Outlook on the web: Category shortcut (C + Enter) no longer closes picker or clears search text

In Outlook on the web, the keyboard workflow for assigning categories (tags) has recently changed and appears to be a regression.

Previous behavior

• Press C to open the category picker

Start typing the category name

Press Enter

The category was applied and the picker closed automatically, allowing immediate continuation of work or the next category assignment

This enabled a fast, keyboard-only workflow.

Current behavior

Press C

Type a category name

Press Enter

The category picker stays open

The typed search text remains in the input field

When assigning multiple categories, I now have to manually delete the previous text before typing the next category. This significantly slows down tagging and breaks established keyboard workflows.

Impact

This change is a clear productivity regression for users who rely on keyboard shortcuts and fast triage. The previous behavior was more efficient and required fewer keystrokes.

Question

Is this behavior change intentional?

If so, can an option be added to:

Auto-close the category picker after pressing Enter, and/or

  Automatically clear the search field after assigning a category?
  

At minimum, it would be helpful to have a setting to restore the previous keyboard-friendly behavior.

Other users relying on keyboard shortcuts may be affected — please consider this feedback from a productivity and accessibility standpoint.