Why can't we add our own colour in the categories colour palette for Outlook?

Hi @Plumley, Nathalie,

Welcome to Microsoft Q&A forum.

Thank you for raising this concern. I completely understand how important clear visual distinctions are for organizing and managing your emails effectively.

Currently, Outlook provides a predefined palette of approximately 25 colors for categories. This limitation is intentional to maintain consistency and ensure smooth synchronization across all Outlook platforms (Windows, Web, and Mobile). At this time, Outlook does not support adding custom colors or hex codes to the category palette.

Although custom colors cannot be added, here are some practical options to enhance clarity:

• Assign multiple categories: Combining categories (e.g., Client + Finance) provides better differentiation.
• Use Conditional Formatting (Classic Outlook): Apply font color/style rules based on categories for stronger visual separation.

Outlook supports unlimited category labels but limits colors to a fixed set for technical consistency. We recommend using the above methods to improve visibility and organization.

With that in mind, to help influence future updates, we recommend submitting your suggestion through the Microsoft Feedback Hub. This platform allows Microsoft to gather user input and prioritize enhancements based on demand.

As community moderators, we kindly ask for your understanding that our access to internal development details is limited. Our primary role is to guide users toward the appropriate resources and support channels. While we may not have influenced product design decisions and have limited access to internal development details, we’ll continue doing our best to support you within the scope of our responsibilities.

Once you've submitted your feedback, feel free to share the link here in the comments. I’ll be happy to upvote it to help bring more visibility. 

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