Where Is the Mutt Config File?
.muttrc location in home plus where mailboxes and header cache live by default.
Last updated
Mutt reads account settings, mailbox paths and keybinds from a run control file in your home directory. Modern builds also accept the XDG location, with the classic dotfile winning on conflicts.
Mail itself sits wherever your delivery chain puts it, commonly ~/Maildir or ~/Mail. The header cache defaults next to the config and is safe to delete when it misbehaves.
Where Mutt stores this, by platform
~/.muttrc
Primary config; ~/.config/mutt/muttrc and ~/.mutt/muttrc are checked as alternates. Mailboxes default under ~/Maildir or ~/Mail depending on mbox_type. Header cache sits at ~/.mutt/cache unless maildir_header_cache points elsewhere.
~/.muttrc
Same lookup order as Linux. Homebrew installs behave identically, with mail storage wherever your fetch setup delivers.
Frequently asked questions
Mutt says config not found. Where does it look?
It checks ~/.muttrc first, then the XDG and ~/.mutt alternates. Point -F at an explicit file to bypass the search while debugging.
Can I delete the Mutt header cache?
Yes. Remove the cache directory with Mutt closed and it rebuilds on next open. Only the speed benefit is lost, never mail.
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