Categories let you easily tag, label and group messages in Outlook on the web and new Outlook. Choose from default categories or create your own, and assign one or more categories to your messages. Other people won't see the categories you assign.

Learn how to use color categories to easily identify and group associated items in Outlook. Find out how to rename, create, and manage categories for email messages, contacts, appointments, and more.

To assign a category to an email, right-click the message, choose Categorize, then pick a category. The first time you use a category, Outlook asks if you want to rename it.

Color categories allow you to easily identify and group associated items in Microsoft Outlook. Assign a color category to a group of interrelated items—such as notes, contacts, appointments, and email messages—so that you can quickly track and organize them. You can also assign more than one color category to items.

The navigation pane lets you filter items by category when you view calendar events, contacts, tasks, and notes. At the bottom of the navigation pane, click Calendar, Contacts, Tasks, or Notes.

Try it! With color categories and reminders, Outlook keeps your calendar organized so you don't miss important meetings or appointments.

Outlook uses Rules to sort your emails into folders and categories as they are delivered. Gmail uses filters. Outlook also has Filters, but in Outlook it is a way to sort the inbox or a folder. Flagging an email in Outlook is a lot like starring an email in Gmail. Use Folders to organize your email. Select a message. Select Move. Choose a folder.

Right-click the contact you want to categorize, click Categorize, and then click the color you want. To tell what category a contact has been assigned to, in your list of contacts (View > Current View > Change View > List), scroll to the right to see the Categories column.

Sort messages in Outlook by grouping them according to criteria such as date, sender, subject, attachments, or flags.

Color categories in Outlook help you more easily recognize and organize related items. You can apply them to meetings, appointments, emails, notes, contacts, and more. Once assigned, the color category indication appears within the individual item and also in collective table views (e.g., Inbox).