How do I edit categories in Outlook?

Outlook allows users to organize their emails into different categories for easy sorting and filtering. Editing these categories can help keep your inbox tidy and make messages easier to find. Here are some quick answers to common questions about editing categories in Outlook:

Table of Contents

What are categories in Outlook?

Categories are labels you can apply to Outlook items like email messages, contacts, appointments, and tasks. They allow you to group related items together. For example, you might have categories for “Personal,” “Work,” “Important,” etc. Categories act like folders, but an item can have multiple categories applied to it.

How do I view categories?

To view categories in Outlook, open the Navigation Pane by clicking the Folder Pane icon near the bottom left. Select Categorized view at the bottom to show your category groups. You can also view categories applied to individual messages by opening the message. The categories will display under the message header.

How do I add a new category?

Follow these steps to create a new category in Outlook:

Open the Navigation Pane and select Categorized view.
Right-click on an existing category, or right-click in empty space in the pane.

Select “New Category Group” or “New Category” from the menu.
Type a name for the new category and press Enter.

The new category will now appear in your categorization list and can be applied to messages.

How do I rename or delete a category?

To rename or delete a category:

Open the Navigation Pane in Categorized view.
Right-click on the category you want to edit.

Choose “Rename” to change the name, or “Delete” to remove the category.

Renaming a category will change its name everywhere it’s used. Deleting removes it from your messages.

How do I apply categories to messages?

You can categorize a single message or multiple messages at once:

Single message – Open the message. On the Message tab, click “Categorize” and select the categories to apply.
Multiple messages – Select all the messages you want to categorize. On the Home tab, click “Categorize” and choose your categories.

Categories will appear below the subject line of categorized messages for quick identification.

Can I automatically categorize messages?

Yes, you can create inbox rules to automatically apply categories to messages based on criteria like sender, keywords, etc. Here are the steps:

Go to the Home tab and click “Rules.”
Click “Create Rule.”

Choose conditions for the rule to match, like From specific people.
Click “Categorize” as the action and pick the category to apply.
Name the rule, choose where to apply it, and click “OK.”

Now matching incoming and existing messages will be automatically categorized.

Can I color code my categories?

Yes, you can assign colors to categories for even easier visual identification. Here’s how:

Open a categorized message and click “Categorize” > “All Categories…”

In the Color column, click the color swatch beside the category name.
Pick a color from the palette.
Click “OK” to save the color.

The category text will now appear in the chosen color in your messages.

How do I remove categories from messages?

If you want to delete a category from a message:

Open the message and click “Categorize” > “All Categories…”

Uncheck the box next to any category to remove it.
Click “OK” to save changes.

To remove categories from multiple messages at once, select the messages first before opening the Categories dialog box.

Can I rearrange my categories?

Yes, you can customize the order of categories in your categorization list:

Open the Navigation Pane and click “Categorized” view.
Right-click on the category you want to move.

Choose “Move Up” or “Move Down.”
Repeat to arrange categories in desired order.

Putting important categories at the top makes them easier to access.

How do I filter messages by category?

Once you have messages organized into categories, you can quickly filter your inbox to show just messages from certain categories:

Make sure you’re in Categorized view in the Navigation Pane.
Click the category you want to view.

Your inbox will now display only messages assigned to that category.

Can I search for messages by category?

Yes, you can search for messages belonging to specific categories using advanced find. Here’s how:

Go to the Search tab and click “Advanced Find.”

Click “More Choices.”
Under “Categories”, check the boxes for the categories to search.
Click “Search” to display matching messages.

This lets you quickly locate messages even if you don’t remember any keywords or sender details.

How do I sync categories between devices?

If you use Outlook on multiple devices like PC and mobile, you’ll want categories to remain in sync. To do this:

On PC – Go to File > Info > Account Settings > Data Files.

Make sure “Outlook Data File” is selected.
Click “Add File” and choose your Outlook Data File (OST) to sync it.

Now when you create or edit categories on one device, the changes will sync across any device using that data file.

Can I import/export categories?

To transfer categories between different Outlook accounts or backups:

Export – Go to File > Open & Export > Import/Export and pick “Export to a file.” Save categories to a .pst file.
Import – Go to File > Open & Export > Import and choose the .pst file. Select categories and click Import.

This lets you backup categories or move them to a new Outlook profile.

Conclusion

Categorizing your Outlook messages allows you to organize your inbox and find important emails quickly and easily. Creating, renaming, deleting, reordering, and coloring categories gives you flexibility. Applying one or multiple categories to messages keeps them sorted. And you can filter, search, or create rules based on categories for efficient email management across devices.

With some setup of categories and rules, you can transform the way you manage emails in Outlook. Categories reduce inbox clutter and let you work smarter. Take the time to set up a categorized system that works for your needs.

Category Name	Color
Personal	Blue
Work	Red
Important	Orange
To-do	Green

This table provides examples of category names and associated colors to illustrate how color coding can help quickly identify categorized emails.

With some practice, categorizing Outlook messages should become second nature. The benefits of an organized, filtered inbox will make the initial effort worthwhile. Tame your Outlook inbox by taking control with categories.

Here are some key points to remember about categories in Outlook:

Categories help group related messages
Apply single or multiple categories to emails
Create rules to auto-categorize incoming messages

Filter and search by category to find emails fast
Color code categories for easy visual sorting
Reorder categories to prioritize important ones

Sync categories across devices using your data file
Import/export categories to transfer between Outlook accounts

And those are the basics of working with categories in Outlook! Use them to take control of your inbox and keep emails organized for efficiency.