mutt(1) User Manuals mutt(1)
NAME
mutt - The Mutt Mail User Agent
SYNOPSIS
mutt [-nRyzZ] [-e cmd] [-F file] [-m type] [-f file]
mutt [-Enx] [-e cmd] [-F file] [-H file] [-i file] [-s subj] [-b addr]
[-c addr] [-a file [...] --] addr|mailto_url [...]
mutt [-nx] [-e cmd] [-F file] [-s subj] [-b addr] [-c addr] [-a file
[...] --] addr|mailto_url [...] < message
mutt [-n] [-e cmd] [-F file] -p
mutt [-n] [-e cmd] [-F file] -A alias
mutt [-n] [-e cmd] [-F file] -Q query
mutt -v[v]
mutt -D
DESCRIPTION
Mutt is a small but very powerful text based program for reading and
sending electronic mail under unix operating systems, including support
for color terminals, MIME, OpenPGP, and a threaded sorting mode.
Note: This manual page gives a brief overview of mutt's command line
options. You should find a copy of the full manual in
/usr/share/doc/mutt, in text, HTML, and/or PDF format.
OPTIONS
-A alias
An expanded version of the given alias is passed to stdout.
-a file [...]
Attach a file to your message using MIME. When attaching single
or multiple files, separating filenames and recipient addresses
with "--" is mandatory, e.g. mutt -a image.jpg -- addr1 or mutt
-a img.jpg *.png -- addr1 addr2. The -a option must be placed
at the end of command line options.
-b address
Specify a blind-carbon-copy (BCC) recipient
-c address
Specify a carbon-copy (CC) recipient
-d level
If mutt was compiled with +DEBUG log debugging output to
~/.muttdebug0. Level can range from 1-5 and effects verbosity.
A value of 2 is recommended.
-D Print the value of all configuration options to stdout.
-E Causes the draft file specified by -H or include file specified
by -i to be edited during message composition.
-e command
Specify a configuration command to be run after processing of
initialization files.
-f mailbox
Specify which mailbox to load.
-F muttrc
Specify an initialization file to read instead of ~/.muttrc
-h Display help.
-H draft
Specify a draft file which contains header and body to use to
send a message.
-i include
Specify a file to include into the body of a message.
-m type
specify a default mailbox type for newly created folders.
-n Causes Mutt to bypass the system configuration file.
-p Resume a postponed message.
-Q query
Query a configuration variables value. The query is executed
after all configuration files have been parsed, and any commands
given on the command line have been executed.
-R Open a mailbox in read-only mode.
-s subject
Specify the subject of the message.
-v Display the Mutt version number and compile-time definitions.
-vv Display license and copyright information.
-x Emulate the mailx compose mode.
-y Start Mutt with a listing of all mailboxes specified by the
mailboxes command.
-z When used with -f, causes Mutt not to start if there are no mes-
sages in the mailbox.
-Z Causes Mutt to open the first mailbox specified by the mailboxes
command which contains new mail.
-- Treat remaining arguments as addr even if they start with a
dash. See also "-a" above.
ENVIRONMENT
EDITOR Specifies the editor to use if VISUAL is unset.
EMAIL The user's e-mail address.
HOME Full path of the user's home directory.
MAIL Full path of the user's spool mailbox.
MAILDIR
Full path of the user's spool mailbox if MAIL is unset. Com-
monly used when the spool mailbox is a maildir (5) folder.
MAILCAPS
Path to search for mailcap files.
MM_NOASK
If this variable is set, mailcap are always used without prompt-
ing first.
PGPPATH
Directory in which the user's PGP public keyring can be found.
When used with the original PGP program, mutt and mutt_pgpring
(1) rely on this being set.
TMPDIR Directory in which temporary files are created.
REPLYTO
Default Reply-To address.
VISUAL Specifies the editor to use when composing messages.
FILES
~/.muttrc or ~/.mutt/muttrc
User configuration file.
/etc/Muttrc
System-wide configuration file.
/tmp/muttXXXXXX
Temporary files created by Mutt.
~/.mailcap
User definition for handling non-text MIME types.
/etc/mailcap
System definition for handling non-text MIME types.
~/.mime.types
User's personal mapping between MIME types and file extensions.
/etc/mime.types
System mapping between MIME types and file extensions.
/usr/bin/mutt_dotlock
The privileged dotlocking program.
/usr/share/doc/mutt/manual.txt.gz
The Mutt manual.
BUGS
None. Mutts have fleas, not bugs.
FLEAS
Suspend/resume while editing a file with an external editor does not
work under SunOS 4.x if you use the curses lib in /usr/5lib. It does
work with the S-Lang library, however.
Resizing the screen while using an external pager causes Mutt to go
haywire on some systems.
Suspend/resume does not work under Ultrix.
The help line for the index menu is not updated if you change the bind-
ings for one of the functions listed while Mutt is running.
For a more up-to-date list of bugs, errm, fleas, please visit the mutt
project's bug tracking system under https://gitlab.com/muttmua/mutt/is-
sues.
NO WARRANTIES
This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but
WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MER-
CHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU General
Public License for more details.
SEE ALSO
curses(3), mailcap(5), maildir(5), mbox(5), mutt_dotlock(1), muttrc(5),
ncurses(3), sendmail(1), smail(1).
Mutt Home Page: http://www.mutt.org/
The Mutt manual
AUTHOR
Michael Elkins, and others. Use <mutt-dev@mutt.org> to contact the de-
velopers.
Unix January 2019 mutt(1)