Simple Pagers#
Introduction – Where am I?#
“Simple Pager” is a family name for NeoMutt’s lightweight read-only text viewers. Whenever NeoMutt needs to show text that is longer than a single status line but does not need the full Pager Dialog, it opens one of these pages. Help screens, command dumps, log output, attachment text, and key verification all use this mechanism.
What am I looking at?#
A simple pager is mostly a block of plain text with a status line and basic scrolling/search support.
It usually has no mailbox context of its own; it is showing output generated by another command or dialog.
The specific content depends on which feature opened it, such as help, configuration dumps, logs, attachment text, or key verification.
What can I do?#
Read long-form output without losing it off the terminal.
Scroll, search, and quit back to the caller.
Use it as a reference screen while learning commands, key bindings, colours, or current configuration state.
Full reference: Dialog Functions, Generic Functions, Pager Functions.
Where can I go next?#
Quitting usually returns you to the dialog that opened it, such as the Index Dialog, Pager Dialog, Compose Dialog, or Attach Dialog.
Some simple pagers, such as key verification or attachment viewers, are side paths inside a larger crypto or MIME workflow.
Where did I come from?#
? help and many : commands create simple pagers from wherever you currently are.
The Attach Dialog and Compose Dialog can open them when viewing attachments as text.
Crypto dialogs can open them when verifying keys or certificates.
How do I configure this?#
Start with Pager Config, General Config, History Config, and the Commands Reference.
Common options include
$help,$wait_key,$message_format,$pager_format, and$attach_format.Common commands include
:bind,:macro,:set,:setenv,:version, and:color.Colours come from Colour Objects, especially
message,warning,error,prompt,progress,status,indicator, andsearch.
Which Simple Pager Is This?#
Colors#
Opened by :color.
This simple pager lists the currently active colour rules so you can inspect the effective theme and pattern-based colour matches.
# Simple Colors color attachment color174 color237 # color bold bold default default # XXXXXX color error color115 color236 # XXXXXX color hdrdefault color223 color237 # XXXXXX color indicator color108 color236 # XXXXXX color italic italic default default # XXXXXX color markers color142 color238 # XXXXXX color normal color188 color237 # XXXXXX color search reverse default default # XXXXXX color sidebar_highlight underline default default # color signature color223 color237 # XXXXXX color stripe_even bold default default # XXXXXX color tilde color108 color237 # XXXXXX color tree color109 color237 # XXXXXX color underline underline default default # XXXXXX # Quoted Colors color quoted0 color108 color237 # XXXXXX color quoted1 color116 color237 # XXXXXX color quoted2 color247 color237 # XXXXXX color quoted3 color108 color237 # XXXXXX color (35%)
Config Options#
Opened by :set when you inspect configuration state.
It provides a scrollable dump of variables and their effective values.
set abort_nosubject = yes set abort_unmodified = no set alias_file = "~/.config/neomutt/neomuttrc" set alias_format = "%3i %f%t %-15a %-56A │ %C" set allow_ansi = yes set assumed_charset = "iso-8859-1" set autocrypt_dir = "~/.config/neomutt/autocrypt" set certificate_file = "~/.cache/mutt/certificates" set check_new = no set collapse_unread = no set confirm_append = no set confirm_create = no set crypt_reply_sign = yes set crypt_reply_sign_encrypted = yes set debug_file = "~/.cache/mutt/neomuttdebug" set delete = yes set edit_headers = yes set fast_reply = yes set fcc_clear = yes set folder = "~/mail" set folder_format = "%2C %t %?N?%3N& ? %f" set from = "Richard Russon <rich@example.com>" set (24%)
Environment#
Opened by :setenv when you ask to inspect environment variables.
It shows environment-related output in a scrollable view rather than truncating it in the message line.
bind alias <Space> tag-entry # Tag the current entry bind alias O sort-alias-reverse # Sort messages in reverse order bind alias T tag-pattern # Tag non-hidden messages matching a pattern bind alias ^T untag-pattern # Untag non-hidden messages matching a pattern bind alias d delete-entry # Delete the current entry bind alias l limit # Show only messages matching a pattern bind alias m mail # Compose a new mail message bind alias o sort-alias # Sort messages bind alias q exit # Exit this menu bind alias u undelete-entry # Undelete the current entry bind attach <Enter> view-attach # View attachment using mailcap entry if necessary bind attach <Esc>P check-traditional-pgp # Check for classic PGP bind attach <Esc>e resend-message # Use the current message as a template for a new one bind attach <KeypadEnter> view-attach # View attachment using mailcap entry if necessary bind attach <Return> view-attach # View attachment using mailcap entry if necessary bind attach L list-reply # Reply to specified mailing list bind attach T view-text # View attachment as text bind attach ^E edit-type # Edit attachment content type bind attach ^F forget-passphrase # Wipe passphrases from memory bind attach ^K extract-keys # Extract supported public keys bind (5%)
Help Page#
Opened by ? from most menus. Or Alt-? from the editor menu.
It is the menu-specific help page showing available functions and their default keys.
<Esc>r read-subthread Mark the current subthread as read <Esc>s decode-save Make decoded copy (text/plain) and delete <Esc>u undelete-subthread Undelete all messages in subthread <Home> top Jump to the top of the message <KeypadEnter> next-line Scroll down one line <Left> previous-undeleted Move to the previous undeleted message <PageDown> next-page Move to the next page <PageUp> previous-page Move to the previous page <Return> next-line Scroll down one line <Right> next-undeleted Move to the next undeleted message <Space> next-page Move to the next page <Tab> next-new-then-unread Jump to the next new or unread message <Up> previous-undeleted Move to the previous undeleted message ? help This screen @ display-address Display full address of sender C copy-message Copy a message to a file/mailbox F flag-message Toggle a message's 'important' flag G bottom Jump to the bottom of the message H skip-headers Jump to first line after headers J next-entry Move to the next entry K previous-entry Move to the previous entry L list-reply Reply to specified mailing list Help for pager (32%)
Key Verification#
Opened when you verify a PGP key or S/MIME certificate from one of the crypto dialogs. It shows detailed verification output that would be too large for the message line.
Name: Alice Developer <alice@example.com> aka: Alice D <alice@dev.org> Valid From: Wed Jan 15 10:30:00 2020 Valid To: Sat Jan 15 10:30:00 2028 Key Type: PGP, 4096 bit RSA Key Usage: encryption, signing, certification Fingerprint: 85BE FB67 0DE1 A982 4C5D 5C12 3456 7890 ABCD EF01 Subkey: 0xABCDEF01 Valid From: Wed Jan 15 10:30:00 2020 Valid To: Sat Jan 15 10:30:00 2028 Key Type: PGP, 4096 bit RSA Key Usage: encryption Subkey: 0x12345678 Valid From: Wed Jan 15 10:30:00 2020 Valid To: Sat Jan 15 10:30:00 2028 Key Type: PGP, 2048 bit RSA Key Usage: signing ~ ~ ~ ~ Key ID: 0xABCDEF01 (all)
Keybindings#
Opened by :bind and :macro.
It shows key bindings and macros for the current menu, making it a quick reference when learning or debugging custom keymaps.
<Esc>r read-subthread Mark the current subthread as read <Esc>s decode-save Make decoded copy (text/plain) and delete <Esc>u undelete-subthread Undelete all messages in subthread <Home> top Jump to the top of the message <KeypadEnter> next-line Scroll down one line <Left> previous-undeleted Move to the previous undeleted message <PageDown> next-page Move to the next page <PageUp> previous-page Move to the previous page <Return> next-line Scroll down one line <Right> next-undeleted Move to the next undeleted message <Space> next-page Move to the next page <Tab> next-new-then-unread Jump to the next new or unread message <Up> previous-undeleted Move to the previous undeleted message ? help This screen @ display-address Display full address of sender C copy-message Copy a message to a file/mailbox F flag-message Toggle a message's 'important' flag G bottom Jump to the bottom of the message H skip-headers Jump to first line after headers J next-entry Move to the next entry K previous-entry Move to the previous entry L list-reply Reply to specified mailing list Help for pager (32%)
Log Messages#
Opened by <show-log-messages>.
It shows recent log and debug output so you can understand what NeoMutt has been doing internally.
[13:32:01]<1> WEED is set [13:32:02]<1> KEY: [13:32:02]<1> KEY: getch() OP_TIMEOUT [13:32:02]<1> Got op OP_TIMEOUT (-2) [13:32:03]<1> KEY: [13:32:03]<1> KEY: getch() 'M' [13:32:03]<1> KEY: flags = 0 [13:32:03]<1> KEY: FAIL1: ('M', OP_NULL) [13:32:03]<1> Got op OP_NULL (0) [13:32:03]<E> Key is not bound. Press '?' for help. [13:32:03]<1> KEY: [13:32:03]<1> KEY: getch() 'q' [13:32:03]<1> KEY: flags = 1 [13:32:03]<1> KEY: SUCCESS: ('q', OP_EXIT) [13:32:03]<1> Got op OP_EXIT (111) [13:32:03]<1> Handled OP_EXIT (111) -> done [13:32:03]<M> Sorting mailbox... [13:32:03]<1> Handled OP_DISPLAY_MESSAGE (80) -> [13:32:03]<1> KEY: [13:32:03]<1> KEY: getch() 'M' [13:32:03]<1> KEY: flags = 1 [13:32:03]<1> KEY: SUCCESS: ('M', OP_SHOW_LOG_MESSAGES) messages (96%)
Sendmail Error#
Opened when NeoMutt needs to show the output of an external sendmail-compatible command. It is mainly useful for diagnosing send failures and reviewing what the mail transport reported.
Error sending message, child exited 68 (Host unknown.) ~ ~ ~ ~ Output of the delivery process
View Attachment#
Opened when an attachment is viewed as text or through a mailcap entry that produces copious text output. It lets you read attachment contents without leaving NeoMutt entirely.
Image: Filename: /home/flatcap/.cache/mutt/flatcap.png Permissions: rw-r--r-- Format: PNG (Portable Network Graphics) Mime type: image/png Class: DirectClass Geometry: 460x460+0+0 Resolution: 37.8x37.8 Print size: 12.1693x12.1693 Units: PixelsPerCentimeter Colorspace: sRGB Type: GrayscaleAlpha Base type: TrueColorAlpha Endianness: Undefined Depth: 8-bit Channels: 4.0 Channel depth: Red: 8-bit Green: 8-bit Blue: 8-bit Alpha: 8-bit Channel statistics: Pixels: 211600 ---Command: identify -verbose '/home/flatc Attachment: image/png (0%)
Version#
Opened by :version or V.
It shows build information, compile-time features, and version details for your NeoMutt binary.
NeoMutt 20251211-703-6e95c8 Copyright (C) 2015-2026 Richard Russon and friends NeoMutt is free software, provided without warranty: `neomutt -vv` for details System: Linux 6.19.10-200.fc43.x86_64 (x86_64) ncurses: ncurses 6.5.20250614 (compiled with 6.5.20250614) libidn2: 2.3.8 (compiled with 2.3.8) GPGME: 1.24.3 GnuTLS: 3.8.12 libnotmuch: 5.7.0 PCRE2: 10.47 2025-10-21 storage: lmdb, gdbm, rocksdb, tdb compression: lz4, zlib, zstd Configure options: --quiet --autocrypt --disable-include-path-in-cflags --disable-paths-in-cflags +--lz4 --zlib --zstd --prefix=/usr --with-lock=fcntl --with-domain=flatcap.org --gnutls --gpgme +--gss --gsasl --lua --notmuch --disable-doc --disable-nls --lmdb --gdbm --tdb --rocksdb --pcre2 Compilation CFLAGS: -std=c11 -fno-delete-null-pointer-checks -D_ALL_SOURCE=1 -D_GNU_SOURCE=1 +-D__EXTENSIONS__ -D_XOPEN_SOURCE_EXTENDED -DNCURSES_WIDECHAR -O2 Compile options: version (62%)