The Mutt E-Mail Client : Advanced Usage : IMAP Support (OPTIONAL) : Authentication
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## 4.11.2. Authentication

Mutt supports three authentication methods with IMAP servers: GSSAPI, CRAM-MD5, and LOGIN (there is a patch by Grant Edwards to add NTLM authentication for you poor exchange users out there, but it has yet to be integrated into the main tree). Mutt will try whichever methods are available on the server, in order from most secure to least. That is, mutt will first try GSSAPI authentication (ie Kerberos V), then CRAM-MD5, and finally LOGIN (the worst possible choice - your password travels across the net in the clear).

There are a few variables which control authentication:

- $imap_user - controls the username under which you request authentication on the IMAP server, for all authenticators.
- $imap_pass - the password to use to authenticate you using the LOGIN method. If this is set, and other methods fail, Mutt will use this without asking you. So if you use GSSAPI or CRAM-MD5, don't set this variable.
- $imap_cramkey - the secret used in CRAM-MD5 authentication (ie your CRAM password). If this is not set and your server supports CRAM-MD5, Mutt will prompt you for it.

Note: The IMAP support has had very limited testing due to a lack of developers using it. It should work with the reference servers mentioned above, but if you need a more stable way to access your IMAP folder, consider using a specialized program, such as fetchmail.

The Mutt E-Mail Client : Advanced Usage : IMAP Support (OPTIONAL) : Authentication
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