Microsoft Outlook - Creating Categories & Rules

Create a Category

1. Select any item on your calendar, in an email folder, or on your task list.

2. Right-click the item (Mac: ctrl-click).

3. From the list that appears, select Categorize.

4. Click New category to create one.

You cannot rename existing categories, but you can delete a category by selecting Categorize, then Manage categories.

You can change the color associated with a category by selecting selecting Categorize, then Manage categories , then clicking the current color shown next to the category.

Apply Categories Automatically with 'Rules'

1. Open the Outlook desktop app and go to the Home tab.

2. Select Rules > Create Rule.

3. In the Create Rule dialog box, select Advanced Options.

4. In the Rules Wizard, choose the condition you want to use to automatically add a category to the incoming email, then select Next.

5. Select the assign it to the category check box.

6. Select the blue category link.

7. In the Color Categories dialog box, select the category you want to assign to the incoming email.

   To customize a category, select Rename and enter a different name for the category.

8. Select OK to close the Color Categories dialog box.

9. In the Rules Wizard, select Finish to create the rule.

10.  

Remove Rules on Outlook Desktop

To see the list of rules you created, go to the Home tab and select Rules > Manage Rules & Alerts. Use the Rules & Alerts dialog box to manage the rules you created. To delete a rule, choose the rule and select Delete.