How to change outlook account colour icon in Outlook

Hi, I'm Diane and I'm happy to help you today.

You can't control which color, but you can rename the account to change the color.

Open Settings, select the account and change the description. If the color changed because you changed the description, change the name back to the original name and the previous color should be restored. (That is how it worked when I tested it with another user a few weeks ago.)

Let us know how it goes, we're here to help you further if needed.

-- Diane

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Hi, I'm Diane and I'm happy to help you today. You can't control which color, but you can rename the account to change the color. Open Settings, select the account and change the description. If the color changed because you changed the description, change the name back to the original name and the previous color should be restored. (That is how it worked when I tested it with another user a few weeks ago.) Let us know how it goes, we're here to help you further if needed. -- Diane Give back to the community. Help the next person with this problem by indicating whether this answer solved your problem. Click Yes or No at the bottom.

Thanks for your reply. I now understand that colour was using description.

I have a tangled web. I had an ISP email account with the same name as my outlook account. Lack of understanding on my part when I set them up. Years ago to get the outlook account into Windows mail app and Samsung mail app I created an alias for the outlook account to get it into the apps.

Recently I set up outlook app, and MS 365 app on my Windows 10 and on my Samsung phone. I could not get that outlook account into my outlook mobile app. Not with primary or alias. I did it by looking at what it actually was on Windows Mail app. A crazy naming outlook account ie outlook_f1281 etc @outlook.com. So I typed that in! I really did. Entered PW etc. It functions well.

Being tired of seeing the crazy outlook account, I then named it in description to what the alias name was. I guess we can put anything we like in description? This is when it changed colour. I don'r actually care about the colour. But wondered why it changed.

Since then my primary and alias have been swapped over. And the now primary is in Windows outlook app. Functioning perfectly.

My question

Can I safely remove the crazy one from Samsung Android Outlook app?

I ask because it is the account that holds all my people and my calendar and my Onedrive and MS365 etc. There is much connected to it and its now alias. I do not want to lose anything.

Could I then try adding it back using that now primary account? Where everything is.

Also what is default email? Used when for what? How to set it. Is currently the crazy one.

Sorry, very long winded story. Thanks

Thanks Diane. Today I have been studying my 4 outlook accounts on the web. All looks well. Including the outlook account which has recently been made primary instead of the isp account. Calendar entries and new people have been recorded. I did send a test email from one of my other outlook email accounts to "crazy" a few days ago. It did arrive. It also today received emails from Microsoft re my actions on the account on the web.

I had to change my isp email accounts for everything recently. They ceasing email service. I changed to outlook accounts. This "crazy" one was deliberately not given to anyone. For people, calendar

Onedrive etc.

Tomorrow shall add a People and Calendar item. All good,? Shall be brave and delete crazy and try adding the primary outlook in tomorrow.

Thank you so much for your help. Android Outlook app is now perfect. I removed the crazy and added the MS exchange account. Tested syncing of calendar and people back and forth Android outlook app and Windows 10 Outlook app. All perfect.

PS I am not using the New Outlook app. It confused me so I went back to original one.

You helped me back in 2017 with email setup.

And you have done it again.

It's so good to be able to access reliable assistance that is communicated so well.

I have Onedrive questions but shall put them up through that area.

Thanks Diane. Today I have been studying my 4 outlook accounts on the web. All looks well. Including the outlook account which has recently been made primary instead of the isp account. Calendar entries and new people have been recorded. I did send a test email from one of my other outlook email accounts to "crazy" a few days ago. It did arrive. It also today received emails from Microsoft re my actions on the account on the web.

I had to change my isp email accounts for everything recently. They ceasing email service. I changed to outlook accounts. This "crazy" one was deliberately not given to anyone. For people, calendar

Onedrive etc.

Tomorrow shall add a People and Calendar item. All good,? Shall be brave and delete crazy and try adding the primary outlook in tomorrow.

A crazy naming outlook account ie outlook_f1281 etc @outlook.com. So I typed that in! I really did. Entered PW etc. It functions well.

I'm surprised it works - it's not supposed to. And mail can't be sent to that address -it's a placeholder when the primary address is not an outlook.com address. Microsoft has more information in this article: https://support.microsoft.com/office/90ed7938-7f21-4cb5-a69d-a3b79ea4eafd

You should be able to safely remove it - log into Outlook on the web and see if the appt and contacts are there - especially ones created on the device. If yes, remove it. (You can add it back after changing the primary alias. )

In the past, you could add an account to any of the Outlook apps using any address on the account - but some apps now only accept the primary address - or if you add it using the alias, it defaults to the primary, which in your case would be the outlook_ugly address if your non-Microsoft address is still set as primary on the account.

The "default mail" is either the account set as the default or main account in a mail app (often the first account added) - or the primary address on the account.

-- Diane