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How to Create and Use Categories in Outlook: Boost Your Productivity

Learn how you can best use Outlook categories to your advantage

6 min. read

Updated onOctober 4, 2023

updated onOctober 4, 2023

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Key notes

This is a comprehensive guide on how to create and use categories in Microsoft Outlook. We have explained all the details that will help you understand the benefits of using categories, and step-by-step instructions on how to create, rename, and delete categories.

Apart from this, you will also learn how to assign categories to emails, meetings, contacts, and tasks. The article will also provide tips on how to sort and filter messages by default category.

What are Outlook categories?

Many people are confused between what is an Outlook category and what is an Outlook folder. Although, they know that there are multiple ways of customizing Outlook and the app itself provides different ways to sort messages, search folders, sort folders, and much more.

However, there is always some confusion between Outlook categories and folders. Outlook folders let you organize your inbox and store messages.

When you move messages into your folders, you are moving them from the inbox into these folders. Then to locate the messages, all you need to do is enter the category folder and search it.

On the other hand, Outlook categories are a way to visualize and change the color code of the messages in your inbox.

When you assign a category to a message, it doesn’t leave the inbox instead they are assigned a category color. Using the color category, you can easily find out the message that you are looking for from the category list.

And if you regularly use Outlook, find out how toimport vCards or VCF files to Outlook.

Why can’t I use categories in Outlook?

Many users have reported that they are unable to use categories in Outlook. One of the main reasons the Category button is not available for IMAP accounts is that they do not sync back to the server.

Besides, you won’t be able to assign a color category to IMAP accounts as Outlook 2016 has a limitation on the color categories feature. To fix this, you need to change the IMAP account to a POP3 account.

How to create and use Outlook categories?

1. Create Outlook categories

2. Rename Outlook categories

Following the above method, you can easily rename the Outlook category and assign it a name of your choice on both the desktop and the web app.

3. Delete Outlook categories

Using the above methods, you can easily delete categories on your computer as well as the web client app of MS Outlook.

4. Use Outlook categories

Following the above method, you can easily assign Outlook categories to one or multiple messages. This will help you focus on the messages related to a category. For example, you can focus and deal with work-related messages when inside the Work category.

You can apply the categories to your contacts, appointments, and other events in the Outlook desktop app or the web app.

How to Sort and Filter Messages by Category?

The above steps will help you sort and filter the Outlook inbox categorically. Some of the important benefits of the category feature in Outlook are listed below.

That is it from us in this guide. You can check out our guide that explains in detail how you can perform asearch for a blank category in Outlook.

We also have a dedicated guide on how tocheck what folder an Outlook mail is in. Also, you can refer to our guide that will help you resolve theOutlook not moving emails to folderissue.

Feel free to let us know in the comments below if the above guide helped with your query on how to create and use Outlook categories.

How to Create and Use Categories in Outlook: Boost Your Productivity#

What are Outlook categories?#

Why can’t I use categories in Outlook?#

How to create and use Outlook categories?#

1. Create Outlook categories#

2. Rename Outlook categories#

3. Delete Outlook categories#

4. Use Outlook categories#

How to Sort and Filter Messages by Category?#