aerc

TUIEmail client

Terminal email client written in Go with IMAP, JMAP, Maildir and notmuch backends and an embedded terminal for editing.

aerc is a full-screen terminal email client with tabs, vim-style keybindings and an embedded terminal that runs the editor and other programs inside the interface. It reads IMAP, JMAP, Maildir and notmuch mailboxes, opens mbox files read-only, and sends over SMTP or a sendmail command. It suits developers who review patches by email, with built-in commands for applying and replying to patch series.

Type: Email client
Interface: Full-screen terminal interface
Systems: Runs on Linux, macOS and BSD, on Windows through WSL, on Android through Termux.
Language: Go
License: MIT
Latest version: 0.22.0
Background: Continuation of the original aerc by Drew DeVault
Maintained: Yes
Website: aerc-mail.org
Source: git.sr.ht/~rjarry/aerc
Documentation: man.sr.ht

Install

System	Support	Install
Linux	Native	apt`sudo apt install aerc` dnf`sudo dnf install aerc` pacman`sudo pacman -S aerc`
macOS	Native	Homebrew`brew install aerc`
Windows	Through WSL	WSL`sudo apt install aerc` No native Windows build; runs in WSL.
BSD	Native	FreeBSD pkg`pkg install aerc` OpenBSD`pkg_add aerc`
Android	Through Termux	Termux`pkg install aerc`

Protocols and features

Protocols
Protocol	aerc
IMAP	Yes
POP3	No
SMTP	Yes
JMAP	Yes
Maildir	Yes
mbox	Yes
notmuch	Yes

Features
Feature	aerc
OpenPGP	Yes
S/MIME	No
OAuth2 sign-in	Yes
Threads	Yes
Search	built-in; server-side for IMAP and JMAP; notmuch queries
HTML mail	via filters, w3m by default
Mouse	Yes
Multiple accounts	Yes
Offline use	with mbsync or OfflineIMAP through the Maildir backend; IMAP header cache
Calendar	Yes
Contacts	via address-book-cmd, e.g. khard or the bundled carddav-query
Vim-style keys	Yes
Configuration	INI-style files: accounts.conf, aerc.conf, binds.conf

Pros and cons

Pros

Embedded terminal runs the editor and other commands inside aerc
Built-in commands for applying and reviewing git patch series
Supports JMAP and notmuch as well as IMAP and Maildir

Cons

No POP3 or S/MIME support
mbox files open read-only
No native Windows build

Use aerc with Forward Email

A working setup for a Forward Email mailbox. Replace you@example.com with your alias and the password command with your own. The same settings work with any provider once the server names change.

~/.config/aerc/accounts.conf (macOS: ~/Library/Preferences/aerc/accounts.conf)

# Forward Email: IMAP over SSL/TLS (993), SMTP over SSL/TLS (465)
# The @ in the username is URL-encoded as %40
[Forward Email]
source            = imaps://you%40example.com@imap.forwardemail.net:993
source-cred-cmd   = pass show email/forwardemail
outgoing          = smtps://you%40example.com@smtp.forwardemail.net:465
outgoing-cred-cmd = pass show email/forwardemail
from              = Your Name <you@example.com>
default           = INBOX
copy-to           = Sent Mail
postpone          = Drafts

Protocol	Server	Port	Security
IMAP	`imap.forwardemail.net`	993	SSL/TLS
POP3	`pop3.forwardemail.net`	995	SSL/TLS
SMTP	`smtp.forwardemail.net`	465	SSL/TLS
SMTP	`smtp.forwardemail.net`	587	STARTTLS

Username: your full alias address, such as you@example.com. Password: the one shown by Generate Password next to the alias in your Forward Email account. Folders: INBOX, Drafts, Sent Mail, Trash, Spam and Archive.

Prefer no config at all? Forward Email's terminal app signs in with your account and has mail, calendar and contacts in one program.

Compare aerc

All aerc alternatives

Questions

Does aerc work on Windows?

Not natively. It runs in Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL). No native Windows build; runs in WSL.

Does aerc support IMAP?

Yes, aerc connects to IMAP servers directly.

Is aerc open source?

Yes, under the MIT.

How do I use aerc with Forward Email?

Use the config in the Forward Email section on this page, saved as ~/.config/aerc/accounts.conf (macOS: ~/Library/Preferences/aerc/accounts.conf), and replace the address and password with your own.

Sources

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