6.2 Entering the composer

There are a view different ways to enter the composer; i.e., from other mu4e views or even completely outside.

If you want the composer to start in a new frame or window, see the variable mu4e-compose-switch.

6.2.1 New message

You can start composing a completely new message with mu4e-compose-new (with N from within mu4e.

6.2.2 Reply

You can compose a reply to an existing message with mu4e-compose-reply (with R from within the headers view or when looking at some specific message.

When you want to reply to all recipients of a message, you can use mu4e-compose-wide-reply, bound to W. This is often called “reply-to-all”, while Gnus uses the term “wide reply”.

By default, the reply will cite the message being replied to. If you do not want that, you can set (or let-bind) message-cite-function to mu4e-message-cite-nothing.

See (message)Reply and (message)Wide Reply for further information.

Note: in older versions, mu4e-compose-reply would ask whether you want to reply-to-all or not; if you are nostalgic for that old behavior, you could add something like the following to your configuration:

(defun compose-reply-wide-or-not-please-ask ()
  "Ask whether to reply-to-all or not."
  (interactive)
  (mu4e-compose-reply (yes-or-no-p "Reply to all?")))

(define-key mu4e-compose-minor-mode-map (kbd "R")
  #'compose-reply-wide-or-not-please-ask)

6.2.3 Forward

You can forward some existing message with mu4e-compose-forward (with F from within the headers view or when looking at some specific message.

For more information, see (message)Forwarding.

To influence the way a message is forwarded, you can use the variables message-forward-as-mime and message-forward-show-mml.

6.2.4 Supersede

Occasionally, it can be useful to “supersede” a message you sent; this drops you into a new message that is just like the old message (and a Supersedes: message header). You can then edit this message and send it.

This is only possible for messages you sent, as determined by mu4e-personal-or-alternative-address-p.

This wraps message-supersede.

6.2.5 Resend

You can re-send some existing message with mu4e-compose-resend from within the headers view or when looking at some specific message.

This re-sends the message without letting you edit it, as per (message)Resending.