Why did my Outlook calendar colors change from bright, solid colors to light, pastel colors overnight?

Question

At work, I use and manage a shared calendar for my team. I had meticulously categorized all of our calendar events so that they would be clear and easily distinguishable on our calendar. Today, I opened my outlook app and found that all of these calendar category colors had, by their own accord, changed to light, pastel, and almost transparent colors, when the previous colors I had chosen were bright, dark, and solid. Additionally, all of the category color options are now completely different than what was available yesterday, only offering different versions of colors that are all still light, pastel, and transparent in nature, with no dark or solid options.

Before, it was very easy to distinguish between categories of events on our calendar, but now, because the colors are so light and transparent, it is nearly impossible to distinguish between them. This makes our scheduling and planning significantly less clear and less organized, which is causing great frustrations for our team.

I am using Microsoft Outlook for Mac, Version 16.91 (24101611), Microsoft 365, desktop app. I have already tried changing my outlook theme and restarting the application, neither of these actions resolved the issue.

If possible, how can I change my shared calendar category colors back to the original, solid colors we previously had? If that is not currently possible due to some update, I would strongly suggest offering a calendar category color palette that is more diverse, to allow clear distinctions between categories.

Answer 1

Dear Julia Murta Rietra Dias,

Good day! Thank you for contributing to the Microsoft Community.

I understand your query here. However, to better understand your query and provide accurate information, May I please double confirm if the solid colors are removed in manage color categories as well? If you haven't check it yet, go to your calendar items -->right click on the items -->Manage color categories -->Select your account -->click on the plus sign at the bottom (+) --> give name for the new categories -->Then, check if you can able to create new color categories with solid color.

• Could you please provide us with the screenshot of the manage categories color options?

I look forward to your response. Kindly note that the above requested information is required for further analysis and troubleshooting of your situation. Your patience and cooperation are much appreciated.

Thanks for your precious time. Have a nice day! 

Sincerely,

Microsoft Community Moderator

Answer 2

Please see screenshot below. The color options are indeed not the same solid ones as displayed in your screenshot. How can I regain access to that color palette?

I appreciate your help. Looking forward to hearing back from you.

Best,

Julia

Answer 3

Many thanks for your kind response,

I have been researching and consulting, but it seems like you're using the Insider (beta) version of Outlook, you can refer to Outlook for Mac - Release notes for Beta Channel builds - Microsoft Support

However, the official version of the latest Outlook for Mac is on version 16.90.1 (24102013). You can refer to Update history for Office for Mac - Office release notes | Microsoft Learn.

Therefore, since the Insider version of Outlook is part of the Office Insider program, which provides early access to new features and updates for Microsoft Office applications like Outlook. This program allows users to test and provide feedback on new features before they are released to the general public. this beta version, offers the earliest access to new features to users but may also include more bugs and issues. So that, I sincerely recommend reporting this issue to the Outlook for Mac developers directly via in-app Outlook feedback site, Go to Help -->Feedback -->Report a problem. Therefore, the fix will be included in the next release.

In the meantime, please kindly install the official (General) released version of outlook 16.90.1 (24102013) to see the difference. Here is the Outlook package: https://officecdn.microsoft.com/pr/C1297A47-86C4-4C1F-97FA-950631F94777/MacAutoupdate/Microsoft_Outlook_16.90.24102013_Updater.pkg

I look forward to your update. Please feel free to let me know how it goes or if I got you wrong. If you still have any concerns, please let me know so I can provide more suggestions.

Thank you for your precious time. Have a nice day.

Sincerely,

Libeamlak | Microsoft Community Moderator