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Use Upgrade to Color Categories to add Categories to the Master List

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› Tutorials › Use Upgrade to Color Categories to add Categories to the Master List

Last reviewed on January 14, 2019     46 Comments

Applies to: Outlook 2013, Outlook 2010, Outlook 2007

If you migrate to Office 365, Outlook.com, or Exchange server, or import contacts, appointments, or mail that is categorized but the category is not on the master list Outlook has a feature that will look for categories assigned to your Contacts, Appointments, and Mail and add them to your master categories list. The colors will be randomly assigned (not totally random: Outlook chooses the next color on the list).

Do this by right clicking on the top level folder (where Outlook Today is, or for secondary accounts in your profile, on the top level of the data file) and choose Data File Properties from the menu.
Data File Properties

It should be the last command, as seen in the screenshot, but may not be the very last item if you have add-ins installed that add commands to this menu.

In the Properties dialog, click the button to Upgrade to Color Categories. This will convert the categories and add any not already on your master color category list, to it.

If you have more than one account in your profile that uses an existing data file, you need repeat these steps for each account.

upgrade-to-color-categories

To share color categories with other users, see the Tools below.

[addins name=colorcat_upgrade]

Use Upgrade to Color Categories to add Categories to the Master List was last modified: January 14th, 2019 by Diane Poremsky
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Related Posts:

  • Creating New Color Categories
  • Create a List of Color Categories to Merge or Restore
  • View Shared Calendar Category Colors
  • Outlook Categories and Color Categories

About Diane Poremsky

A Microsoft Outlook Most Valuable Professional (MVP) since 1999, Diane is the author of several books, including Outlook 2013 Absolute Beginners Book. She also created video training CDs and online training classes for Microsoft Outlook. You can find her helping people online in Outlook Forums as well as in the Microsoft Answers and TechNet forums.

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mukhesh (@guest_218587)
August 1, 2021 10:31 pm
#218587

Clear all categories is getting grayed out and I dont see the new color category until I restart my outlook.

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Diane Poremsky(@diane-poremsky)
Author
Reply to  mukhesh
August 1, 2021 11:18 pm
#218588

What type of email account do you have configured in Outlook? POP, IMAP, Outlook.com, or Microsoft Exchange? 

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Gary Packard (@guest_214442)
December 7, 2019 3:47 pm
#214442

I have the "Categories" icon on the Quick Access Bar, but it is not highlighted and does not work.

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Diane Poremsky(@diane-poremsky)
Author
Reply to  Gary Packard
December 8, 2019 12:48 am
#214443

Do you have an IMAP account? Categories don't work with IMAP accounts and the button is grayed out.
https://www.slipstick.com/outlook/outlook-categories-flags-and-imap-accounts/

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Howard Bryant (@guest_213176)
April 29, 2019 7:00 am
#213176

I have installed Office 2019 but hate the colours is there any way I can change them to be the same as 2007 other than un installing and reverting to 2007 as out look literaly gives me a headake

Regards
Howard

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Diane Poremsky(@diane-poremsky)
Author
Reply to  Howard Bryant
April 29, 2019 7:09 am
#213179

You are talking about the overall color scheme? You are limited to the office color scheme in File, Options, General. Sorry.

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Shahid (@guest_204596)
February 14, 2017 8:23 am
#204596

Hi Diane,

There is a user mailbox in exchange 2013, whenever we re-create his outlook profile, in his calendars entries double categories appears itself.
So suppose if he has entry in calendar "traveling some where" and a category is assign to it as
"Travel", after recreating his outlook profile , the same entry will have
now two categories "Business" and "Travel".Do you know what can cause this.

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Diane Poremsky(@diane-poremsky)
Author
Reply to  Shahid
June 3, 2017 12:14 am
#206955

Is he syncing with something? Using BCM? Either could be a potential cause, depending on his configuration.

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AleX (@guest_201875)
September 27, 2016 11:48 am
#201875

Outlook 2016. In the column Categories in the emails list I see only names of categories without color (single line, reading pane off). Is it possible to replace text here with a color box as it was in Outlook 2010?

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Diane Poremsky(@diane-poremsky)
Author
Reply to  AleX
February 6, 2017 12:56 am
#204344

You should have the color box and the name unless you changed the field format to text only (View settings, Format)

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Shari (@guest_218154)
Reply to  Diane Poremsky
May 6, 2021 11:57 pm
#218154

It only offers the 'Text' option, no other options to choose from on the DropDown

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Diane Poremsky(@diane-poremsky)
Author
Reply to  Shari
May 7, 2021 12:43 am
#218155

Did you move the category field to the left side of the From field?
Category Colors Don't Display in Inbox (slipstick.com)

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Al Padeletti (@guest_200891)
August 19, 2016 8:43 am
#200891

In Novell GroupWise assigning a category changed the color of the entire subject line (in a list view) which made them stand out easily. The way Outlook handles categories is very much more subdued. Is there a way, either in Outlook or a 3rd party software, to make items flagged with a category stand out more?

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Diane Poremsky(@diane-poremsky)
Author
Reply to  Al Padeletti
August 19, 2016 10:22 pm
#200924

You can create conditional formatting rules for a view. I would make a new custom view and add the rules so they don't accidently get reset.
https://www.slipstick.com/tutorial/use-automatic-formatting-to-highlight-messages/

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Al Padeletti (@guest_201264)
Reply to  Diane Poremsky
September 1, 2016 8:49 am
#201264

Awesome! This is great! Thank you Diane!!

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C.J. (@guest_200181)
July 22, 2016 3:34 pm
#200181

1. Is there a 'master category list' that can be managed independently of the Categorize button that appears for Contacts and Email? A place where I could create names/colors and then expect to see them available when I next create a Contact/appointment, or read an emai, and want to categorize it?
That is, I do not see the Categorize button ever 'active' unless some outlook item is selected.

2. If you follow these procedures and click on the Upgrade to Color Categories button, what do you see that is evidence of the conversion/upgrade having been completed successfully? I never see the button greyed out.

Ah, I see that Anniversary and Birthday and Groups and Important and Must Attend have appeared along with my other categories. Is this "the sign" that I was looking for?

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Diane Poremsky(@diane-poremsky)
Author
Reply to  C.J.
July 23, 2016 12:14 am
#200188

Yes, that is te sign you were looking for. :)

1. No. The only list is on the button - All categories command. there are 3rd party utilities that make managing the categories easier.
2. the only evidence is that the categories that were on items but not on the master list as now on the aster list. it is not disabled after it runs.

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Len Raphael (@guest_197544)
March 30, 2016 5:26 pm
#197544

OL 2016 client for Office 365 E3.
1. I have a bunch of ancient categories from ten years ago Exchange that I want to delete for one mailbox and then create new ones. Don't see any way other delete one by one in OL and the 3rd party tools not obviously compat with OL 2016?

2. In an Office 365 situation, would the categories deleted or added for a specific user on one local profile, get synched to that same Office 365 users profile on another pc?

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Diane Poremsky (@guest_197554)
Reply to  Len Raphael
March 30, 2016 11:39 pm
#197554

I have a macro that can do it - but the utilities should work with 2016. The delete code is near the end of this article - https://www.slipstick.com/developer/get-color-categories-and-restore-them-using-vba/

Yes, if the categories are in an exchange mailbox, including office 365 or (the new) outlook.com, categories will be in the profile on any computer using outlook. Some smartphone apps will have the categories too.

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