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Once you've gotten mutt up and running, you need to configure your mutt
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application for interactive use.
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## Modes
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Normally, mutt starts in "index" mode, displaying the content of your
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"inbox" (see /Folders). [br](br "wikilink") Depending on your course of
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action, you can enter some other modes, here the full list:
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### primary modes
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- "index": list the emails of an opened folder, it's the main mode.
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"pager": display a selected e-mail.
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"attach": list the parts of MIME attachments.
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"compose": set up a new email to be sent out.
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"browser": directory listing when searching for folder to change to.
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### sub-modes
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- "alias": list aliases (in mutt, your collection of aliases is your
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address book) to choose from.
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"query": often used to reference a database, a common protocol being
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LDAP.
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"postpone": list of postponed e-mails to selecting for editing.
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"pgp": list of PGP or GnuPG keys, depending on your configuration.
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"editor": the input line when you are supposed to enter some text.
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Each mode has its own set of actions, which can be bound to keys of your
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choice using the 'bind' command (see /Syntax). **To see a list of
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current key bindings for a given mode, hit '?' (a.k.a. 'the menu').** It
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will show you all available functions, even those unbound. There is a
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set of generic bindings that will work by default in every mode unless a
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specific context binding overrides the keys. You might want to have some
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[CheatSheets](CheatSheets) for some often used default bindings.
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Some actions are available in more than one mode, and most of those
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commands are shared between "index" and "pager". Yet, to control the
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same action in both modes with the same key requires that you configure
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the key for both separately.
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`* bind index K mail`
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`* bind pager K mail`
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## Tagging: applying a <function> to multiple messages
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There are two special commands available in several modes: **tag,
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tag-prefix**. With "tag" you select a list of messages to which a
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subsequent **built-in** <function> should be applied. As long as you
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don't change the mode (or folder in index mode), you may work with
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single messages on and off this tagged list before you apply a
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<function> to the list. Invoking a <function> as usual applies only to
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the currently selected item. If you apply <tag-prefix>, then the next
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<function> applies to the whole list\! There is also <tag-prefix-cond>,
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which applies a following <function> only of there is a list\! Sometimes
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you might want it to work anyway, sometimes you don't: choose carefully
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when to use what.
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Also RTFM about "auto\_tag, delete\_untag, print\_split, print\_decode,
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pipe\_split, pipe\_decode" for your options how to adjust <tag-prefix>
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behavior.
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## Macros
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You can combine a sequence of actions with a single keystroke by using
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macros. They are defined like regular key bindings, except that they
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take not only a single function as argument, but a series of keys or
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"<functions>".
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You can specify literal keys, which is extremely useful to fill in
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dialog input that you normaly enter manually. However, you should limit
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literal keys exactly to this purpose of editor input. For the
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portability of a macro into the environment of another user's
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keybindings it is recommended that you use the "<function>" syntax to
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call actions rather than your currently bound key for that function,even
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though it looks more complicated.
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`* bad: macro pager K 'c+bla\nm'`
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`* good: macro pager K '`<change-folder>`+bla`<enter><mail>`'`
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See /Macros for a longer introduction.
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## TAB completion in "editor" mode
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In every prompt where you have to enter a folder or alias, mutt will
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autocomplete a partially given path (item for alias) by pressing the
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**TAB** key. This works even with the shortcuts & remote folders (see
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/Folders).
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When mutt has reached a point where it can't auto-complete on its own
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(no more or too many matches), you can hit **TAB** another time
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("TAB-TAB") to make mutt enter "**folder browser**" mode: mutt shows all
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entries matching the given (partial) path. That's the same as "c?" ==
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start with empty partial path. Have a look for "**$mask**" to set
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personal filters for files displayed.
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Note: if the browsing after "c?" or "c<TAB><TAB>" ends in a
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**different** directory than you started, then the internal "browsing
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directory" for the **next directory scan** will be set to that **last
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browsed directory**. This directory is also used as **current relative**
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for any file operation **without full path**. The initial "browsing
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directory" is set to the value of **$folder**. To make sure that you
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start out your browsing with the "$folder" base even after changing
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dirs, always use "+" or "=" as initial path to be completed\! (see
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/Folders)
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`c+`<TAB><TAB>
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When in "folder browser", you can hit '?' to see its specific key
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bindings for extra functions. Some of them are only useful and therefore
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available with IMAP enabled. Others are generally useful, like going to
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"mailboxes" list, which is bound to <TAB> by default: to get there from
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the start you have to hit
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`c?`<TAB>` or c`<TAB><TAB><TAB>
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## generic Movement
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There is a myriad of ways to move around your screen. When you hit '?'
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for the list of functions, you'll notice a lot of functions with "next-"
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and "previous-" in
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them:
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`page, line, thread, subthread, new, unread, new-then-unread, undeleted, entry`
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Most important to remember is the distinction between "undeleted" and
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"entry", so that you can move to marked as deleted messages, which
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normally are jumped over.
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The difference between "unread" and "new" is that if instructed via
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**$mark\_old**, then mutt will mark new but yet unread messages as "old"
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when you leave the folder. See /Index.
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At last, of course you have absolute movement,
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too:
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`* jump to specific number simply by entering it.`
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`* jump to top, bottom, middle of page, first/ last entry of list.`
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`* scroll current message to top, bottom, middle of screen.`
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### special system commands
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`* ":" let's you enter a muttrc cmd to be executed once (useful "`**`:set``
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``?var`**`" to see current value)`
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`* "!" invokes a command-shell, returns to mutt when you exit the shell`
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`* quit: end mutt after saving changes to current folder`
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`* exit: end mutt `**`without`**` saving changes to current folder`
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`* create-alias, edit current message, `
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## Index + Pager mode
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### folder management
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See also
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/Folders.
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`* un-/delete $save_empty`
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`* flags`
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`* auto_tag, tagging, prefix,`
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`* simple_search, `<limit>` cmd, patterns list (+ [PatternQuoting](PatternQuoting))`
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`* save: confirmappend, confirmcreate`
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`* save /copy /move (see [MuttFaq/Action](MuttFaq/Action))`
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`* change: delete, move`
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### msg management
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`* view (src or MIME) -> /Attachments "pager" + "attach" mode`
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`* auto_view, $forward_decode`
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`* pipe_sep, pipe_split, print_*`
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`* toggle weeding, toggle quoted, skip quoted: quote-regexp`
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### get/ check new mail
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`* [MuttFaq/Folder](MuttFaq/Folder) -> mailcheck, timeout`
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`* pop internal, URL ...`
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## Compose msg
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`* mail, reply (group, list) -> /Compose "alias", "compose", "query", "postpone", "pgp" + "attach" mode`
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`* bounce, resend,`
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`* forward: various mime_* + forward_* vars`
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As long as $mime\_forward is unset (the default), attachments will be
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automatically inserted into the body of the message. On the other hand,
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you may override the default, and either be prompted to forward the
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message ('ask-'yes/no) or do it automatically ('yes').
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Forwarding messages as attachments has its advantages and disadvantages.
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The advantage is that you are sending a complete copy of the message to
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the recipient. All headers are kept intact, which can be helpful for
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reporting spammers. On the other hand, if you want to be able to see and
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work with the original message (ideal for mailing lists and casual
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e-mails), then it is safe to leave $mime\_forward alone.
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Keep in mind that $mime\_forward is a 'quadoption' variable, and by
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setting it to 'ask-yes' or 'ask-no', you will be prompted each time you
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forward.
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### edit input fields
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### browser
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IMAP/maildir dir vs. folder = space vs. enter = view vs. select |