of the reply messages is built using the address
3996 where you received the messages you are replying to if that
3997 address matches your “alternates”. If the variable is unset, or
3998 the address that would be used doesn't match your “alternates”,
3999 the From: line will use your address on the current machine.
4000 Also see the “alternates” command.
4002 reverse_realname
4006 Type: boolean
4007 Default: yes
4008 This variable fine-tunes the behavior of the $reverse_name fea‐
4010 ture. When it is set, mutt will use the address from incoming
4011 messages as-is, possibly including eventual real names. When it
4012 is unset, mutt will override any such real names with the set‐
4013 ting of the $realname variable.
4014 rfc2047_parameters
4018 Type: boolean
4019 Default: no
4020 When this variable is set, Mutt will decode RFC2047-encoded MIME
4022 parameters. You want to set this variable when mutt suggests you
4023 to save attachments to files named like:
4024 =?iso-8859-1?Q?file=5F=E4=5F991116=2Ezip?=
4027 When this variable is set interactively, the change won't be
4030 active until you change folders.
4031 Note that this use of RFC2047's encoding is explicitly prohib‐
4033 ited by the standard, but nevertheless encountered in the wild.
4034 Also note that setting this parameter will not have the effect
4036 that mutt generates this kind of encoding. Instead, mutt will
4037 unconditionally use the encoding specified in RFC2231.
4038 save_address
4042 Type: boolean
4043 Default: no
4044 If set, mutt will take the sender's full address when choosing a
4046 default folder for saving a mail. If $save_name or $force_name
4047 is set too, the selection of the Fcc folder will be changed as
4048 well.
4049 save_empty
4053 Type: boolean
4054 Default: yes
4055 When unset, mailboxes which contain no saved messages will be
4057 removed when closed (the exception is $spoolfile which is never
4058 removed). If set, mailboxes are never removed.
4059 Note: This only applies to mbox and MMDF folders, Mutt does not
4061 delete MH and Maildir directories.
4062 save_history
4066 Type: number
4067 Default: 0
4068 This variable controls the size of the history (per category)
4070 saved in the $history_file file.
4071 save_name
4075 Type: boolean
4076 Default: no
4077 This variable controls how copies of outgoing messages are
4079 saved. When set, a check is made to see if a mailbox specified
4080 by the recipient address exists (this is done by searching for a
4081 mailbox in the $folder directory with the username part of the
4082 recipient address). If the mailbox exists, the outgoing message
4083 will be saved to that mailbox, otherwise the message is saved to
4084 the $record mailbox.
4085 Also see the $force_name variable.
4087 score
4091 Type: boolean
4092 Default: yes
4093 When this variable is unset, scoring is turned off. This can be
4095 useful to selectively disable scoring for certain folders when
4096 the $score_threshold_delete variable and related are used.
4097 score_threshold_delete
4101 Type: number
4102 Default: -1
4103 Messages which have been assigned a score equal to or lower than
4105 the value of this variable are automatically marked for deletion
4106 by mutt. Since mutt scores are always greater than or equal to
4107 zero, the default setting of this variable will never mark a
4108 message for deletion.
4109 score_threshold_flag
4113 Type: number
4114 Default: 9999
4115 Messages which have been assigned a score greater than or equal
4117 to this variable's value are automatically marked ”flagged”.
4118 score_threshold_read
4122 Type: number
4123 Default: -1
4124 Messages which have been assigned a score equal to or lower than
4126 the value of this variable are automatically marked as read by
4127 mutt. Since mutt scores are always greater than or equal to
4128 zero, the default setting of this variable will never mark a
4129 message read.
4130 search_context
4134 Type: number
4135 Default: 0
4136 For the pager, this variable specifies the number of lines shown
4138 before search results. By default, search results will be
4139 top-aligned.
4140 send_charset
4144 Type: string
4145 Default: “us-ascii:iso-8859-1:utf-8”
4146 A colon-delimited list of character sets for outgoing messages.
4148 Mutt will use the first character set into which the text can be
4149 converted exactly. If your $charset is not “iso-8859-1” and
4150 recipients may not understand “UTF-8”, it is advisable to
4151 include in the list an appropriate widely used standard charac‐
4152 ter set (such as “iso-8859-2”, “koi8-r” or “iso-2022-jp”) either
4153 instead of or after “iso-8859-1”.
4154 In case the text cannot be converted into one of these exactly,
4156 mutt uses $charset as a fallback.
4157 sendmail
4161 Type: path
4162 Default: “/usr/sbin/sendmail -oem -oi”
4163 Specifies the program and arguments used to deliver mail sent by
4165 Mutt. Mutt expects that the specified program interprets addi‐
4166 tional arguments as recipient addresses. Mutt appends all
4167 recipients after adding a -- delimiter (if not already present).
4168 Additional flags, such as for $use_8bitmime, $use_envelope_from,
4169 $dsn_notify, or $dsn_return will be added before the delimiter.
4170 sendmail_wait
4174 Type: number
4175 Default: 0
4176 Specifies the number of seconds to wait for the $sendmail
4178 process to finish before giving up and putting delivery in the
4179 background.
4180 Mutt interprets the value of this variable as follows:
4182 >0 number of seconds to wait for sendmail to finish before
4183 continuing
4184 0 wait forever for sendmail to finish
4185 <0 always put sendmail in the background without waiting
4186 Note that if you specify a value other than 0, the output of the
4188 child process will be put in a temporary file. If there is some
4189 error, you will be informed as to where to find the output.
4190 shell
4194 Type: path
4195 Default: “”
4196 Command to use when spawning a subshell. By default, the user's
4198 login shell from /etc/passwd is used.
4199 sidebar_delim_chars
4203 Type: string
4204 Default: “/.”
4205 This contains the list of characters which you would like to
4207 treat as folder separators for displaying paths in the sidebar.
4208 Local mail is often arranged in directories: `dir1/dir2/mail‐
4210 box'.
4211 set sidebar_delim_chars='/'
4214 IMAP mailboxes are often named: `folder1.folder2.mailbox'.
4217 set sidebar_delim_chars='.'
4220 See also: $sidebar_short_path, $sidebar_folder_indent, $side‐
4223 bar_indent_string.
4224 sidebar_divider_char
4228 Type: string
4229 Default: “|”
4230 This specifies the characters to be drawn between the sidebar
4232 (when visible) and the other Mutt panels. ASCII and Unicode
4233 line-drawing characters are supported.
4234 sidebar_folder_indent
4238 Type: boolean
4239 Default: no
4240 Set this to indent mailboxes in the sidebar.
4242 See also: $sidebar_short_path, $sidebar_indent_string, $side‐
4244 bar_delim_chars.
4245 sidebar_format
4249 Type: string
4250 Default: “%B%* %n”
4251 This variable allows you to customize the sidebar display. This
4253 string is similar to $index_format, but has its own set of
4254 printf(3)-like sequences:
4255 %B Name of the mailbox
4256 %S * Size of mailbox (total number of messages)
4257 %N * Number of unread messages in the mailbox
4258 %n N if mailbox has new mail, blank otherwise
4259 %F * Number of Flagged messages in the mailbox
4260 %! “!” : one flagged message; “!!” : two flagged messages;
4261 “n!” : n flagged messages (for n > 2). Otherwise prints
4262 nothing.
4263 %d * @ Number of deleted messages
4264 %L * @ Number of messages after limiting
4265 %t * @ Number of tagged messages
4266 %>X right justify the rest of the string and pad with “X”
4267 %|X pad to the end of the line with “X”
4268 %*X soft-fill with character “X” as pad
4269 * = Can be optionally printed if nonzero @ = Only applicable to
4271 the current folder
4272 In order to use %S, %N, %F, and %!, $mail_check_stats must be
4274 set. When thus set, a suggested value for this option is
4275 ”%B%?F? [%F]?%* %?N?%N/?%S”.
4276 sidebar_indent_string
4280 Type: string
4281 Default: “ ”
4282 This specifies the string that is used to indent mailboxes in
4284 the sidebar. It defaults to two spaces.
4285 See also: $sidebar_short_path, $sidebar_folder_indent, $side‐
4287 bar_delim_chars.
4288 sidebar_new_mail_only
4292 Type: boolean
4293 Default: no
4294 When set, the sidebar will only display mailboxes containing
4296 new, or flagged, mail.
4297 See also: sidebar_whitelist.
4299 sidebar_next_new_wrap
4303 Type: boolean
4304 Default: no
4305 When set, the <sidebar-next-new> command will not stop and the
4307 end of the list of mailboxes, but wrap around to the beginning.
4308 The <sidebar-prev-new> command is similarly affected, wrapping
4309 around to the end of the list.
4310 sidebar_short_path
4314 Type: boolean
4315 Default: no
4316 By default the sidebar will show the mailbox's path, relative to
4318 the $folder variable. Setting sidebar_shortpath=yes will shorten
4319 the names relative to the previous name. Here's an example:
4320 shortpath=no
4321 shortpath=yes shortpath=yes, folderindent=yes,
4322 indentstr=”..”
4323 fruit fruit fruit
4324 fruit.apple
4325 apple ..apple
4326 fruit.banana
4327 banana ..banana
4328 fruit.cherry
4329 cherry ..cherry
4330 See also: $sidebar_delim_chars, $sidebar_folder_indent, $side‐
4332 bar_indent_string.
4333 sidebar_sort_method
4337 Type: sort order
4338 Default: order
4339 Specifies how to sort entries in the file browser. By default,
4341 the entries are sorted alphabetically. Valid values:
4342 ‐ alpha (alphabetically)
4343 ‐ count (all message count)
4344 ‐ flagged (flagged message count)
4345 ‐ name (alphabetically)
4346 ‐ new (unread message count)
4347 ‐ path (alphabetically)
4348 ‐ unread (unread message count)
4349 ‐ unsorted
4350 You may optionally use the “reverse-” prefix to specify reverse
4352 sorting order (example: “set sort_browser=reverse-date”).
4353 sidebar_visible
4357 Type: boolean
4358 Default: no
4359 This specifies whether or not to show sidebar. The sidebar shows
4361 a list of all your mailboxes.
4362 See also: $sidebar_format, $sidebar_width
4364 sidebar_width
4368 Type: number
4369 Default: 30
4370 This controls the width of the sidebar. It is measured in
4372 screen columns. For example: sidebar_width=20 could display 20
4373 ASCII characters, or 10 Chinese characters.
4374 sig_dashes
4378 Type: boolean
4379 Default: yes
4380 If set, a line containing “-- ” (note the trailing space) will
4382 be inserted before your $signature. It is strongly recommended
4383 that you not unset this variable unless your signature contains
4384 just your name. The reason for this is because many software
4385 packages use “-- \n” to detect your signature. For example,
4386 Mutt has the ability to highlight the signature in a different
4387 color in the built-in pager.
4388 sig_on_top
4392 Type: boolean
4393 Default: no
4394 If set, the signature will be included before any quoted or for‐
4396 warded text. It is strongly recommended that you do not set
4397 this variable unless you really know what you are doing, and are
4398 prepared to take some heat from netiquette guardians.
4399 signature
4403 Type: path
4404 Default: “~/.signature”
4405 Specifies the filename of your signature, which is appended to
4407 all outgoing messages. If the filename ends with a pipe (“|”),
4408 it is assumed that filename is a shell command and input should
4409 be read from its standard output.
4410 simple_search
4414 Type: string
4415 Default: “~f %s | ~s %s”
4416 Specifies how Mutt should expand a simple search into a real
4418 search pattern. A simple search is one that does not contain
4419 any of the “~” pattern operators. See “patterns” for more
4420 information on search patterns.
4421 For example, if you simply type “joe” at a search or limit
4423 prompt, Mutt will automatically expand it to the value specified
4424 by this variable by replacing “%s” with the supplied string.
4425 For the default value, “joe” would be expanded to: “~f joe | ~s
4426 joe”.
4427 sleep_time
4431 Type: number
4432 Default: 1
4433 Specifies time, in seconds, to pause while displaying certain
4435 informational messages, while moving from folder to folder and
4436 after expunging messages from the current folder. The default
4437 is to pause one second, so a value of zero for this option sup‐
4438 presses the pause.
4439 smart_wrap
4443 Type: boolean
4444 Default: yes
4445 Controls the display of lines longer than the screen width in
4447 the internal pager. If set, long lines are wrapped at a word
4448 boundary. If unset, lines are simply wrapped at the screen
4449 edge. Also see the $markers variable.
4450 smileys
4454 Type: regular expression
4455 Default: “(>From )|(:[-^]?[][)(><}{|/DP])”
4456 The pager uses this variable to catch some common false posi‐
4458 tives of $quote_regexp, most notably smileys and not consider a
4459 line quoted text if it also matches $smileys. This mostly hap‐
4460 pens at the beginning of a line.
4461 smime_ask_cert_label
4465 Type: boolean
4466 Default: yes
4467 This flag controls whether you want to be asked to enter a label
4469 for a certificate about to be added to the database or not. It
4470 is set by default. (S/MIME only)
4471 smime_ca_location
4475 Type: path
4476 Default: “”
4477 This variable contains the name of either a directory, or a file
4479 which contains trusted certificates for use with OpenSSL.
4480 (S/MIME only)
4481 smime_certificates
4485 Type: path
4486 Default: “”
4487 Since for S/MIME there is no pubring/secring as with PGP, mutt
4489 has to handle storage and retrieval of keys by itself. This is
4490 very basic right now, and keys and certificates are stored in
4491 two different directories, both named as the hash-value
4492 retrieved from OpenSSL. There is an index file which contains
4493 mailbox-address keyid pairs, and which can be manually edited.
4494 This option points to the location of the certificates. (S/MIME
4495 only)
4496 smime_decrypt_command
4500 Type: string
4501 Default: “”
4502 This format string specifies a command which is used to decrypt
4504 application/x-pkcs7-mime attachments.
4505 The OpenSSL command formats have their own set of printf(3)-like
4507 sequences similar to PGP's:
4508 %f Expands to the name of a file containing a message.
4509 %s Expands to the name of a file containing the signature
4510 part
4511 of a multipart/signed attachment when verify‐
4512 ing it.
4513 %k The key-pair specified with $smime_default_key
4514 %c One or more certificate IDs.
4515 %a The algorithm used for encryption.
4516 %d The message digest algorithm specified with
4517 $smime_sign_digest_alg.
4518 %C CA location: Depending on whether $smime_ca_location
4519 points to a directory or file, this expands to
4520 “-CApath $smime_ca_location” or “-CAfile
4521 $smime_ca_location”.
4522 For examples on how to configure these formats, see the smime.rc
4524 in the samples/ subdirectory which has been installed on your
4525 system alongside the documentation. (S/MIME only)
4526 smime_decrypt_use_default_key
4530 Type: boolean
4531 Default: yes
4532 If set (default) this tells mutt to use the default key for
4534 decryption. Otherwise, if managing multiple certifi‐
4535 cate-key-pairs, mutt will try to use the mailbox-address to
4536 determine the key to use. It will ask you to supply a key, if it
4537 can't find one. (S/MIME only)
4538 smime_default_key
4542 Type: string
4543 Default: “”
4544 This is the default key-pair to use for S/MIME operations, and
4546 must be set to the keyid (the hash-value that OpenSSL generates)
4547 to work properly.
4548 It will be used for encryption (see $postpone_encrypt and
4550 $smime_self_encrypt).
4551 It will be used for decryption unless
4553 $smime_decrypt_use_default_key is unset.
4554 It will also be used for signing unless $smime_sign_as is set.
4556 The (now deprecated) smime_self_encrypt_as is an alias for this
4558 variable, and should no longer be used. (S/MIME only)
4559 smime_encrypt_command
4563 Type: string
4564 Default: “”
4565 This command is used to create encrypted S/MIME messages.
4567 This is a format string, see the $smime_decrypt_command command
4569 for possible printf(3)-like sequences. (S/MIME only)
4570 smime_encrypt_with
4574 Type: string
4575 Default: “aes256”
4576 This sets the algorithm that should be used for encryption.
4578 Valid choices are “aes128”, “aes192”, “aes256”, “des”, “des3”,
4579 “rc2-40”, “rc2-64”, “rc2-128”. (S/MIME only)
4580 smime_get_cert_command
4584 Type: string
4585 Default: “”
4586 This command is used to extract X509 certificates from a PKCS7
4588 structure.
4589 This is a format string, see the $smime_decrypt_command command
4591 for possible printf(3)-like sequences. (S/MIME only)
4592 smime_get_cert_email_command
4596 Type: string
4597 Default: “”
4598 This command is used to extract the mail address(es) used for
4600 storing X509 certificates, and for verification purposes (to
4601 check whether the certificate was issued for the sender's mail‐
4602 box).
4603 This is a format string, see the $smime_decrypt_command command
4605 for possible printf(3)-like sequences. (S/MIME only)
4606 smime_get_signer_cert_command
4610 Type: string
4611 Default: “”
4612 This command is used to extract only the signers X509 certifi‐
4614 cate from a S/MIME signature, so that the certificate's owner
4615 may get compared to the email's “From:” field.
4616 This is a format string, see the $smime_decrypt_command command
4618 for possible printf(3)-like sequences. (S/MIME only)
4619 smime_import_cert_command
4623 Type: string
4624 Default: “”
4625 This command is used to import a certificate via smime_keys.
4627 This is a format string, see the $smime_decrypt_command command
4629 for possible printf(3)-like sequences. (S/MIME only)
4630 smime_is_default
4634 Type: boolean
4635 Default: no
4636 The default behavior of mutt is to use PGP on all
4638 auto-sign/encryption operations. To override and to use OpenSSL
4639 instead this must be set. However, this has no effect while
4640 replying, since mutt will automatically select the same applica‐
4641 tion that was used to sign/encrypt the original message. (Note
4642 that this variable can be overridden by unsetting
4643 $crypt_autosmime.) (S/MIME only)
4644 smime_keys
4648 Type: path
4649 Default: “”
4650 Since for S/MIME there is no pubring/secring as with PGP, mutt
4652 has to handle storage and retrieval of keys/certs by itself.
4653 This is very basic right now, and stores keys and certificates
4654 in two different directories, both named as the hash-value
4655 retrieved from OpenSSL. There is an index file which contains
4656 mailbox-address keyid pair, and which can be manually edited.
4657 This option points to the location of the private keys. (S/MIME
4658 only)
4659 smime_pk7out_command
4663 Type: string
4664 Default: “”
4665 This command is used to extract PKCS7 structures of S/MIME sig‐
4667 natures, in order to extract the public X509 certificate(s).
4668 This is a format string, see the $smime_decrypt_command command
4670 for possible printf(3)-like sequences. (S/MIME only)
4671 smime_self_encrypt
4675 Type: boolean
4676 Default: yes
4677 When set, S/MIME encrypted messages will also be encrypted using
4679 the certificate in $smime_default_key. (S/MIME only)
4680 smime_sign_as
4684 Type: string
4685 Default: “”
4686 If you have a separate key to use for signing, you should set
4688 this to the signing key. Most people will only need to set
4689 $smime_default_key. (S/MIME only)
4690 smime_sign_command
4694 Type: string
4695 Default: “”
4696 This command is used to created S/MIME signatures of type multi‐
4698 part/signed, which can be read by all mail clients.
4699 This is a format string, see the $smime_decrypt_command command
4701 for possible printf(3)-like sequences. NOTE: %c and %k will
4702 default to $smime_sign_as if set, otherwise $smime_default_key.
4703 (S/MIME only)
4704 smime_sign_digest_alg
4708 Type: string
4709 Default: “sha256”
4710 This sets the algorithm that should be used for the signature
4712 message digest. Valid choices are “md5”, “sha1”, “sha224”,
4713 “sha256”, “sha384”, “sha512”. (S/MIME only)
4714 smime_sign_opaque_command
4718 Type: string
4719 Default: “”
4720 This command is used to created S/MIME signatures of type appli‐
4722 cation/x-pkcs7-signature, which can only be handled by mail
4723 clients supporting the S/MIME extension.
4724 This is a format string, see the $smime_decrypt_command command
4726 for possible printf(3)-like sequences. (S/MIME only)
4727 smime_timeout
4731 Type: number (long)
4732 Default: 300
4733 The number of seconds after which a cached passphrase will
4735 expire if not used. (S/MIME only)
4736 smime_verify_command
4740 Type: string
4741 Default: “”
4742 This command is used to verify S/MIME signatures of type multi‐
4744 part/signed.
4745 This is a format string, see the $smime_decrypt_command command
4747 for possible printf(3)-like sequences. (S/MIME only)
4748 smime_verify_opaque_command
4752 Type: string
4753 Default: “”
4754 This command is used to verify S/MIME signatures of type appli‐
4756 cation/x-pkcs7-mime.
4757 This is a format string, see the $smime_decrypt_command command
4759 for possible printf(3)-like sequences. (S/MIME only)
4760 smtp_authenticators
4764 Type: string
4765 Default: “”
4766 This is a colon-delimited list of authentication methods mutt
4768 may attempt to use to log in to an SMTP server, in the order
4769 mutt should try them. Authentication methods are any SASL mech‐
4770 anism, e.g. “digest-md5”, “gssapi” or “cram-md5”. This option
4771 is case-insensitive. If it is “unset” (the default) mutt will
4772 try all available methods, in order from most-secure to
4773 least-secure.
4774 Example:
4776 set smtp_authenticators=”digest-md5:cram-md5”
4779 smtp_oauth_refresh_command
4784 Type: string
4785 Default: “”
4786 The command to run to generate an OAUTH refresh token for autho‐
4788 rizing your connection to your SMTP server. This command will
4789 be run on every connection attempt that uses the OAUTHBEARER
4790 authentication mechanism. See “oauth” for details.
4791 smtp_pass
4795 Type: string
4796 Default: “”
4797 Specifies the password for your SMTP account. If unset, Mutt
4799 will prompt you for your password when you first send mail via
4800 SMTP. See $smtp_url to configure mutt to send mail via SMTP.
4801 Warning: you should only use this option when you are on a
4803 fairly secure machine, because the superuser can read your mut‐
4804 trc even if you are the only one who can read the file.
4805 smtp_url
4809 Type: string
4810 Default: “”
4811 Defines the SMTP smarthost where sent messages should relayed
4813 for delivery. This should take the form of an SMTP URL, e.g.:
4814 smtp[s]://[user[:pass]@]host[:port]
4817 where “[...]” denotes an optional part. Setting this variable
4820 overrides the value of the $sendmail variable.
4821 sort
4825 Type: sort order
4826 Default: date
4827 Specifies how to sort messages in the “index” menu. Valid val‐
4829 ues are:
4830 ‐ date or date-sent
4831 ‐ date-received
4832 ‐ from
4833 ‐ mailbox-order (unsorted)
4834 ‐ score
4835 ‐ size
4836 ‐ spam
4837 ‐ subject
4838 ‐ threads
4839 ‐ to
4840 You may optionally use the “reverse-” prefix to specify reverse
4842 sorting order (example: “set sort=reverse-date-sent”).
4843 sort_alias
4847 Type: sort order
4848 Default: alias
4849 Specifies how the entries in the “alias” menu are sorted. The
4851 following are legal values:
4852 ‐ address (sort alphabetically by email address)
4853 ‐ alias (sort alphabetically by alias name)
4854 ‐ unsorted (leave in order specified in .muttrc)
4855 sort_aux
4858 Type: sort order
4859 Default: date
4860 This provides a secondary sort for messages in the “index” menu,
4862 used when the $sort value is equal for two messages.
4863 When sorting by threads, this variable controls how threads are
4865 sorted in relation to other threads, and how the branches of the
4866 thread trees are sorted. This can be set to any value that
4867 $sort can, except “threads” (in that case, mutt will just use
4868 “date-sent”). You can also specify the “last-” prefix in addi‐
4869 tion to the “reverse-” prefix, but “last-” must come after
4870 “reverse-”. The “last-” prefix causes messages to be sorted
4871 against its siblings by which has the last descendant, using the
4872 rest of $sort_aux as an ordering. For instance,
4873 set sort_aux=last-date-received
4876 would mean that if a new message is received in a thread, that
4879 thread becomes the last one displayed (or the first, if you have
4880 “set sort=reverse-threads”.)
4881 Note: For reversed-threads $sort order, $sort_aux is reversed
4883 again (which is not the right thing to do, but kept to not break
4884 any existing configuration setting).
4885 sort_browser
4889 Type: sort order
4890 Default: alpha
4891 Specifies how to sort entries in the file browser. By default,
4893 the entries are sorted alphabetically. Valid values:
4894 ‐ alpha (alphabetically)
4895 ‐ count
4896 ‐ date
4897 ‐ size
4898 ‐ unread
4899 ‐ unsorted
4900 You may optionally use the “reverse-” prefix to specify reverse
4902 sorting order (example: “set sort_browser=reverse-date”).
4903 sort_re
4907 Type: boolean
4908 Default: yes
4909 This variable is only useful when sorting by threads with
4911 $strict_threads unset. In that case, it changes the heuristic
4912 mutt uses to thread messages by subject. With $sort_re set,
4913 mutt will only attach a message as the child of another message
4914 by subject if the subject of the child message starts with a
4915 substring matching the setting of $reply_regexp. With $sort_re
4916 unset, mutt will attach the message whether or not this is the
4917 case, as long as the non-$reply_regexp parts of both messages
4918 are identical.
4919 spam_separator
4923 Type: string
4924 Default: “,”
4925 This variable controls what happens when multiple spam headers
4927 are matched: if unset, each successive header will overwrite any
4928 previous matches value for the spam label. If set, each succes‐
4929 sive match will append to the previous, using this variable's
4930 value as a separator.
4931 spoolfile
4935 Type: path
4936 Default: “”
4937 If your spool mailbox is in a non-default place where Mutt can‐
4939 not find it, you can specify its location with this variable.
4940 Mutt will initially set this variable to the value of the envi‐
4941 ronment variable $MAIL or $MAILDIR if either is defined.
4942 ssl_ca_certificates_file
4946 Type: path
4947 Default: “/etc/ssl/certs/ca-bundle.crt”
4948 This variable specifies a file containing trusted CA certifi‐
4950 cates. Any server certificate that is signed with one of these
4951 CA certificates is also automatically accepted. (GnuTLS only)
4952 Example:
4954 set ssl_ca_certificates_file=/etc/ssl/certs/ca-certificates.crt
4957 ssl_client_cert
4962 Type: path
4963 Default: “”
4964 The file containing a client certificate and its associated pri‐
4966 vate key.
4967 ssl_force_tls
4971 Type: boolean
4972 Default: no
4973 If this variable is set, Mutt will require that all connections
4975 to remote servers be encrypted. Furthermore it will attempt to
4976 negotiate TLS even if the server does not advertise the capabil‐
4977 ity, since it would otherwise have to abort the connection any‐
4978 way. This option supersedes $ssl_starttls.
4979 ssl_min_dh_prime_bits
4983 Type: number
4984 Default: 0
4985 This variable specifies the minimum acceptable prime size (in
4987 bits) for use in any Diffie-Hellman key exchange. A value of 0
4988 will use the default from the GNUTLS library. (GnuTLS only)
4989 ssl_starttls
4993 Type: quadoption
4994 Default: yes
4995 If set (the default), mutt will attempt to use STARTTLS on
4997 servers advertising the capability. When unset, mutt will not
4998 attempt to use STARTTLS regardless of the server's capabilities.
4999 ssl_use_sslv2
5003 Type: boolean
5004 Default: no
5005 This variable specifies whether to attempt to use SSLv2 in the
5007 SSL authentication process. Note that SSLv2 and SSLv3 are now
5008 considered fundamentally insecure and are no longer recommended.
5009 (OpenSSL only)
5010 ssl_use_sslv3
5014 Type: boolean
5015 Default: no
5016 This variable specifies whether to attempt to use SSLv3 in the
5018 SSL authentication process. Note that SSLv2 and SSLv3 are now
5019 considered fundamentally insecure and are no longer recommended.
5020 ssl_use_tlsv1
5024 Type: boolean
5025 Default: yes
5026 This variable specifies whether to attempt to use TLSv1.0 in the
5028 SSL authentication process.
5029 ssl_use_tlsv1_1
5033 Type: boolean
5034 Default: yes
5035 This variable specifies whether to attempt to use TLSv1.1 in the
5037 SSL authentication process.
5038 ssl_use_tlsv1_2
5042 Type: boolean
5043 Default: yes
5044 This variable specifies whether to attempt to use TLSv1.2 in the
5046 SSL authentication process.
5047 ssl_usesystemcerts
5051 Type: boolean
5052 Default: yes
5053 If set to yes, mutt will use CA certificates in the system-wide
5055 certificate store when checking if a server certificate is
5056 signed by a trusted CA. (OpenSSL only)
5057 ssl_verify_dates
5061 Type: boolean
5062 Default: yes
5063 If set (the default), mutt will not automatically accept a
5065 server certificate that is either not yet valid or already
5066 expired. You should only unset this for particular known hosts,
5067 using the <account-hook> function.
5068 ssl_verify_host
5072 Type: boolean
5073 Default: yes
5074 If set (the default), mutt will not automatically accept a
5076 server certificate whose host name does not match the host used
5077 in your folder URL. You should only unset this for particular
5078 known hosts, using the <account-hook> function.
5079 ssl_verify_partial_chains
5083 Type: boolean
5084 Default: no
5085 This option should not be changed from the default unless you
5087 understand what you are doing.
5088 Setting this variable to yes will permit verifying partial cer‐
5090 tification chains, i. e. a certificate chain where not the root,
5091 but an intermediate certificate CA, or the host certificate, are
5092 marked trusted (in $certificate_file), without marking the root
5093 signing CA as trusted.
5094 (OpenSSL 1.0.2b and newer only).
5096 ssl_ciphers
5100 Type: string
5101 Default: “@SYSTEM”
5102 Contains a colon-seperated list of ciphers to use when using
5104 SSL. For OpenSSL, see ciphers(1) for the syntax of the string.
5105 For GnuTLS, this option will be used in place of ”NORMAL” at the
5107 start of the priority string. See gnutls_priority_init(3) for
5108 the syntax and more details. (Note: GnuTLS version 2.1.7 or
5109 higher is required.)
5110 status_chars
5114 Type: string
5115 Default: “-*%A”
5116 Controls the characters used by the “%r” indicator in $sta‐
5118 tus_format. The first character is used when the mailbox is
5119 unchanged. The second is used when the mailbox has been changed,
5120 and it needs to be resynchronized. The third is used if the
5121 mailbox is in read-only mode, or if the mailbox will not be
5122 written when exiting that mailbox (You can toggle whether to
5123 write changes to a mailbox with the <toggle-write> operation,
5124 bound by default to “%”). The fourth is used to indicate that
5125 the current folder has been opened in attach- message mode (Cer‐
5126 tain operations like composing a new mail, replying, forwarding,
5127 etc. are not permitted in this mode).
5128 status_format
5132 Type: string
5133 Default: “-%r-Mutt: %f [Msgs:%?M?%M/?%m%?n? New:%n?%?o? Old:%o?%?d? Del:%d?%?F? Flag:%F?%?t? Tag:%t?%?p? Post:%p?%?b? Inc:%b?%?l? %l?]---(%s/%S)-%>-(%P)---”
5134 Controls the format of the status line displayed in the “index”
5136 menu. This string is similar to $index_format, but has its own
5137 set of printf(3)-like sequences:
5138 %b number of mailboxes with new mail *
5139 %d number of deleted messages *
5140 %f the full pathname of the current mailbox
5141 %F number of flagged messages *
5142 %h local hostname
5143 %l size (in bytes) of the current mailbox *
5144 %L size (in bytes) of the messages shown (i.e., which match
5145 the current limit) *
5146 %m the number of messages in the mailbox *
5147 %M the number of messages shown (i.e., which match the cur‐
5148 rent limit) *
5149 %n number of new messages in the mailbox *
5150 %o number of old unread messages *
5151 %p number of postponed messages *
5152 %P percentage of the way through the index
5153 %r modified/read-only/won't-write/attach-message indicator,
5154 according to $status_chars
5155 %R number of read messages *
5156 %s current sorting mode ($sort)
5157 %S current aux sorting method ($sort_aux)
5158 %t number of tagged messages *
5159 %u number of unread messages *
5160 %v Mutt version string
5161 %V currently active limit pattern, if any *
5162 %>X right justify the rest of the string and pad with “X”
5163 %|X pad to the end of the line with “X”
5164 %*X soft-fill with character “X” as pad
5165 For an explanation of “soft-fill”, see the $index_format docu‐
5167 mentation.
5168 * = can be optionally printed if nonzero
5170 Some of the above sequences can be used to optionally print a
5172 string if their value is nonzero. For example, you may only
5173 want to see the number of flagged messages if such messages
5174 exist, since zero is not particularly meaningful. To optionally
5175 print a string based upon one of the above sequences, the fol‐
5176 lowing construct is used:
5177 %?<sequence_char>?<optional_string>?
5179 where sequence_char is a character from the table above, and
5181 optional_string is the string you would like printed if
5182 sequence_char is nonzero. optional_string may contain other
5183 sequences as well as normal text, but you may not nest optional
5184 strings.
5185 Here is an example illustrating how to optionally print the num‐
5187 ber of new messages in a mailbox:
5188 %?n?%n new messages.?
5190 You can also switch between two strings using the following con‐
5192 struct:
5193 %?<sequence_char>?<if_string>&<else_string>?
5195 If the value of sequence_char is non-zero, if_string will be
5197 expanded, otherwise else_string will be expanded.
5198 You can force the result of any printf(3)-like sequence to be
5200 lowercase by prefixing the sequence character with an underscore
5201 (“_”) sign. For example, if you want to display the local host‐
5202 name in lowercase, you would use: “%_h”.
5203 If you prefix the sequence character with a colon (“:”) charac‐
5205 ter, mutt will replace any dots in the expansion by underscores.
5206 This might be helpful with IMAP folders that don't like dots in
5207 folder names.
5208 status_on_top
5212 Type: boolean
5213 Default: no
5214 Setting this variable causes the “status bar” to be displayed on
5216 the first line of the screen rather than near the bottom. If
5217 $help is set, too it'll be placed at the bottom.
5218 strict_threads
5222 Type: boolean
5223 Default: no
5224 If set, threading will only make use of the “In-Reply-To” and
5226 “References:” fields when you $sort by message threads. By
5227 default, messages with the same subject are grouped together in
5228 “pseudo threads.”. This may not always be desirable, such as in
5229 a personal mailbox where you might have several unrelated mes‐
5230 sages with the subjects like “hi” which will get grouped
5231 together. See also $sort_re for a less drastic way of control‐
5232 ling this behavior.
5233 suspend
5237 Type: boolean
5238 Default: yes
5239 When unset, mutt won't stop when the user presses the terminal's
5241 susp key, usually “^Z”. This is useful if you run mutt inside an
5242 xterm using a command like “xterm -e mutt”.
5243 text_flowed
5247 Type: boolean
5248 Default: no
5249 When set, mutt will generate “format=flowed” bodies with a con‐
5251 tent type of “text/plain; format=flowed”. This format is easier
5252 to handle for some mailing software, and generally just looks
5253 like ordinary text. To actually make use of this format's fea‐
5254 tures, you'll need support in your editor.
5255 Note that $indent_string is ignored when this option is set.
5257 thorough_search
5261 Type: boolean
5262 Default: yes
5263 Affects the ~b and ~h search operations described in section
5265 “patterns”. If set, the headers and body/attachments of mes‐
5266 sages to be searched are decoded before searching. If unset,
5267 messages are searched as they appear in the folder.
5268 Users searching attachments or for non-ASCII characters should
5270 set this value because decoding also includes MIME pars‐
5271 ing/decoding and possible character set conversions. Otherwise
5272 mutt will attempt to match against the raw message received (for
5273 example quoted-printable encoded or with encoded headers) which
5274 may lead to incorrect search results.
5275 thread_received
5279 Type: boolean
5280 Default: no
5281 When set, mutt uses the date received rather than the date sent
5283 to thread messages by subject.
5284 tilde
5288 Type: boolean
5289 Default: no
5290 When set, the internal-pager will pad blank lines to the bottom
5292 of the screen with a tilde (“~”).
5293 time_inc
5297 Type: number
5298 Default: 0
5299 Along with $read_inc, $write_inc, and $net_inc, this variable
5301 controls the frequency with which progress updates are dis‐
5302 played. It suppresses updates less than $time_inc milliseconds
5303 apart. This can improve throughput on systems with slow termi‐
5304 nals, or when running mutt on a remote system.
5305 Also see the “tuning” section of the manual for performance con‐
5307 siderations.
5308 timeout
5312 Type: number
5313 Default: 600
5314 When Mutt is waiting for user input either idling in menus or in
5316 an interactive prompt, Mutt would block until input is present.
5317 Depending on the context, this would prevent certain operations
5318 from working, like checking for new mail or keeping an IMAP con‐
5319 nection alive.
5320 This variable controls how many seconds Mutt will at most wait
5322 until it aborts waiting for input, performs these operations and
5323 continues to wait for input.
5324 A value of zero or less will cause Mutt to never time out.
5326 tmpdir
5330 Type: path
5331 Default: “”
5332 This variable allows you to specify where Mutt will place its
5334 temporary files needed for displaying and composing messages.
5335 If this variable is not set, the environment variable $TMPDIR is
5336 used. If $TMPDIR is not set then “/tmp” is used.
5337 to_chars
5341 Type: string
5342 Default: “ +TCFL”
5343 Controls the character used to indicate mail addressed to you.
5345 The first character is the one used when the mail is not
5346 addressed to your address. The second is used when you are the
5347 only recipient of the message. The third is when your address
5348 appears in the “To:” header field, but you are not the only
5349 recipient of the message. The fourth character is used when
5350 your address is specified in the “Cc:” header field, but you are
5351 not the only recipient. The fifth character is used to indicate
5352 mail that was sent by you. The sixth character is used to indi‐
5353 cate when a mail was sent to a mailing-list you subscribe to.
5354 trash
5358 Type: path
5359 Default: “”
5360 If set, this variable specifies the path of the trash folder
5362 where the mails marked for deletion will be moved, instead of
5363 being irremediably purged.
5364 NOTE: When you delete a message in the trash folder, it is
5366 really deleted, so that you have a way to clean the trash.
5367 ts_icon_format
5371 Type: string
5372 Default: “M%?n?AIL&ail?”
5373 Controls the format of the icon title, as long as “$ts_enabled”
5375 is set. This string is identical in formatting to the one used
5376 by “$status_format”.
5377 ts_enabled
5381 Type: boolean
5382 Default: no
5383 Controls whether mutt tries to set the terminal status line and
5385 icon name. Most terminal emulators emulate the status line in
5386 the window title.
5387 ts_status_format
5391 Type: string
5392 Default: “Mutt with %?m?%m messages&no messages?%?n? [%n NEW]?”
5393 Controls the format of the terminal status line (or window
5395 title), provided that “$ts_enabled” has been set. This string is
5396 identical in formatting to the one used by “$status_format”.
5397 tunnel
5401 Type: string
5402 Default: “”
5403 Setting this variable will cause mutt to open a pipe to a com‐
5405 mand instead of a raw socket. You may be able to use this to set
5406 up preauthenticated connections to your IMAP/POP3/SMTP server.
5407 Example:
5408 set tunnel=”ssh -q mailhost.net /usr/local/libexec/imapd”
5411 Note: For this example to work you must be able to log in to the
5414 remote machine without having to enter a password.
5415 When set, Mutt uses the tunnel for all remote connections.
5417 Please see “account-hook” in the manual for how to use different
5418 tunnel commands per connection.
5419 uncollapse_jump
5423 Type: boolean
5424 Default: no
5425 When set, Mutt will jump to the next unread message, if any,
5427 when the current thread is uncollapsed.
5428 uncollapse_new
5432 Type: boolean
5433 Default: yes
5434 When set, Mutt will automatically uncollapse any collapsed
5436 thread that receives a new message. When unset, collapsed
5437 threads will remain collapsed. the presence of the new message
5438 will still affect index sorting, though.
5439 use_8bitmime
5443 Type: boolean
5444 Default: no
5445 Warning: do not set this variable unless you are using a version
5447 of sendmail which supports the -B8BITMIME flag (such as sendmail
5448 8.8.x) or you may not be able to send mail.
5449 When set, Mutt will invoke $sendmail with the -B8BITMIME flag
5451 when sending 8-bit messages to enable ESMTP negotiation.
5452 use_domain
5456 Type: boolean
5457 Default: yes
5458 When set, Mutt will qualify all local addresses (ones without
5460 the “@host” portion) with the value of $hostname. If unset, no
5461 addresses will be qualified.
5462 use_envelope_from
5466 Type: boolean
5467 Default: no
5468 When set, mutt will set the envelope sender of the message. If
5470 $envelope_from_address is set, it will be used as the sender
5471 address. If unset, mutt will attempt to derive the sender from
5472 the “From:” header.
5473 Note that this information is passed to sendmail command using
5475 the -f command line switch. Therefore setting this option is not
5476 useful if the $sendmail variable already contains -f or if the
5477 executable pointed to by $sendmail doesn't support the -f
5478 switch.
5479 use_from
5483 Type: boolean
5484 Default: yes
5485 When set, Mutt will generate the “From:” header field when send‐
5487 ing messages. If unset, no “From:” header field will be gener‐
5488 ated unless the user explicitly sets one using the “my_hdr” com‐
5489 mand.
5490 use_ipv6
5494 Type: boolean
5495 Default: yes
5496 When set, Mutt will look for IPv6 addresses of hosts it tries to
5498 contact. If this option is unset, Mutt will restrict itself to
5499 IPv4 addresses. Normally, the default should work.
5500 user_agent
5504 Type: boolean
5505 Default: yes
5506 When set, mutt will add a “User-Agent:” header to outgoing mes‐
5508 sages, indicating which version of mutt was used for composing
5509 them.
5510 visual
5514 Type: path
5515 Default: “”
5516 Specifies the visual editor to invoke when the “~v” command is
5518 given in the built-in editor.
5519 wait_key
5523 Type: boolean
5524 Default: yes
5525 Controls whether Mutt will ask you to press a key after an
5527 external command has been invoked by these functions:
5528 <shell-escape>, <pipe-message>, <pipe-entry>, <print-message>,
5529 and <print-entry> commands.
5530 It is also used when viewing attachments with “auto_view”, pro‐
5532 vided that the corresponding mailcap entry has a needsterminal
5533 flag, and the external program is interactive.
5534 When set, Mutt will always ask for a key. When unset, Mutt will
5536 wait for a key only if the external command returned a non-zero
5537 status.
5538 weed
5542 Type: boolean
5543 Default: yes
5544 When set, mutt will weed headers when displaying, forwarding,
5546 printing, or replying to messages.
5547 wrap
5551 Type: number
5552 Default: 0
5553 When set to a positive value, mutt will wrap text at $wrap char‐
5555 acters. When set to a negative value, mutt will wrap text so
5556 that there are $wrap characters of empty space on the right side
5557 of the terminal. Setting it to zero makes mutt wrap at the ter‐
5558 minal width.
5559 Also see $reflow_wrap.
5561 wrap_headers
5565 Type: number
5566 Default: 78
5567 This option specifies the number of characters to use for wrap‐
5569 ping an outgoing message's headers. Allowed values are between
5570 78 and 998 inclusive.
5571 Note: This option usually shouldn't be changed. RFC5233 recom‐
5573 mends a line length of 78 (the default), so please only change
5574 this setting when you know what you're doing.
5575 wrap_search
5579 Type: boolean
5580 Default: yes
5581 Controls whether searches wrap around the end.
5583 When set, searches will wrap around the first (or last) item.
5585 When unset, incremental searches will not wrap.
5586 wrapmargin
5590 Type: number
5591 Default: 0
5592 (DEPRECATED) Equivalent to setting $wrap with a negative value.
5594 write_bcc
5598 Type: boolean
5599 Default: yes
5600 Controls whether mutt writes out the “Bcc:” header when prepar‐
5602 ing messages to be sent. Exim users may wish to unset this. If
5603 mutt is set to deliver directly via SMTP (see $smtp_url), this
5604 option does nothing: mutt will never write out the “Bcc:” header
5605 in this case.
5606 write_inc
5610 Type: number
5611 Default: 10
5612 When writing a mailbox, a message will be printed every
5614 $write_inc messages to indicate progress. If set to 0, only a
5615 single message will be displayed before writing a mailbox.
5616 Also see the $read_inc, $net_inc and $time_inc variables and the
5618 “tuning” section of the manual for performance considerations.
5619
5623 iconv(1), iconv(3), mailcap(5), maildir(5), mbox(5), mutt(1),
5624 printf(3), regex(7), strftime(3)
5625 The Mutt Manual
5627 The Mutt home page: http://www.mutt.org/
5629
5631 Michael Elkins, and others. Use <mutt-dev@mutt.org> to contact the
5632 developers.
5633Unix September 2002 muttrc(5)