Message Window#
Introduction – Where am I?#
The Message Window is the prompt-and-status area at the bottom of NeoMutt. It is not a full dialog like the index or pager; instead, it is the place where NeoMutt asks questions, accepts typed input, reports status, and shows progress. If NeoMutt needs a short answer from you, it usually appears here.
Status Bar Message Window
What am I looking at?#
The status line shows short-lived information such as mailbox state, help, errors, and progress.
The prompt line is where you type commands, searches, filenames, addresses, and answers to questions.
Highlighted option characters in prompts show the valid one-key responses for yes/no and multi-choice questions.
Depending on the prompt, this line can temporarily hand off to the History Dialog, Pattern Dialog, Alias Dialog, Query Dialog, or Browser Dialog.
What can I do?#
Enter NeoMutt commands with : and answer free-form prompts such as searches, limits, addresses, and filenames.
Use editor keys for cursor movement, deletion, history, completion, and query completion.
Answer yes/no and multi-choice prompts that control quitting, crypto, flags, and other decisions.
Watch transfer and background progress without leaving the current screen.
Use
:exec what-keyto inspect how NeoMutt sees a key press.Full reference: Editor Functions, Generic Functions.
Where can I go next?#
Submitting a prompt usually returns you to the dialog that asked the question, such as the Index Dialog, Pager Dialog, Compose Dialog, or Browser Dialog.
Address completion can open the Alias Dialog or Query Dialog.
Filename browsing can open the Browser Dialog.
History keys can open the History Dialog.
Pattern help can open the Pattern Dialog.
Where did I come from?#
Almost every major dialog uses the message window for searches, limits, commands, confirmations, filenames, and recipient entry.
The Index Dialog, Pager Dialog, and Compose Dialog are the most common callers.
How do I configure this?#
Start with Editor Functions, History Config, Pattern Options, and General Config.
Common options include
$help,$wait_key,$history,$history_file,$simple_search, and$external_search_command.Useful commands include
:set,:unset,:toggle,:exec,:echo,:bind, and:macro.Colours come from Colour Objects, especially
prompt,options,message,warning,error,progress, andstatus.
Common Prompt Types#
Enter Command#
Function <enter-command> (Key: :)
:echo "hello"
Type any NeoMutt command here, from quick experiments like set and echo to full configuration commands.
Yes / No / Help#
Exit NeoMutt without saving? ([yes]/no):
Simple confirmation prompts usually accept one keypress, and some of them support ? for inline help about the option being asked.
Quit NeoMutt? ([no]/yes/?):
$quit - Prompt before exiting NeoMutt https://neomutt.org/guide/reference#quit Quit NeoMutt? ([no]/yes/?):
The inline help version is especially useful when a confirmation is driven by a configuration option you do not recognise.
Multi-choice#
PGP (e)ncrypt, (s)ign, sign (a)s, (b)oth, s/(m)ime or (c)lear?
Multi-choice prompts are common for crypto decisions, where a single keypress changes signing or encryption state.
PGP ncrypt, ign, sign s, oth, s/ime or lear?
Custom Flags#
Set flag? (D/N/O/r/*/!):
Some prompts expect one short symbolic choice rather than free-form text.
Free Form Question#
Search for:
Searches, limits, addresses, filenames, and many configuration prompts use free-form entry with the full line editor.
Progress Bar#
Fetching message headers... 8806/37928 (23%)
Long-running operations such as fetching headers or sending large messages report progress here instead of interrupting the whole screen.
What Key?#
:exec what-key
Char = f, Octal = 146, Decimal = 102 Enter keys (^G to abort):
This is the quickest way to discover how NeoMutt names a key before rebinding it.