# Wanderlust

> Mail and news reader for Emacs, written in Emacs Lisp, with built-in IMAP, POP3, NNTP and SMTP support.

Wanderlust is an Emacs mail client that talks to IMAP, POP3 and NNTP servers directly and also reads local Maildir and MH folders. Folders are named with a compact prefix syntax (for example %inbox for IMAP), and it can cache messages for disconnected use. Development continues on GitHub as unreleased 2.15.9 snapshots, distributed through MELPA and distribution packages. It suits Emacs users who want a client that needs no separate sync or SMTP tool.

- Type: Email client
- Interface: Runs inside Emacs
- Systems: Runs on Linux, macOS and BSD, on Windows through WSL, on Android through Termux.
- Language: Emacs Lisp
- License: GPL 2.0 or later (GPL-2.0-or-later)
- Latest version: 2.15.9
- Maintained: yes
- Website: https://github.com/wanderlust/wanderlust
- Source: https://github.com/wanderlust/wanderlust
- Documentation: https://wanderlust.github.io/wl-docs/

## Install

### Linux

Native.

- apt: `sudo apt install wl`
- pacman: `sudo pacman -S wanderlust`
- MELPA: `M-x package-install RET wanderlust RET`

### macOS

Native.

- MELPA: `M-x package-install RET wanderlust RET`

### Windows

Through WSL. Native Windows Emacs is not documented upstream; use WSL.

- WSL: `sudo apt install wl`

### BSD

Native.

- FreeBSD pkg: `pkg install wanderlust`

### Android

Through Termux.

- Termux: `pkg install emacs, then M-x package-install RET wanderlust RET`

## Protocols

- IMAP: Yes
- POP3: Yes
- SMTP: Yes
- JMAP: No
- Maildir: Yes
- mbox: No
- notmuch: Through a separate tool

## Features

- OpenPGP: Yes
- S/MIME: No
- OAuth2 sign-in: via oauth2.el
- Threads: Yes
- Search: IMAP server-side search; local search via mu, notmuch, grep or namazu
- HTML mail: via mime-w3m (emacs-w3m)
- Mouse: Yes
- Multiple accounts: Yes
- Offline use: message cache and disconnected operation
- Calendar: No
- Contacts: built-in address book
- Vim-style keys: No
- Configuration: Emacs Lisp in ~/.wl, folder list in ~/.folders

## Pros

- Built-in IMAP, POP3 and SMTP; no external sync or send tool needed
- Offline cache with disconnected operation
- Packaged in Debian, Ubuntu, Arch, FreeBSD and MELPA

## Cons

- No formal release in many years; only 2.15.9 snapshots
- Folder syntax and the APEL/FLIM/SEMI dependency stack take time to learn
- Debian and Ubuntu ship an older snapshot than MELPA and Arch

## Use Wanderlust with Forward Email

File: `~/.wl`

```
;; ~/.wl
(setq elmo-imap4-default-server "imap.forwardemail.net"
      elmo-imap4-default-port 993
      elmo-imap4-default-stream-type 'ssl
      elmo-imap4-default-user "you@example.com"
      elmo-imap4-default-authenticate-type 'clear
      wl-default-folder "%inbox"
      wl-fcc "%\"Sent Mail\""
      wl-from "Your Name <you@example.com>"
      wl-local-domain "example.com"
      wl-smtp-posting-server "smtp.forwardemail.net"
      wl-smtp-posting-port 465
      wl-smtp-connection-type 'ssl
      wl-smtp-posting-user "you@example.com"
      wl-smtp-authenticate-type "plain")
;; Wanderlust prompts for the alias' generated password on first connect.
```

| 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 Wanderlust work on Windows?

Not natively. It runs in Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL). Native Windows Emacs is not documented upstream; use WSL.

### Does Wanderlust support IMAP?

Yes, Wanderlust connects to IMAP servers directly.

### Is Wanderlust open source?

Yes, under the GPL 2.0 or later.

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

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

## Sources

- https://github.com/wanderlust/wanderlust
- https://github.com/wanderlust/wanderlust/blob/master/README.md
- https://github.com/wanderlust/wanderlust/blob/master/COPYING
- https://github.com/wanderlust/wanderlust/blob/master/wanderlust-pkg.el
- https://github.com/wanderlust/wanderlust/blob/master/doc/wl.texi
- https://github.com/wanderlust/wanderlust/commits/master
- https://wanderlust.github.io/wl-docs/
- https://melpa.org/#/wanderlust
- https://packages.debian.org/search?keywords=wl&searchon=names&exact=1
- https://packages.ubuntu.com/wl
- https://archlinux.org/packages/extra/any/wanderlust/
- https://www.freshports.org/mail/wanderlust/