Creating new Categories in Outlook 2007/2010 is not as easy as in older versions – you can’t just type in the Category field. You can’t copy and paste lists into the Master Category dialog. You need to select a color category from the Color Category dialog and create the categories one at a time.
How to create new color categories
- Begin by clicking on the Categorize button in any Outlook window to expand the Category list.
Select All Categories to add new or edit existing categories or to select from categories not listed in the menu.
Click New to create a new category or select an existing category to Rename it, or change the color or keyboard shortcut.
Select (check) categories you want to apply to the selected Outlook item.
Tips:
Right click on an item and choose categorize to add or remove categories.
Ctrl+click or Shift+click to select multiple items, then right click, Categorize to apply a category to the selected items.
If using By Category view, you can drag items between categories to change or remove categories.
Video Tutorial
Bulk Add Categories in Outlook 2007 or Outlook 2010
To bulk add categories to the master list in Outlook 2007 or Outlook 2010 requires a two step process.
Note: if the categories are already on one or more Outlook items, skip to Step 2 to add them to the master category list and assign colors. If you want specific colors assigned to a category, you’ll need to edit the color or add it to the master last yourself.
Step 1: Add the Categories to a Contact item
- Open a contact form and switch to the All Fields page.
- Select Frequently used fields from the Select from menu, then type (or paste) a comma-separated list of categories into the Category field.
- Save the contact form.
Step 2: Upgrade to color categories
- Return to the main Outlook window
- Right click on the top level of your data file (where Outlook Today is) and choose Properties
- Click Upgrade to Color Categories button
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Last reviewed on Dec 27, 2011
It has nothing to do with getting more money. :) The popularity of colored flags and labels showed that users liked to colorize things and they thought this was a nature extension of those features.
I don’t really care for color categories either (even after using them for a long time) and think would be better if we could have a true “no color” setting (none = white).
Why can’t Microsoft leave well enough alone. I want my categories the way they are in Outlook ’03 and none of the color BS. I don’t need color, i want my names to stay as they have been for 10 years. quit tinkering with this. its ridicolous. all driven to add consulting fees i am sure.
I’m new to 2010 and also like 2003 far better for organizing contacts into categories . . . a crucial feature for me. 2010 organizes contacts by company . . . is there a setting to organize by category like in 2003? Thanx.
Yes, look on the the View tab. You should see Category in the Arrangement group.
I agree wholeheartedly with Bob and Will. Leave it alone. I created categories based on project/case names. Now I can’t add new cases and establish deadlines without cluttering my calendar with non-appointment type reminders.
We currently have 32 categories in our database Outlook 2010 does not offer enough colours for all of our categories. Do you have any suggestions on how to deal with this?
You can’t add more colors, sorry. You’ll need to reuse some with categories. The intention Microsoft had when they added colors was that you’d “link” two or more categories using colors. Say you have 3 categories you use for personal/non-work stuff – you’d use the same color for the categories.
Hi – can you export to excel by category??? If so – where do I find those directions. Thanks.
You can’t export by category but once exported, you can sort or filter in excel.