Managing categories in Outlook

Hello Amber,

Thank you for your question. We're sorry to hear that you are having issues with categorising in Outlook.

It's a common challenge when working with shared mailboxes in Outlook. While you've successfully created categories on your end, they might not be visible to others due to the way Outlook handles shared mailboxes and category synchronization.

Here are a few solutions to try:

1. Category Group Policy:

Check Administrative Templates: If your organization uses Group Policy, there might be policies restricting category creation or visibility. Consult your IT administrator to verify and adjust these settings.

Outlook Client Configuration: Ensure all users are using the latest version of Outlook and have their client configured correctly to synchronize categories.

2. Outlook Client Settings:

Category Visibility: Make sure the "Show Categories" option is enabled in Outlook's view settings. This can usually be found under the "View" tab.

Category Colour Settings: Verify that the colour settings for the categories are correct and consistent across all clients.

3. Shared Mailbox Permissions:

Full Access Permissions: Ensure all users have "Full Access" permissions to the shared mailbox. This allows them to manage categories and other mailbox settings.

Delegate Access: If using delegate access, verify that the delegate has the necessary permissions to manage categories.

4. Outlook Web App (OWA) Synchronization:

Browser Compatibility: Try using different browsers or clearing browser cache and cookies.
OWA Refresh: Sometimes, a simple refresh or log-out and log-in can resolve synchronization issues.

5. Third-Party Add-ins:

Conflict or Interference: If you're using any third-party add-ins, temporarily disable them to see if they're causing the issue.
If none of these solutions work, consider these additional steps:

Manual Category Creation: Have each user manually create the categories in their own Outlook profiles. This might not be ideal for consistency, but it can be a temporary workaround.

IT Support Involvement: If the issue persists, consult your IT support team for further troubleshooting and potential solutions. They may have more advanced techniques or tools to address the problem.

By systematically addressing these potential causes, you should be able to resolve the category synchronization issue and ensure that all team members can effectively manage and categorize emails in the shared mailbox.

Would you like to provide more details about your specific setup, such as the version of Outlook, the type of shared mailbox (Exchange Online, on-premises Exchange), and any recent changes made to the mailbox or user accounts? This information could help me provide more tailored advice.

Kind regards
Marius Barnard
STL