~/.fetchmailrc cat > ~/.fetchmailrc << "EOF" set logfile /var/log/fetchmail.log set no bouncemail set postmaster root poll SERVERNAME : user username pass password; mda "/usr/bin/procmail -f %F -d %T"; EOF chmod 0600 ~/.fetchmailrc This is an example configuration that should suffice for most people. You can add as many users and servers as you need using the same syntax. man fetchmail: Look for the section near the bottom named CONFIGURATION EXAMPLES. It gives some quick examples. There are countless other config options once you get used to it.