# Options

Contents

1 Configuration file
2 In-game
3 Command line
4 Options

4.1 AUTOCOMPLETE
4.2 acoustics
4.3 align
4.4 autodescribe
4.5 autodig
4.6 autoopen
4.7 autopickup
4.8 AUTOPICKUP_EXCEPTION
4.9 autoquiver
4.10 BIND
4.11 blind
4.12 bones
4.13 boulder
4.14 catname
4.15 character
4.16 checkpoint
4.17 checkspace
4.18 CHOOSE
4.19 clicklook
4.20 cmdassist
4.21 confirm
4.22 dark_room
4.23 disclose
4.24 dogname
4.25 extmenu
4.26 female
4.27 fixinv
4.28 force_invmenu
4.29 fruit
4.30 gender
4.31 goldX
4.32 help
4.33 herecmd_menu
4.34 hilite_pet
4.35 hilite_pile
4.36 hilite_status
4.37 hitpointbar
4.38 horsename
4.39 ignintr
4.40 implicit_uncursed
4.41 legacy
4.42 lit_corridor
4.43 lootabc
4.44 mail
4.45 male
4.46 mention_walls
4.47 menucolors
4.48 menustyle
4.49 menu_deselect_all
4.50 menu_deselect_page
4.51 menu_first_page
4.52 menu_headings
4.53 menu_invert_all
4.54 menu_invert_page
4.55 menu_last_page
4.56 menu_next_page
4.57 menu_objsyms
4.58 menu_overlay
4.59 menu_previous_page
4.60 menu_search
4.61 menu_select_all
4.62 menu_select_page
4.63 menu_tab_sep
4.64 msghistory
4.65 msg_window
4.66 MSGTYPE
4.67 name
4.68 news
4.69 nudist
4.70 null
4.71 number_pad
4.72 packorder
4.73 paranoid_confirmation
4.74 perm_invent
4.75 pettype
4.76 pickup_burden
4.77 pickup_thrown
4.78 pickup_types
4.79 pile_limit
4.80 playmode
4.81 pushweapon
4.82 race
4.83 rest_on_space
4.84 role
4.85 roguesymset
4.86 rlecomp
4.87 runmode
4.88 safe_pet
4.89 sanity_check
4.90 scores
4.91 showexp
4.92 showrace
4.93 showscore
4.94 silent
4.95 sortloot
4.96 sortpack
4.97 SOUND
4.98 sparkle
4.99 standout
4.100 status_updates
4.101 statushilites
4.102 statuslines
4.103 suppress_alert
4.104 symset
4.105 time
4.106 timed_delay
4.107 tombstone
4.108 toptenwin
4.109 travel
4.110 verbose
4.111 vt_tiledata
4.112 whatis_coord
4.113 whatis_filter
4.114 whatis_menu
4.115 whatis_moveskip
4.116 windowtype
4.117 wizkit
4.118 zerocomp

5 Window Port Customization Options

5.1 align_message
5.2 align_status
5.3 ascii_map
5.4 color
5.5 eight_bit_tty
5.6 font_map
5.7 font_menu
5.8 font_message
5.9 font_status
5.10 font_text
5.11 font_size_map
5.12 font_size_menu
5.13 font_size_message
5.14 font_size_status
5.15 font_size_text
5.16 fullscreen
5.17 large_font
5.18 map_mode
5.19 mouse_support
5.20 player_selection
5.21 popup_dialog
5.22 preload_tiles
5.23 scroll_amount
5.24 scroll_margin
5.25 selectsaved
5.26 softkeyboard
5.27 splash_screen
5.28 tile_width
5.29 tile_height
5.30 tile_file
5.31 tiled_map
5.32 use_darkgray
5.33 use_inverse
5.34 vary_msgcount
5.35 windowcolors
5.36 wraptext

6 Platform-specific Customization options

6.1 altkeyhandler
6.2 altmeta
6.3 BIOS
6.4 DECgraphics
6.5 flush
6.6 IBMgraphics
6.7 MacGraphics
6.8 page_wait
6.9 rawio
6.10 soundcard
6.11 subkeyvalue
6.12 video
6.13 videocolors
6.14 videoshades

7 References

The game options affect the look and feel of the game.
They can be changed:

permanently in the configuration file at one of the following locations:
Windows (as of Nethack 3.6.2): .nethackrc located in %USERPROFILE%\NetHack\)
DOS and Windows (before 3.6.2): defaults.nh in the same directory as nethack.exe or nethackW.exe)
Unix (unix-based or unix-like systems, including macOS and Linux): ~/.nethackrc
pre-OSX-Mac and BeOS: NetHack Defaults
Amiga, Atari, OS/2 and VMS: NetHack.cnf
temporarily by using the in-game options screen, accessible by pressing shift&nbsp;+ o in the game
each time the game is run, on the command line.
when the game is compiled.
There are two types of options, boolean and compound options. Boolean options toggle a setting on or off, while compound options take more diverse values.

Configuration file
Options are usually prefixed by 'OPTIONS=' on each line.
Name a boolean option in the configuration file to turn it on, and prefix it with 'no' or '!' to turn it off. Options can be combined into one line for brevity:

OPTIONS=boulder:0, color, autodig, !cmdassist, norest_on_space

For compound options, the option name and value are separated by a colon:

OPTIONS=catname:Mirri

The above two lines set boulder to 0, enable color and autodig, disable cmdassist and rest_on_space, and set your cat's name to Mirri.
Any line beginning with a '#' is a comment; i.e. the line is ignored.
Persistent options: Some options are marked persistent, and are saved and reloaded along with the game. Changing a persistent option in the configuration file applies only to new games.
If a configuration file does not exist, create a new one that's appropriate for your system with a text file editor. (For Mac macOS Terminal, use ~/.nethackrc instead of NetHack Defaults)

In-game
The in-game configuration menu is brought up by pressing shift&nbsp;+ o. It is similar to an item selection menu, where you use alphabetic letters to select which options to change. Boolean options are toggled on or off, while you are prompted to enter new values for compound options.
Some options cannot be changed in-game.

Command line
You can also set options from the command line by setting the NETHACKOPTIONS environment variable. If the value starts with '\' or '/' or '@', it is considered to be a config file name. For example:

NETHACKOPTIONS=boulder:0, color, autodig

or

NETHACKOPTIONS=@/home/username/.nethackrc

Options
AUTOCOMPLETE
Enable or disable autocompletion when entering particular extended commands. Listing them in a comma-separated list enables, prefixing with ! disables. Example:

AUTOCOMPLETE=zap,!annotate

acoustics
Enable messages about what your character hears. Boolean option, defaults to TRUE.

align
Your starting alignment. Compound option, with possible values of lawful, neutral, chaotic, or random. The first letter may be given alone. Prefix with&nbsp;! to exclude that alignment from being picked randomly. Cannot be set in-game. Example that excludes chaotic:

OPTIONS=align:!c

autodescribe
Automatically describe the terrain under cursor when asked to get a location on the map. The whatis_coord option controls whether the description includes map coordinates. It can be toggled by typing # while targeting.

autodig
Automatically dig, if you're wielding a digging tool and moving into a place that can be dug. Boolean option, defaults to FALSE. Can be set in-game. Persistent.

autoopen
Walking into a door attempts to open it. Boolean option, defaults to TRUE. Persistent.

autopickup
Main article: Autopickup
Automatically pick up things onto which you move. See also pickup_types, pickup_burden, pickup_thrown, and Autopickup_exceptions. Boolean option, defaults to TRUE. Can be set in-game.

AUTOPICKUP_EXCEPTION
Main article: Autopickup_exception
Autopickup exceptions allow you to specify particular expression matches for more nuanced autopickup usage. See the main article for usage information.

autoquiver
Automatically quiver some suitable weapon if your quiver empties when firing. Boolean option, defaults to FALSE. Can be set in-game. Persistent.

BIND
Change the key bindings of special keys, menu accelerators, or extended commands. You can specify multiple bindings for a single command. The format is a comma-separated list, with colon-separated keybinding and command. A binding overrides an existing key usage. Example:

BIND=!:loot,^v:untrap,M-x:terrain

See Binding keys for a more detailed description and a list of bindable special commands.

blind
Start the character permanently blind. Boolean option, defaults to FALSE. Persistent.

bones
Allow saving and loading bones files. Boolean option, defaults to TRUE. Persistent.

boulder
Set the symbol used to display boulders. For example boulder:0
Compound option with default value of `. Can be set in-game.
Can also be defined using ASCII value, and without the OPTIONS prefix simply as

BOULDER=48

For example, BOULDER=64 would be equal to OPTIONS=boulder:@.
See also Custom map symbols#BOULDER
This option has been superseded by the SYMBOLS= format described in the symset option, though this method still functions.

catname
Set the name of your starting cat. Compound option, and it cannot be set within game. See also dogname and horsename. Example:

OPTIONS=catname:Whiskers

character
Synonym for role.

checkpoint
Save game state after each level change, for possible recovery after program crash. Boolean option, defaults to TRUE. Can be set in-game.

checkspace
Check free disk space before writing files to disk. You may have to turn this off if you have more than 2 GB free space on the partition used for your save and level files. A boolean option, defaults to on. Only applies when MFLOPPY was defined during compilation.

CHOOSE
Choose at random one of the comma-separated parameters as an active section name. Lines in other sections are ignored. This allows for a fine-tuned options set for particular roles. Example:

CHOOSE=char A,char B
[char A]
OPTIONS=role:arc,race:dwa,align:law,gender:fem
[char B]
OPTIONS=role:wiz,race:elf,align:cha,gender:mal

clicklook
Allows looking at things on the screen by navigating the mouse over them and clicking the right mouse button. Boolean option, defaults to FALSE.

cmdassist
NetHack provides some additional command assistance when it detects some anticipated mistakes. Boolean option, defaults to TRUE. Can be set in-game.

confirm
Have user confirm attacks on peaceful creatures. Boolean option, defaults to TRUE. Can be set in-game. Persistent.

dark_room
Draw unseen (line-of-sight blocked) areas of lit rooms as if they were unlit. Boolean value, defaults to FALSE. Persistent.

disclose
Controls the prompts at the end of the game. Possible values are

i - disclose your inventory
a - disclose your attributes
v - summarize monsters you've killed
g - list genocided monsters
c - display conduct
o - display dungeon overview
Each of those values can be preceded with a value that tells how it behaves. The possible values are

y - prompt, defaults to yes
n - prompt, defaults to no
+ - disclose without prompting
- - don't disclose, don't prompt
The listing of killed monsters can be sorted, so there are two additional choices for v:

? - prompt you and default to ask on the prompt;
# - disclose it without prompting, ask for sort order.
For example

OPTIONS=disclose:yi na +v -g -c -o

Persistent.

dogname
Set the name of your starting dog. Compound option, and it cannot be set within game. See also catname and horsename. Example:

OPTIONS=dogname:Cujo

extmenu
Does extended commands interface pop up a menu? Boolean option, defaults to FALSE. Only implemented for the TTY windowport.

female
An obsolete synonym for gender:female. Cannot be set in-game.
A user has suggested improving this page or section as follows:
"Since it is "obsolete" can we delete this section? It is handled by the gender option."

fixinv
An object's inventory letter sticks to it when it's dropped, so when you pick it up again, it will have the same inventory letter, unless there is already another item in your inventory using that letter. Boolean option, defaults to TRUE. Can be set in-game. Persistent.

force_invmenu
Commands asking for an inventory item will show a menu instead of a text query with possible menu letters. Boolean option, default is FALSE.

fruit
Set the name of the user-definable fruit. Compound option, takes a string, with a default value of slime mold. Can be set in-game.

gender
Sets the gender of your character. A compound option, with possible values of male, female, or random. Default value is to pick an appropriate gender randomly. Cannot be set in-game.

goldX
When filtering objects based on blessed/cursed state (BUCX), this options specifices whether to include gold as X (unknown state) when on, and U (uncursed) when off. Default is off.

help
If more information is available for an object looked at with the what is / command, ask if you want to see it. Boolean option, defaults to TRUE. Can be set in-game. Persistent.

herecmd_menu
When using a windowport that supports mouse and clicking on yourself or next to you, show a menu of possible actions for the location. Same as herecmdmenu and therecmdmenu commands.

hilite_pet
Visually distinguish pets from similar animals (This includes both your starting pet and any monsters you happen to tame along the way). Boolean option, defaults to FALSE. Can be set in-game.

hilite_pile
Visually distinguish piles of objects from individual objects. Boolean option, defaults to FALSE.

hilite_status
If the statushilites option is set, this option allows you to customize your game display by setting thresholds to change the color or appearance of fields in the status bar.
This is an "experimental feature" in NetHack 3.6.0 (in particular, it is missing from all official binaries, but most public servers enable it). In NetHack 3.6.1, it has been changed significantly and uses some different syntax.
For a full guide on configuring status hilites, see Status hilites.
The whole feature can be disabled by turning the statushilites option off.

hitpointbar
Show a hit point bar graph behind your name and title. Only available for TTY and Windows GUI, and only when statushilites is on.

horsename
Set the name of your starting horse. Compound option, and it cannot be set within game. See also catname and dogname.

ignintr
Ignore interrupt signals, including breaks. Boolean option, defaults to FALSE. Not implemented on Mac. Can be set in-game. Persistent.

implicit_uncursed
Omit "uncursed" from inventory lists, if possible. Boolean option, defaults to TRUE.

legacy
Display an introductory message when starting the game. Boolean option, defaults to TRUE. Cannot be set in-game.

lit_corridor
Distinguish visually between lit and unlit corridors. Boolean option, defaults to FALSE. Can be set in-game. Persistent.

lootabc
Use the old a, b and c keyboard shortcuts in the looting menu. Boolean option, defaults to FALSE. Can be set in-game. Persistent.

mail
Enable mail delivery during the game. Boolean option, defaults to TRUE. Only meaningful if NetHack was compiled with MAIL. Can be set in-game.

male
An obsolete synonym for gender:male. Cannot be set in-game.
A user has suggested improving this page or section as follows:
"Since it is "obsolete" can we delete this section? It is handled by the gender option."

mention_walls
Give feedback when walking against a wall. Boolean value, defaults to FALSE.

menucolors
Main article: Menucolors
Enable coloring menu lines. Boolean value, defaults to FALSE. See main article for how to set menucolors with particular expression matches.

menustyle
Controls the interface used when you need to choose various objects (in response to the Drop command, for instance). Persistent. Compound option, with following possible values:

Option

Description

traditional

prompt for object class characters, followed by an object-by-object prompt for all matching items

combination

prompt for object classes of interest, then display a menu of matching objects

partial

skip the object class filtering and immediately display a menu of all objects

full

display a menu of object classes, and then a menu of matching objects

menu_deselect_all
Menu character accelerator to deselect all items in a menu. Implemented by the Amiga, Gem, X11 and tty ports. Compound option, with default of '-'. Cannot be set in-game.

menu_deselect_page
Menu character accelerator to deselect all items on this page of a menu. Implemented by the Amiga, Gem and tty ports. Compound option, with default of '\'. Cannot be set in-game.

menu_first_page
Menu character accelerator to jump to the first page of a menu. Implemented by the Amiga, Gem and tty ports. Compound option, with default of '^'. Cannot be set in-game.

menu_headings
Controls how the headings in a menu are highlighted. Compound option, with possible values of none, bold, dim, underline, blink, or inverse. Not all ports can actually display all types.

menu_invert_all
Menu character accelerator to toggle the selections in a menu. Implemented by the Amiga, Gem, X11 and tty ports. Compound option, with default of '@'. Cannot be set in-game.

menu_invert_page
Menu character accelerator to toggle the selection on this page of a menu. Implemented by the Amiga, Gem and tty ports. Compound option, with default of '~'. Cannot be set in-game.

menu_last_page
Menu character accelerator to jump to the last page of a menu. Implemented by the Amiga, Gem and tty ports. Compound option, with default of '|'. Cannot be set in-game.

menu_next_page
Menu character accelerator to goto the next page of a menu. Implemented by the Amiga, Gem and tty ports. Compound option, with default of '&gt;'. Cannot be set in-game.

menu_objsyms
Show object symbols in menu headings in menus where the object symbols act as menu accelerators. Boolean option, defaults to FALSE.

menu_overlay
Do not clear the screen before drawing menus, and align menus to the right edge of the screen. Only for the TTY windowport. Boolean option, defaults to TRUE.

menu_previous_page
Menu character accelerator to goto the previous page of a menu. Implemented by the Amiga, Gem and tty ports. Compound option, with default of '&lt;'. Cannot be set in-game.

menu_search
Menu character accelerator to search for a menu item. Implemented by the Amiga, Gem and X11 ports. Compound option, with default of ':'. Cannot be set in-game.

menu_select_all
Menu character accelerator to select all items in a menu. Implemented by the Amiga, Gem, X11 and tty ports. Compound option, with default of '.'. Cannot be set in-game.

menu_select_page
Menu character accelerator to select all items on this page of a menu. Implemented by the Amiga, Gem and tty ports. Compound option, with default of ','. Cannot be set in-game.

menu_tab_sep
Use tabs to separate menu names from their values. This option is only shown when in wizard-mode, and is only meant for testing purposes. 

msghistory
Number of message-window messages to save. Compound option, takes a positive number, with default of 20. Maximum and minimum values depend on the window port; For the TTY, X11 and Gem ports the minimum is 20 and maximum 60. Cannot be set in-game.

msg_window
How to show the latest messages recalled with ^P. Compound option, with the following possible values:

Option

Description

single

show single message

combination

two messages as single, then as full

full

full window, oldest message first

reversed

full window, newest message first

You can use the first letter of an option to specify that option. For backwards compatibility, no value needs to be given; in that case defaults to 'full', or it can be negated like a boolean option, in which case defaults to 'single'.
Can be set in-game only if playing the TTY windowport.

MSGTYPE
Main article: MSGTYPE
Can be used to hide obnoxious messages or emphasize dangerous ones. See main article for how to use MSGTYPEs.

name
The name of your character. Compound option, defaults to your user name. If set to player, then NetHack will ask for the user name, even on systems where it normally wouldn't. If suffixed with dash and character role letter (one of -A -B -C -H -K -M -P -Ra -Ro -S -T -V -W), then also defines the character role, or if suffixed with -@, then selects a random role.
Cannot be set in-game.

news
Read the NetHack news file at start of game, if present. Boolean option, defaults to TRUE.

nudist
Start the character with no armor. Boolean option, defaults to FALSE. Persistent.

null
Send padding NULLs to terminal. A boolean, defaults to FALSE. Only used if you compiled NetHack with TERMCAP and without TIMED_DELAY. Persistent.

number_pad
Use the number keys to move instead of hjklyubn. Valid options are:

Option

Description

0

move by letters; 'yuhjklbn'

1

move by numbers; digit 5 acts as G movement prefix

2

like 1 but 5 works as g prefix instead of as G

3

by numbers using phone key layout; 123 above, 789 below

4

combines 3 with 2; phone layout plus MSDOS compatibility, where 5 means g, alt&nbsp;+ 5 means G, and alt&nbsp;+ 0 mean I

-1

by letters but use z to go northwest, y to zap wands (for German keyboards)

With number_pad set to 1, 2, 3, or 4, counts need to be prefixed with n (n50s to search 50 times). Also, some extended commands are available in a short form (l performs #loot, u performs #untrap, etc).
For backwards compatibility, number_pad without a value is synonymous to number_pad:1.

packorder
Sets the order of item classes shown in inventory. Compound option, takes a string of up to 14 characters, with default values of ")[%?+!=/(*`0_. Omitted types are filled in at the end from the previous order. Can be set in-game. Persistent.

paranoid_confirmation
A space-separated list of specific situations where alternate prompting is desired. The default is paranoid_confirmation:pray.

Option

Description

Confirm

for any prompts which are set to require "yes" rather than 'y', also require "no" to reject instead of accepting any non-yes response as no

quit

require "yes" rathern than 'y' to confirm quitting the game or switching into non-scoring explore mode

die

require "yes" rather than 'y' to confirm dying (applies only to explore mode)

bones

require "yes" rather than 'y' to confirm saving bones data when dying in debug mode

attack

require "yes" rather than 'y' to confirm attacking a peaceful monster

pray

require 'y' to confirm an attempt to pray rather than immediately praying; on by default

wand-break

require "yes" rather than 'y' to confirm breaking a wand. (NetHack 3.6.2 only)

Were-change

require "yes" rather than 'y' to confirm changing form due to lycanthropy when hero has polymorph control. (NetHack 3.6.2 only)

Remove

require selection from inventory for R and T commands even when wearing just one applicable item

all

turn on all of the above

The following information pertains to an upcoming version (NetHack 3.7.0). If this version is now released, please verify that it is still accurate, then update the page to incorporate this information.

This commit introduces paranoid_confirmation:swim, which will prevent you from walking onto water or lava unless you prefix the movement with m.
By default, the pray choice is enabled, the others disabled. To disable it without setting any of the other choices, use paranoid_confirmation:none. To keep it enabled while setting any of the others, include it in the list:

OPTIONS=paranoid_confirmation:attack pray Remove

perm_invent
Show permanent inventory window. Boolean option, defaults to FALSE. Not used on TTY. Can be set in-game. Persistent.

pettype
Sets your preferred pet type. A compound option, with possible value of cat, dog, or use none to start a game without a pet. Cannot be set in-game.

pickup_burden
Prompt for confirmation before picking up items that will push the character's encumbrance past a given level -- Unencumbered, Burdened, streSsed, straiNed, Overtaxed, or overLoaded. This will not prompt the player when picking up a loadstone.[1] Defaults to S. Persistent.

pickup_thrown
If this option is on and autopickup is also on, try to pick up things that you threw, even if they aren't in pickup_types or match an autopickup exception. Boolean option, defaults to TRUE. Persistent.

pickup_types
Specify the object types to be picked up when autopickup is on. Default is all to pick up all types. For example "pickup_types:?!/" would pick up all scrolls, potions and wands. Persistent.

pile_limit
When walking across a pile of objects on the floor, threshold at which the message "there are few/several/many objects here" is given instead of showing a popup list of those objects. A value of 0 means "no limit" (always list the objects); a value of 1 effectively means "never show the objects" since the pile size will always be at least that big; default value is 5. Persistent.

playmode
Values are normal, explore, or debug. Allows selection of explore mode (also known as discovery mode) or debug mode (also known as wizard mode) instead of normal play. Debug mode might only be allowed for someone logged in under a particular user name (on multi-user system) or it might be disabled entirely. Requesting it when not allowed or not possible results in explore mode instead. NAO has both Explore and Debug modes disabled entirely. Default is normal play.

pushweapon
If you wield something when you are already wielding something else, the old weapon is pushed into the alternate weapon slot. Boolean option, defaults to FALSE. Can be set in-game. Persistent.

race
Set your character's race. A compound option, with possible values of human, elf, dwarf, gnome, orc, or random, with default of random. If you prefix a ! to the value, you can exclude that race from being picked randomly. Cannot be set in-game. Persistent.

rest_on_space
Space waits for a turn. This is considered by some as a very easy way to get killed.
Boolean option, defaults to FALSE. Can be set in-game. Persistent.

role
Set your character's role. Can also be random. A compound option. See name option for an alternate method of specifying your role. Normally only the first letter of the value is examined, with r being the exception with Rogue, Ranger, and random values. If you prefix an option with !, you can exclude that role from being picked randomly. Cannot be set in-game. Persistent.

roguesymset
This option may be used to select one of the named symbol sets found within the symbols file to alter the symbols displayed on the screen on the rogue level.

rlecomp
When writing out a save file, perform a run length compression of the map. Not all ports support run length compression. It has no effect on reading an existing save file.

runmode
Set the screen updating interval for multi-turn actions, eg. running or traveling. Can be set in-game. Compound option with the following possible values:

Option

Description

teleport

update the map after movement has finished

run

update the map after every seven or so steps (default)

walk

update the map after each step

crawl

like walk, but pause briefly after each step

safe_pet
Prevents you from (knowingly) attacking your pet by moving into it. TRUE is the best setting as attacking a pet, should you wish to, is easily accomplished using the fight command. Boolean option, defaults to TRUE. Can be set in-game.

sanity_check
This option turns on debugging output, and is only available in wizard mode. Boolean option, defaults to FALSE. 

scores
Control what part of hiscore list to show at the end of game. Compound option. Can be set in-game. Persistent. Accept the following options, separated by spaces:

o - show my own score. Can be prefixed with ! to not show own score.
Xa - show X scores around own score
Xt - show X scores from the top
For example:

OPTIONS=scores:10t 2a o

showexp
Displays the exact number of experience points next to your experience level on the status line. Useful for seeing how close you are to the next level, but it may increase the length of the status line a lot, pushing important notifications (like Hungry, Ill, FoodPois, etc.) off the end.
Boolean option, defaults to FALSE. Can be set in-game. Persistent.

showrace
Uses the symbol for your race instead of @. That's h for dwarves, o for orcs and G for gnomes. Elves are still @. This could be useful for reminding you not to genocide your racial glyph but is not widely used. Boolean option, defaults to FALSE. Can be set in-game.

showscore
Shows your approximate accumulated score on the bottom line. Boolean option, defaults to FALSE. Can be set in-game. Persistent. Only available if NetHack was compiled with SCORE_ON_BOTL.

silent
Stops your terminal's bell sounding. Boolean option, defaults to TRUE. Can be set in-game. Persistent.

sortloot
Controls the sorting behavior of the pickup lists for inventory and #loot commands and some others. Persistent. The possible values are:

Option

Description

full

always sort the lists

loot

only sort the lists that don't use inventory letters, like with the #loot and pickup commands

none

show lists the traditional way without sorting

sortpack
Groups similar kinds of objects in your inventory. TRUE is highly recommended. Boolean option, defaults to TRUE. Can be set in-game. Persistent.

SOUND
Main article: User sounds
Allows user-defined sound file to be played when a message is shown.

sparkle
Display sparkly effect for resisted magical attacks (e.g. a fire attack on a fire-resistant monster). It can be helpful to turn this off on the Plane of Fire, otherwise a dozen or more sparkles will occur per turn. See also timed_delay.
Boolean option, defaults to TRUE. Can be set in-game. Persistent.

standout
Uses standout mode (reverse video) for displaying "--More--". Boolean option, defaults to FALSE. Can be set in-game. Persistent.

status_updates
Allow updates to the status lines at the bottom of the screen (default true).

statushilites
Controls how many turns status hilite behaviors highlight the field. If negated or set to zero, disables status hiliting.
Only useful when you have status hilite rules configured; see the hilite_status option for more information.

statuslines
Allows you to choose whether your status bar has 2 or 3 lines. Can also be set during the game. Your user interface must support at least 25 rows, when using the value of 3. This is especially useful in Curses interface.

suppress_alert
Prevent alert notification messages about feature changes in a NetHack version and the previous versions. Compound option, accepts a string describing a NetHack version. Can be set in-game. Currently only one use, which is to prevent the quiver and quit-command changes:

OPTIONS=suppress_alert:3.3.1

symset
Main article: symset
Select the symbols used to display the game. Replaces the DECgraphics, IBMgraphics, and MACgraphics options.

NHAccess (Recommended for blind players)
MACgraphics
IBMGraphics_2
IBMGraphics_1
IBMgraphics
DECgraphics
Individual symbols may be set using the following format:

SYMBOLS=S_boulder:0
SYMBOLS=S_golem:7
SYMBOLS=S_ghost:8

For a complete list of symbol names, please see the symset article.

time
Displays elapsed game time, in turns, on the status line. Very useful for estimating prayer timeouts, spell lifespan, and more. Boolean option, defaults to FALSE. Can be set in-game. Persistent.

timed_delay
On TTY interfaces (unix and VMS), use a timer instead of sending extra screen output when attempting to pause for a display effect. On MSDOS without the termcap lib, chooses whether or not to pause for visual effect.  See also sparkle.
Boolean option, defaults to TRUE if configured into the program. Can be set in-game. Persistent.

tombstone
Prints an ASCII tombstone when you die. Boolean option, defaults to TRUE. Can be set in-game. Persistent.

toptenwin
Prints the top ten high scores in a window rather than stdout. This isn't very useful unless you are using a GUI version. Boolean option, defaults to FALSE. Can be set in-game. Persistent.

travel
Enables the travel command. Boolean option, defaults to TRUE. Can be set in-game. Persistent.

verbose
Chooses whether or not to display certain non-essential messages, such as doors being destroyed. Boolean option, defaults to TRUE. Can be set in-game. Persistent.

vt_tiledata
Main article: vt_tiledata
Boolean option. Turning it on will output extra information in the datastream in the form of escape code "ESC [ ... z", meant for graphical frontends. See also EbonHack.

whatis_coord
When using the / (what is) or ; (far look) commands to look around on the map with autodescribe on, display coordinates after the description. Also works in other situations where you are asked to pick a location.
The possible settings are:

c - compass ('east' or '3s' or '2n,4w')
f - full compass ('east' or '3south' or '2north,4west')
m - map 

<x,y> (map column x=0 is not used)
s - screen [row,column] (row is offset to match tty usage)
n - none (no coordinates shown). Default.
The whatis_coord option is also used with the sub-commands m, M, o, and O when using /, where the 'none' setting is overridden with 'map'.

whatis_filter
When using the m, o, d, x or a keys to select a location on the map, allows filtering the possible targets. It can be set by typing " while targeting. It can be set to:

n - no filtering (default)
v - in view only
a - in same area only (e.g. same room or same corridor)
The area-filter tries to be slightly predictive; if you're standing on a doorway, it will consider the area on the side of the door you were last moving toward.

whatis_menu
When using the m, o, d, x or a keys to select a location on the map, uses a menu to pick a target. Otherwise, typing a lowercase letter will cycle through targets from nearest to furthest, and an uppercase letter from furthest to nearest. It can be toggled by typing ! while targeting. Boolean, default off.

whatis_moveskip
When selecting a location on the map, and using shifted movement keys or meta-digit keys to fast-move, instead of moving 8 units at a time, move by skipping the same glyphs. It can be toggled by typing * while targeting. Boolean, default off.

windowtype
Select which windowing system to use, such as tty or X11 (default depends on version). Cannot be set in-game. Example:

OPTIONS=windowtype:tty

wizkit
Wizard mode-only option. Specifies the path to a text file that contains a list of item names, one per line, up to a maximum of 128 lines. Each line is processed by the function that handles wishing.
For example, if you enter this path to a text file in your config:

WIZKIT=wizkit.txt

And the contents of wizkit.txt are:

blessed monster detection
ring of levitation
amulet of yendor
2 blessed genocide

Then your character start with those items in their inventory, in addition to the normal starting items.

zerocomp
When writing out a save file, perform zero-comp compression of the contents. Not all ports support zero-comp compression. It has no effect on reading an existing save file.

Window Port Customization Options
align_message
Where to align or place the message window. Compound option, with possible values of top, bottom, left, or right. Cannot be set in-game.

align_status
Where to align or place the status window. Compound option, with possible values of top, bottom, left, or right. Cannot be set in-game.

ascii_map
NetHack should display an ASCII character map if it can. Boolean option. Can be set in-game.

color
Main article: colors
NetHack should display color if it can for different monsters, objects, and dungeon features. This option matters only for the TTY windowport. Boolean option, defaults to TRUE on most systems including Windows and Mac. Can be set in-game.
In case the default color scheme is hard to distinguish on your monitor, you might want to edit the color preferences in your terminal emulator.
If you are looking for colors of the wiki itself, see Category:Function_templates and User:Paxed/ReplaceCharsBlock.

eight_bit_tty
NetHack should pass eight-bit character values straight through to your terminal. Boolean option, defaults to FALSE. Can be set in-game.

font_map
NetHack should use a font by the chosen name for the map window.

font_menu
NetHack should use a font by the chosen name for menu windows.

font_message
NetHack should use a font by the chosen name for the message window.

font_status
NetHack should use a font by the chosen name for the status window.

font_text
NetHack should use a font by the chosen name for text windows.

font_size_map
NetHack should use this size font for the map window.

font_size_menu
NetHack should use this size font for menu windows.

font_size_message
NetHack should use this size font for the message window.

font_size_status
NetHack should use this size font for the status window.

font_size_text
NetHack should use this size font for text windows.

fullscreen
NetHack should try and display on the entire screen rather than in a window. Boolean option, defaults to false. Cannot be set in-game.
If the game cannot be displayed in fullscreen through this option and you are using the tty interface, you can usually adjust your terminal emulator configuration to achieve a similar effect (e.g. by increasing the font size).

large_font
NetHack should use a large font.

map_mode
NetHack should display the map in the manner specified. Used in Windows port to choose between tiles or different sizes of ASCII. Consult defaults.nh for possible options.

mouse_support
Use mouse for moving around. A boolean, defaults to FALSE. Is displayed, but cannot be set in-game.

player_selection
NetHack should pop up dialog boxes, or use prompts for character selection. Compound option. Cannot be set in-game.

popup_dialog
NetHack should pop up dialog boxes for input. Boolean option, defaults to false. Can be set in-game.

preload_tiles
NetHack should preload tiles into memory. Boolean option, defaults to true. Cannot be set in-game.

scroll_amount
NetHack should scroll the display this many map cells when the hero reaches the scroll_margin. A compound option, accepts a positive number. Cannot be set in-game.

scroll_margin
NetHack should scroll the display when the hero or cursor is this number of cells away from the edge of the window. A compound option, accepts a positive number. Cannot be set in-game.

selectsaved
NetHack should display a menu of existing saved games for the player to choose from at game startup, if it can. Not all ports support this option.

softkeyboard
Display an on-screen keyboards; handhelds are most likely to support this. Boolean option, defaults to off. Cannot be set in-game.

splash_screen
NetHack should display an opening splash screen when it starts up. Boolean option, defaults to yes.

tile_width
Specify the preferred width of each tile in a tile capable port. Compound option, accepts a positive number. Cannot be set in-game.

tile_height
Specify the preferred height of each tile in a tile capable port. Compound option, accepts a positive number. Cannot be set in-game.

tile_file
Specify the name of an alternative tile file to override the default. Compound option. Cannot be set in-game.

tiled_map
NetHack should display a tiled map if it can. Boolean option, Cannot be set in-game.

use_darkgray
Use bold black instead of blue for black glyphs (TTY only). Boolean option.

use_inverse
Displays certain things in reverse video. Boolean option, defaults to FALSE on non-Win32 platforms. Can be set in-game.

vary_msgcount
NetHack should display this number of messages at a time in the message window. Compound option, accepts a positive number. Cannot be set in-game. Implemented only for the Atari GEM, Win32 GUI and WinCE builds.

windowcolors
NetHack should display windows with the specified foreground/background colors if it can. Compound option. Cannot be set in-game.

OPTIONS=windowcolors:wintype fground/bground

where wintype is one of menu, message, status, text,
and fground and bground are colors, either a hexadecimal #rrggbb,
one of the named colors (black, red, green, brown,
blue, magenta, cyan, orange, brightgreen, yellow, brightblue,
brightmagenta, brightcyan, white, trueblack, gray, purple,
silver, maroon, fuchsia, lime, olive, navy, teal, aqua),
or one of Windows UI colors (activeborder, activecaption,
appworkspace, background, btnface, btnshadow, btntext,
captiontext, graytext, greytext, highlight, highlighttext,
inactiveborder, inactivecaption, menu, menutext, scrollbar,
window, windowframe, windowtext).
Example:

OPTIONS=windowcolors:menu white/black message green/yellow status white/blue text #ffffff/#000000

wraptext
NetHack port should wrap long lines of text if they don't fit in the visible portion of the window. Boolean, defaults to false. Can be set in-game.

Platform-specific Customization options
altkeyhandler
Select an alternate keystroke handler dll to load. The name of the handler is specified without the .dll extension and without any path information. Win32 only. Cannot be set in-game. NetHack comes with nhdefkey.dll, nhraykey.dll, and nh340key.dll. If you are using a non-US keyboard layout and cannot type the dollar sign or the hash mark, try nhraykey.

altmeta
Enables extended command shortcuts, such as alt&nbsp;+ d to dip.[2] Boolean option, default is off, except on Amiga. Can be set in-game. Is saved into the savefile.[3]

BIOS
Use BIOS calls to update the screen display quickly and to read the keyboard (allowing the use of arrow keys to move) on machines with an IBM PC compatible BIOS ROM. Boolean option, default off. OS/2, PC, and ST NetHack only. Cannot be set in-game.

DECgraphics
Use DEC line-drawing characters. Won't work for all terminals. Boolean option, defaults to TRUE. Can be set in-game. Turning this on sets IBMgraphics to FALSE.
Starting with NetHack 3.6.0, this option is equivalent to symset:DECgraphics.

flush
Prevent typeahead. Boolean option, defaults to off. Only usable on Amiga. Can be set in-game.

IBMgraphics
Main article: IBMgraphics
Use IBM extended characters. Won't work for all terminals. Boolean option, defaults to FALSE. Only implemented for the TTY windowport. Can be set in-game.
Starting with NetHack 3.6.0, this option is equivalent to symset:IBMgraphics.

MacGraphics
Use Mac-specific character set to display map. A boolean, Mac-only, defaults to on. See also IBMgraphics and DECgraphics.
Starting with NetHack 3.6.0, this option is equivalent to symset:MACgraphics.

page_wait
Show --more-- after a page of messages. A boolean, Macs only, defaults to on.

rawio
Force raw (non-cbreak) mode for faster output and more bulletproof input (MS-DOS sometimes treats `^P' as a printer toggle without it) Default off, OS/2, PC, and ST NetHack only.
Note: DEC Rainbows hang if this is turned on. Cannot be set in-game.

soundcard
Compound option, defaults to on. Only for the PC NetHack. Cannot be set in-game.

subkeyvalue
(Win32 tty NetHack only). May be used to alter the value of keystrokes that the operating system returns to NetHack to help compensate for international keyboard issues. OPTIONS=subkeyvalue:171/92 will return 92 to NetHack, if 171 was originally going to be returned. You can use multiple subkeyvalue statements in the config file if needed. Cannot be set in-game.

video
Set the video mode used. PC NetHack only. Values are autodetect, default, or vga. Setting vga (or autodetect with vga hardware present) will cause the game to display tiles.
Cannot be set in-game.

videocolors
Set the color palette for PC systems using NO_TERMS (default 4-2-6-1-5-3-15-12-10-14-9-13-11, PC NetHack only). The order of colors is red, green, brown, blue, magenta, cyan, bright.white, bright.red, bright.green, yellow, bright.blue, bright.magenta, and bright.cyan.
Cannot be set in-game.
Note: If the #version-command shows screen control via foo, where foo is one of mactty, BIOS, DJGPP fast, VGA graphics or WIN32 console I/O, then your version of NetHack supports setting videocolors.

videoshades
Set the intensity level of the three gray scales available (default is videoshades:dark-normal-light, PC NetHack only). If the game display is difficult to read, try adjusting these scales; if this does not correct the problem, try !color.
Possible values are the 3 brightnesses (dark, normal, light) separated by hyphens, eg. videoshades:dark-normal-light or videoshades:normal-dark-normal.
Cannot be set in-game.

References

↑ src/pickup.c in NetHack 3.6.6, line 1404

↑ esc followed by d on unix systems also works

↑ src/options.c in NetHack 3.6.0, line 54

This page may need to be updated for the current version of NetHack.
It may contain text specific to NetHack 3.6.1. Information on this page may be out of date.
Editors: After reviewing this page and making necessary edits, please change the {{nethack-361}} tag to the current version's tag or {{noversion}} as appropriate.

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