Mutt: the email client for the terminal

What is Mutt?

Mutt is a text-based email client running on the Unix-like system terminal. Since its creation in the late 1990s, it has gained popularity among users who value speed, flexibility and total control over its inbox. Unlike graphic customers, Mutt does not consume much memory and allows to work with multiple accounts by using Maildir or mbox folders.

Main characteristics

• Fully operable keyboard interface, ideal for command line users.
• Support for IMAP, POP3 and SMTP protocols, which allows you to read and send emails from almost any server.
• Ability to handle multiple mailboxes and folders using Maildir, mbox or MH.
• Filtering and powerful search through regular expressions and tags.
• Integration with external tools such as GnuPG for encryption and signature, and with text editors such as Vim or Emacs to write messages.
• Highly configurable through the filemuttrc, where shortcuts, colors, hooks and scripts can be defined.

Basic installation and configuration

In Debian-based Linux distributions, the installation is as simple as:

sudo apt-get install mutt

In Fedora or CentOS it is used:

sudo dnf install mutt

Once installed, the first step is to create a configuration file~/.muttrc. A minimum example for an IMAP account could be seen as follows:

set imap_user = 'tuusuario@ejemplo.com'

set imap_pass = 'tupassword'

set folder = 'imaps://imap.ejemplo.com:993'

set spoolfile = '+INBOX'

set record = '+sent'

set postponed = '+drafts'


After saving the file, just runmuttat the terminal to start working.
Daily use: read and send emails
When Mutt starts, a list of mailboxes is shown. With the arrows it sails andEnterOpen the selected mailbox. Inside a mailbox, the messages appear in an index view; they can be marked withdto remove,sto save in a folder,rto respond andmto create a new message.
To write a mail, Mutt launches the editor defined in the variable$EDITOR(e.g. Vim). There the body is written and, when the editor is saved and closed, it is returned to the composition screen where the recipients, subject and attachments can be added before sending withy.
Advanced personalization with muttrc
The real power of Mutt lies in your configuration file. Some useful customizations include:

Colors and themes:usecolorto define the interface palette, for examplecolor index brightwhite default ~Nto highlight unread messages.
Hooks:automatically run commands when changing folder or sending a message. For example,folder-hook 'imap://*' 'set imap_check_subscribed'.
Macros:assign key sequences to frequent actions, such asmacro index,pager \C-a 'toggle $hide_limit' 'mostrar/ocultar límite de mensajes'.
Integration with notifications:usenotify-sendin anew-mail hookto receive desktop alerts when new mail arrives.

Productivity tips

Group messages by conversation using pluginthreadedor the optionset sort=threads.
Use saved searches (virtual folders) to quickly access common filters, such as~F flaggedfor marked messages.
Adjust the ability to postpone drafts with the commandpand later back them from the folder+drafts.
Keep a backup of yourmuttrcand your Maildir folders in a Git repository so you can play your environment on any machine.

Community and resources
Mutt has an active community in mailing lists, IRC channel # muttfrom Freenode and the official websitemutt.org. There you will find detailed documentation, FAQs and a collection of configuration files shared by advanced users. In addition, several blogs and tutorials on YouTube explain step by step how to integrate Mutt with tools such as offlineimap, notmuch and mu4e to create a completely terminal-based mail workflow.
In short, Mutt remains a powerful option for those looking for a light, fully customizable and productivity-oriented mail client. Your initial learning may take a little time, but once mastered, it becomes a natural extension of the workflow of any advanced Linux user.