Command-line email client mutt has a well-deserved reputation as a powerhouse of an email client. It’s fast, flexible and, best of all, surprisingly easy to use. In this guide we give you Step-By-Step instructions for setting up Mutt email client on Ubuntu using Gmail.
1. sudo apt-get install mutt
2. mkdir -p ~/.mutt/cache/headers mkdir ~/.mutt/cache/bodies touch ~/.mutt/certificates
3. Copy and paste configuration below into a new file, save it in your home directory, and rename it to .muttrc
# A basic .muttrc for use with Gmail
# Change the following six lines to match your Gmail account details
set imap_user = “YOUR.EMAIL@gmail.com”
set imap_pass = “PASSWORD”
set smtp_url = “smtp://YOUR.EMAIL@smtp.gmail.com:587/”
set smtp_pass = “PASSWORD”
set from = “YOUR.EMAIL@gmail.com”
set realname = “YOUR NAME”
# Change the following line to a different editor you prefer.
set editor = “nano”
# Basic config, you can leave this as is
set folder = “imaps://imap.gmail.com:993”
set spoolfile = “+INBOX”
set imap_check_subscribed
set hostname = gmail.com
set mail_check = 120
set timeout = 300
set imap_keepalive = 300
set postponed = “+[GMail]/Drafts”
set record = “+[GMail]/Sent Mail”
set header_cache=~/.mutt/cache/headers
set message_cachedir=~/.mutt/cache/bodies
set certificate_file=~/.mutt/certificates
set move = no
set include
set sort = ‘threads’
set sort_aux = ‘reverse-last-date-received’
set auto_tag = yes
ignore “Authentication-Results:”
ignore “DomainKey-Signature:”
ignore “DKIM-Signature:”
hdr_order Date From To Cc
alternative_order text/plain text/html *
auto_view text/html
bind editor <Tab> complete-query
bind editor ^T complete
bind editor <space> noop
# Gmail-style keyboard shortcuts
macro index,pager y “<enter-command>unset trashn <delete-message>” “Gmail archive message”
macro index,pager d “<enter-command>set trash=”imaps://imap.googlemail.com/[GMail]/Bin”n <delete-message>” “Gmail delete message”
macro index,pager gi “<change-folder>=INBOX<enter>” “Go to inbox”
macro index,pager ga “<change-folder>=[Gmail]/All Mail<enter>” “Go to all mail”
macro index,pager gs “<change-folder>=[Gmail]/Starred<enter>” “Go to starred messages”
macro index,pager gd “<change-folder>=[Gmail]/Drafts<enter>” “Go to drafts”
4. Open up the ~/.muttrc file in your favorite text editor, add your name, Gmail address and password—everything you’ll need to alter is in ALL CAPS—and save the file.
5. Run it from the command line by simply typing mutt. The first time you do this, you’ll be prompted to accept two SSL certificates from Google; press ‘a’ to always accept these certificates. You should now be greeted by your Gmail inbox