To execute a command, press ':' to bring up the command interface. Commands may
also be bound to keys, see aerc-config(5) for details. In some
contexts, such as the terminal emulator, '<c-x>' is used to bring up the
command interface.
Different commands work in different contexts, depending on the
kind of tab you have selected.
Aerc stores a history of commands, which can be cycled through in
command mode. Pressing the up key cycles backwards in history, while
pressing down cycles forwards.
These commands work in any context.
cd <directory>
Changes aerc's current working directory.
change-tab [+|-]<tab name or index>
Changes the focus to the tab with the given name. If a
number is given, it's treated as an index. If + or - is specified, the number
is interpreted as a delta from the selected tab.
exec <command...>
Executes an arbitrary command in the background.
Note: commands executed in this way are not executed with
the shell.
pwd
Displays aerc's current working directory in the status
bar.
set <category>.<option> <value>
Changes the value of a configuration paramter at runtime.
The category is the name of the [heading] for the config option you wish to
change, and the option is the name of the config option. For example, to
change this option:
[ui]
index-format=before
Use :set ui.index-format after.
term [command...]
Opens a new terminal tab with a shell running in the
current working directory, or the specified command.
move-tab [+|-]<index>
Moves the selected tab to the given index. If + or - is
specified, the number is interpreted as a delta from the selected tab.
prev-tab [n], next-tab [n]
Cycles to the previous or next tab in the list, repeating
n times (default: 1).
prompt <prompt> <command...>
Displays the prompt on the status bar, waits for user
input, then appends that input as the last argument to the command and
executes it. The input is passed as one argument to the command, unless it is
empty, in which case no extra argument is added.
choose -o <key> <text> <command> [-o
<key> <text> <command>]...
Prompts the user to choose from various options.
quit
Exits aerc.
These commands are valid in any context that has a selected message (e.g. the
message list, the message in the message viewer, etc).
archive <scheme>
Moves the selected message to the archive. The available
schemes are:
flat: No special structure, all messages in the archive
directory
year: Messages are stored in folders per year
month: Messages are stored in folders per year and
subfolders per month
copy <target>
Copies the selected message to the target folder.
delete
Deletes the selected message.
recall
Opens the selected message for re-editing. Messages can
only be recalled from the postpone directory.
forward [-A] [address...]
Opens the composer to forward the selected message to
another recipient.
-A: Forward the message as an RFC 8022 attachment.
move <target>
Moves the selected message to the target folder.
pipe [-bmp] <cmd>
Downloads and pipes the selected message into the given
shell command, and opens a new terminal tab to show the result. By default,
the selected message part is used in the message viewer and the full message
is used in the message list.
-b: Run the command in the background instead of opening a
terminal tab
-m: Pipe the full message
-p: Pipe just the selected message part, if applicable
reply [-aq] [-T <template-file>]
Opens the composer to reply to the selected message.
-a: Reply all
-q: Insert a quoted version of the selected message into
the reply editor
-T: Use the specified template file for creating the
initial message body
read
Marks the marked or selected messages as read.
-t: Toggle the messages between read and unread.
unread
Marks the marked or selected messages as unread.
-t: Toggle the messages between read and unread.
modify-labels <[+-]label>...
Modify message labels (e.g. notmuch tags). Labels
prefixed with a '+' are added, those prefixed with a '-' removed. As a
convenience, labels without either operand add the specified label.
Example: `modify-labels +inbox -spam unread` adds the labels inbox
and unread and removes spam
unsubscribe
Attempt to automatically unsubscribe the user from the
mailing list through use of the List-Unsubscribe header. If supported, aerc
may open a compose window pre-filled with the unsubscribe information or open
the unsubscribe URL in a web browser.
clear
Clears the current search or filter criteria.
cf <folder>
Change the folder shown in the message list.
compose [-H] [<body>]
Open the compose window to send a new email. The new
email will be sent with the current account's outgoing transport
configuration. For details on configuring outgoing mail delivery consult
aerc-config(5).
-H <header>
Add the specified header to the message, e.g. 'compose -H
"X-Custom: custom value"'
filter [options] <terms...>
Similar to search, but filters the displayed
messages to only the search results. See the documentation for search
for more details.
mkdir <name>
Creates a new folder for this account and changes to that
folder.
next <n>[%], prev <n>[%]
Selects the next (or previous) message in the message
list. If specified as a percentage, the percentage is applied to the number of
messages shown on screen and the cursor advances that far.
next-folder <n>, prev-folder <n>
Cycles to the next (or previous) folder shown in the
sidebar, repeated n times (default: 1).
next-result, prev-result
Selects the next or previous search result.
search
Searches the current folder. The search syntax is
dependant on the underlying backend. Refer to aerc-search(1) for
details
select <n>
Selects the nth message in the message list (and scrolls
it into view if necessary).
sort [[-r] <criterion>]...
Sorts the message list by the given criteria.
-r
sorts the immediately following criterion in reverse order.
Available criteria:
| Criterion |
Description |
| arrival |
Date and time of the messages arrival |
| cc |
Addresses in the "cc" field |
| date |
Date and time of the message |
| from |
Addresses in the "from" field |
| read |
Presence of the read flag |
| size |
Size of the message |
| subject |
Subject of the message |
| to |
Addresses in the "to" field |
view
Opens the message viewer to display the selected
message.
close
Closes the message viewer.
next <n>[%], prev <n>[%]
Selects the next (or previous) message in the message
list. If specified as a percentage, the percentage is applied to the number of
messages shown on screen and the cursor advances that far.
next-part, prev-part
Cycles between message parts being shown. The list of
message parts is shown at the bottom of the message viewer.
open
Saves the current message part in a temporary file and
opens it with the system handler.
save [-fp] <path>
Saves the current message part to the given path. If the
path is not an absolute path, general.default-save-path will be prepended to
the path given. If path ends in a trailing slash or if a folder exists on
disc, aerc assumes it to be a directory. When passed a directory :save infers
the filename from the mail part if possible, or if that fails, uses
"aerc_$DATE".
-f: Overwrite the destination whether or not it exists
-p: Create any directories in the path that do not
exist
mark [-atv]
Marks messages. Commands will execute on all marked
messages instead of the highlighted one if applicable. The flags below can be
combined as needed.
-a: Apply to all messages in the current folder
-t: toggle the mark state instead of marking a message
-v: Enter / leave visual mark mode
unmark [-at]
Unmarks messages. The flags below can be combined as
needed.
-a: Apply to all messages in the current folder
-t: toggle the mark state instead of unmarking a
message
Close the composor without sending, discarding the
message in progress.
attach <path>
Attaches the file at the given path to the email.
detach [path]
Detaches the file with the given path from the composed
email. If no path is specified, detaches the first attachment instead.
cc [addresses], bcc [addresses]
Sets the Cc or Bcc header to the given addresses. If an
editor for the header is not currently visible in the compose window, a new
one will be added.
edit
(Re-) opens your text editor to edit the message in
progress.
next-field, prev-field
Cycles between input fields in the compose window.
postpone
Saves the current state of the message to the
postpone folder for the current account.
save [-p] <path>
Saves the selected message part to the specified path. If
-p is selected, aerc will create any missing directories in the specified
path. If the path specified is a directory or ends in /, aerc will use the
attachment filename if available or a generated name if not.
send
Sends the message using this accounts default outgoing
transport configuration. For details on configuring outgoing mail delivery
consult aerc-config(5).
header [-f] <field> [value]
Add a new email header. If the header already exists, -f
must be specified to replace the given value.
toggle-headers
Toggles the visibility of the message headers.
close
Closes the terminal.
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