When searching in Outlook my categories don't show up on the right side and the email doesn't show to move into the sub folder

Question

As of this morning when I use the search bar in Outlook 365 my categories no longer show on the right side of the email therefor they are not sorting by categories. When I click on the email it will show the category. Also, when in search mode, if I move an email it doesn't show that it moved it unless I back out of the search and search again.

It was working just fine last week, is there any way to correct this?

Answer 1

Support fix

Answer 2

Hi @Monica Bailey

Welcome to our forum!

For better research, please provide more information about this case:

Does the problem happen in the Outlook desktop client?

What is your account type (POP/IMAP/Exchange)?

Does Outlook web display categories normally?

Based on my testing, there is no reproduction of your issue. Please try to filter emails by category and Z-A order after entering keywords in the search box at the top to check if there is the same problem.

Also, when in search mode, if I move an email it doesn't show that it moved it unless I back out of the search and search again.

Based on the results of my multiple tests, the rate of movement in search mode can be affected by a number of factors. For example, the size of your inbox, the type of sorting used, settings, and network connection, among others.

You may try the following measures to narrow down this issue.

Try to start Outlook in safe mode to check if it makes any difference.

You can create a new profile in Outlook and then configure your email account in this new profile to verify if the issue persists.

Hope this helps! Moreover, if the above is not your scenario or I have misunderstood anything, please correct me and provide us with detailed information about the issue including the screenshot so that we can better understand to further assist you.

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Answer 3

I cannot take credit for this solution, I found it elsewhere, but it works!

Build the Master Category List

To build the new Category list in Outlook, right click on the top of the mailbox and choose "Data File Properties". Here you’ll see a button called “Upgrade to Color Categories…”.

When you press this button, Outlook will look through the entire mailbox for Categories and when found, it will add them to the Master Category List.