---
name: "getmail"
section: "1"
platform: "linux"
package: "getmail6"
version: "6.19.07-1"
release: "Debian 13 (Trixie)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/getmail"
---

# getmail(1)

retrieve messages from one or more POP3, IMAP4, or SDPS mailboxes and deliver to a maildir, mboxrd-format mbox file, or external MDA

## NAME

getmail - retrieve messages from one or more POP3, IMAP4, or SDPS mailboxes and deliver to a maildir, mboxrd-format mbox file, or external MDA

## SYNOPSIS

**getmail** \[*OPTION*\] ...

## DESCRIPTION

getmail can retrieve messages from POP3, IMAP4, and SDPS mailboxes.  SSL-wrapped POP3 and IMAP are also supported.  Single-user and domain (multi-drop) mailboxes are supported.

getmail has built-in support for delivering to maildirs, mboxrd-format mbox files, and external MDAs.

## OPTIONS

- **--version**

  show program's version number and exit

- **-h**, **--help**

  show a short usage summary and exit

- **-g***DIR*, **--getmaildir**=*DIR*

  look in DIR for config/data files

- **-r***FILE*, **--rcfile**=*FILE*

  load configuration from FILE (may be given multiple times)

- **--dump**

  dump configuration and exit (debugging)

- **--trace**

  print extended trace information (extremely verbose)

- **-i***FOLDER*, **--idle**=*FOLDER*

  maintain connection and listen for new messages in *FOLDER*. This flag will only work if a single rc file is given, and will only work on IMAP connections where the server supports IMAP4 IDLE (RFC 2177).

The following options override any in the configuration file(s).

- **-v**, **--verbose**

  operate more verbosely (can be given multiple times)

- **-q**, **--quiet**

  do not print informational messages

- **-d**, **--delete**

  delete messages from server after retrieving

- **-l**, **--dont-delete**

  do not delete messages from server after retrieving

- **-a**, **--all**

  retrieve all messages

- **-n**, **--new**

  retrieve only unread messages

## AUTHOR

Written by Charles Cazabon and others.

## REPORTING BUGS

Report bugs to \<https://github.com/getmail6/getmail6/issues\>

**IMPORTANT:** include the output of **getmail \[options\] --dump** with any bug report.

## COPYRIGHT

Copyright © 1998-2025 Charles Cazabon and others.\
 This is free software; see the file COPYING for copying conditions.  There is NO warranty; not even for MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.

## SEE ALSO

The full documentation for **getmail** is maintained in HTML and plaintext formats.  See the included files for details.