Using Email on the Terminal with Mutt

A great resource to learn how to use Mutt is the video:
Email on the terminal with mutt by Luke Smith

Outlook Configurations

https://support.microsoft.com/pt-br/office/configura%C3%A7%C3%B5es-pop-imap-e-smtp-para-outlook-com-d088b986-291d-42b8-9564-9c414e2aa040

My Configuration

.config/mutt/muttrc

set ssl_starttls=yes
set ssl_force_tls = yes

set sort = reverse-date-received
set editor = "vim"

# Sidebar
set sidebar_visible
set sidebar_format = "%B%?F? [%F]?%* %?N?%N/?%S"
set mail_check_stats

set imap_user = "your-email@hotmail.com"
set imap_pass = "#############"
set smtp_url = "smtp://$imap_user@smtp-mail.outlook.com:587"
set smtp_pass = $imap_pass

set from = $imap_user
set realname = "Your Name"

# Mailboxes
set folder = "imaps://outlook.office365.com:993"
set spoolfile = "+INBOX"
set record ="+Sent"
set trash = "+Trash"
set postponed="+Drafts"

mailboxes =INBOX =Sent =Trash =Drafts

source colors.muttrc

set date_format="%F"
set index_format="%4C %Z %d %-15.15L (%?l?%4l&%4c?) %s"

# Where to put the stuff
set mail_check = 100
set header_cache = "~/.config/mutt/cache/headers"
set message_cachedir = "~/.config/mutt/cache/bodies"
set certificate_file = "~/.config/mutt/certificates"

Scroll text

Hitting in my Mutt instance will scroll the message one line at a time. The command mapped to it is called "next-line", so you can map it to anything you want in your .muttrc

HTH, Tim Hammerquist

Sort Order

From How to make Mutt list messages in a descending order:

I have recently switched to Mutt myself, and the manual is unfortunately not a good place to start. I have pieced together a nice config mainly by googling and stealing stuff from other people’s configuration files.

The setting you want is
set sort = reverse-date-received
That will show the most recent mails on top.

If you want it threaded according to the most recent e-mail in a thread, this should work:
set sort=threads
set sort_browser=reverse-date
set sort_aux=last-date-received
Alternatively you might use

sort_aux=reverse-last-date-received

Select Multiple Messages

Tag messages

Mutt lets you “tag” multiple messages for action so that you can copy or delete them all at once with a single command. To use this feature, select each message with the t key command. Mutt will place an asterisk next to the message, indicating that it has been tagged. Once tagging is complete, use the ;c or ;d key shortcuts to copy or delete all the tagged messages simultaneously.

source: https://www.techrepublic.com/article/10-helpful-tips-for-mutt-e-mail-client-power-users/

Mutt Cheat Sheet

Source: http://sheet.shiar.nl/mutt

Using GPG to encrypt your password

Create private and public key pairs

$ gpg --gen-key
gpg (GnuPG) 2.2.4; Copyright (C) 2017 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
This is free software: you are free to change and redistribute it.
There is NO WARRANTY, to the extent permitted by law.

Note: Use "gpg --full-generate-key" for a full featured key generation dialog.

GnuPG needs to construct a user ID to identify your key.

Real name: leandro
Email address: xyz@gmail.com
You selected this USER-ID:
    "le <xyz@gmail.com>"

Change (N)ame, (E)mail, or (O)kay/(Q)uit? O
We need to generate a lot of random bytes. It is a good idea to perform
some other action (type on the keyboard, move the mouse, utilize the
disks) during the prime generation; this gives the random number
generator a better chance to gain enough entropy.
We need to generate a lot of random bytes. It is a good idea to perform
some other action (type on the keyboard, move the mouse, utilize the
disks) during the prime generation; this gives the random number
generator a better chance to gain enough entropy.
gpg: key 1U1U1U1U1U1U1U1U marked as ultimately trusted
gpg: directory '/home/leandro/.gnupg/openpgp-revocs.d' created
gpg: revocation certificate stored as '/home/leandro/.gnupg/openpgp-revocs.d/88888888658040234B8B61421U1U1U1U1U1U1U1U.rev'
public and secret key created and signed.

pub   rsa3072 2021-08-29 [SC] [expires: 2023-08-29]
      88888888658040234B8B61421U1U1U1U1U1U1U1U
uid                      le <xyz@gmail.com>
sub   rsa3072 2021-08-29 [E] [expires: 2023-08-29]

sec => ‘SECret key’
ssb => ‘Secret SuBkey’
pub => ‘PUBlic key’
sub => ‘public SUBkey’

source: What do ‘ssb’ and ‘sec’ mean in gpg’s output?

You need to know the OpenPGP protocol to understand what this is about. IIRC, the GPH also explains this.

pub = public key oacket
uid = user id packet
sub = public subkey packet
sec = secret key packet
sbb = secret subkey packet
sig = key signature

source: https://dev.gnupg.org/T1563#122298

List keys

gpg --list-secret-keys --keyid-format=long

Print public key

$ gpg --armor --export 1U1U1U1U1U1U1U1U

-----BEGIN PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK-----

mQGNBGErvJ8BDACawEcAbXenFz4ZOa1/EHvNzWkveYAEpPW4H2rDahCVkeXF5VLo
q+rd6wsl+J7WQ/v93rlCa+i//cEK1Vy5hZ1uSZAr+u2eORSLIiNyQs5WBUEJ+eBt
...
SuNmAnu/MqvYVsQp9ftkbOfiJWipduPIfu/ry3R02Zwdgsztz5DMxZMCATFF8IcB
HHc++EFE2/I9K2zWiQ4O+ot8WSGEgGDomA==
=Wp9y
-----END PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK-----

Encrypting a file

gpg --output imap_pass.gpg --encrypt --recipient leandro tmp

where recipient can be: key, name or email.

Decrypting a file

The command below will ask you for the passphrase.

gpg --decrypt imap_pass.gpg

set imap_pass for use the encrypted file

set imap_pass="`gpg --batch -q --decrypt ~/.config/mutt/imap_pass.gpg`"

Important Commands

Quit

Undo

Cancel a Command in Mutt

To cancel a command in the Mutt email client, press control and “g” at the same time.

ctrl+g

For years, I had been using ctrl+c, which cancels the command but also asks if you want to close mutt – so you had to also type “n” and enter.

source: https://magnatecha.com/cancel-a-command-in-mutt/