A user had a complaint about categorizing email messages:
When I add a category to a message, every message in the thread thereafter will also be marked with the category. I use categories to set action items for specific messages and automatically propagating the categories to future messages completely defeats my purpose.
Whether or not every message in the thread is categorized depends on how you set the category. When you categorize the message’s conversation group header, all messages in the thread (including messages received later) will be categorized.
To avoid this, you need to categorize just the message. While this easy when you have multiple messages in the thread – expand the thread, select the message and categorize it – its more difficult when there is a single message in the thread as the message is the conversation group too. To avoid categorizing the entire thread, open the message then set the category, or turn off Show as Conversations (on the View ribbon) before setting the category.
In these examples, I opened the original message in the thread on the left before adding the category. In the thread on the right, I categorized the message as soon as it arrived.
Elliot says
Thank you. Very useful article and well written
Jeff says
Actually, I just tried the suggestion in the article again and now it works:
"To avoid categorizing the entire thread, open the message then set the category..."
I tried back in 2019, on home and work accounts, without success. But I just tried again and it's working now. Thank you Shari for asking about this and prompting me to try again! And thank you Diane for writing about this to begin with!
Shari Feekes says
Someone changed our settings so that once we assign a Category color to an email any future emails in that thread have that same Category assign forever and ever. It's driving me insane and I can't make it stop.
The solution above says this happens in Conversation view when you assign the category to the Conversation Group Header and not just the separate emails but my Outlook is not set up for Conversation view so I can't turn it off, it's already off. Any help would sure be appreciated!
Jeff says
Shari, Next time try opening the original email and then assigning the category. Replies won't have the category assigned. Viewing the email in the reading pane won't work; you have to actually open the email.
Lisa says
Worked for me, thanks!
Edgar says
Thank you, this is still relevant as of today!
Jeff says
The original question may be referring to an issue that I have experienced for many years. The problem is that once a category is applied to a message, any further messages that are received in that thread will also have the category applied to them. So if I send an email and then set a category, all of the responses to that email will have the same category automatically applied. This is really annoying and I would love to find a way to to stop this from happening.
Bec says
Yes! This problem still happens. I mark old mails in a conversation as ready for archiving. Even if I clear the category when I archive, a new email in the same conversation automatically gets marked 'ready for archiving'. It's very annoying! I cannot turn this oof.
Jo_129381092788 says
I think I found a solution.
"View" tab > "Arrangement" column > click the down arrow with the "More" description.
Uncheck "Show in Groups"
Been observing for 3 days now and it seems to be fixed.
Shari Feekes says
Hey Jeff, did you ever figure out how to stop this?
Jeff says
No. There doesn't seem to be a way.