# Mutt

> Long-running text-mode email client with IMAP, POP3 and SMTP support, configured through a muttrc file.

Mutt is a full-screen terminal mail user agent that reads local Maildir, mbox and MH folders and remote IMAP and POP3 mailboxes, and can send through its built-in SMTP client or a local sendmail. It supports PGP/MIME, S/MIME, Autocrypt, threading and a sidebar. It suits users who want a stable, conservative client; it has no notmuch, NNTP or Lua support, which NeoMutt adds.

- Type: Email client
- Interface: Full-screen terminal interface
- Systems: Runs on Linux, macOS and BSD, on Windows through WSL, on Android through Termux.
- Language: C
- License: GPL 2.0 or later (GPL-2.0-or-later)
- Latest version: 2.4.2
- Maintained: yes
- Website: http://www.mutt.org/
- Source: https://gitlab.com/muttmua/mutt
- Documentation: http://www.mutt.org/doc/manual/

## Install

### Linux

Native.

- apt: `sudo apt install mutt`
- dnf: `sudo dnf install mutt`
- pacman: `sudo pacman -S mutt`

### macOS

Native.

- Homebrew: `brew install mutt`

### Windows

Through WSL. No native Windows build; runs in WSL, and Cygwin and MSYS2 also package it.

- WSL: `sudo apt install mutt`
- MSYS2: `pacman -S mutt`

### BSD

Native.

- FreeBSD pkg: `pkg install mutt`
- OpenBSD: `pkg_add mutt`

### Android

Through Termux.

- Termux: `pkg install mutt`

## Protocols

- IMAP: Yes
- POP3: Yes
- SMTP: Yes
- JMAP: No
- Maildir: Yes
- mbox: Yes
- notmuch: No

## Features

- OpenPGP: Yes
- S/MIME: Yes
- OAuth2 sign-in: via script
- Threads: Yes
- Search: built-in patterns; server-side IMAP search
- HTML mail: via mailcap and an external viewer such as w3m or lynx
- Mouse: No
- Multiple accounts: Yes
- Offline use: with isync or OfflineIMAP; IMAP header and body cache
- Calendar: No
- Contacts: via query_command with abook or khard
- Vim-style keys: Yes
- Configuration: muttrc text file

## Pros

- Packaged by major Linux distributions, Homebrew, FreeBSD, OpenBSD and Termux
- Conservative releases that rarely break existing muttrc files
- Built-in PGP/MIME, S/MIME and Autocrypt

## Cons

- No notmuch, NNTP or scripting support (NeoMutt has these)
- Configuration is a text file with hundreds of options and no setup wizard
- HTML mail needs an external viewer set up in mailcap

## Use Mutt with Forward Email

File: `~/.muttrc`

```
# Forward Email: IMAP over SSL/TLS (993), SMTP over SSL/TLS (465)
set realname = "Your Name"
set from = "you@example.com"

set imap_user = "you@example.com"
set imap_pass = "`pass show email/forwardemail`"
set folder = "imaps://imap.forwardemail.net:993/"
set spoolfile = "+INBOX"
set record = "+Sent Mail"
set postponed = "+Drafts"
set trash = "+Trash"

# The @ in the username is URL-encoded as %40
set smtp_url = "smtps://you%40example.com@smtp.forwardemail.net:465/"
set smtp_pass = "`pass show email/forwardemail`"
set ssl_force_tls = yes
```

| 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. Password: the one from Generate Password next to the alias. Folders: INBOX, Drafts, Sent Mail, Trash, Spam and Archive.

## Questions

### Does Mutt work on Windows?

Not natively. It runs in Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL). No native Windows build; runs in WSL, and Cygwin and MSYS2 also package it.

### Does Mutt support IMAP?

Yes, Mutt connects to IMAP servers directly.

### Is Mutt open source?

Yes, under the GPL 2.0 or later.

### How do I use Mutt with Forward Email?

Use the config in the Forward Email section on this page, saved as ~/.muttrc, and replace the address and password with your own.

## Sources

- http://www.mutt.org/
- http://www.mutt.org/doc/manual/
- https://gitlab.com/muttmua/mutt
- https://gitlab.com/muttmua/mutt/-/blob/master/COPYRIGHT
- https://gitlab.com/muttmua/mutt/-/blob/master/UPDATING
- https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/mutt
- https://sources.debian.org/src/mutt/
- https://packages.fedoraproject.org/pkgs/mutt/mutt/
- https://archlinux.org/packages/extra/x86_64/mutt/
- https://www.freshports.org/mail/mutt/
- https://github.com/openbsd/ports/tree/master/mail/mutt
- https://github.com/termux/termux-packages/tree/master/packages/mutt
- https://cygwin.com/packages/summary/mutt.html
- https://packages.msys2.org/packages/mutt
- https://github.com/forwardemail/forwardemail.net/blob/master/helpers/ensure-default-mailboxes.js