In my Email view, if I assign a  category to a received email, the the column labeled "Category" displays the NAME of the category (in text). In Outlook 2010 it displayed a  tiny box with the COLOR of the  category. When I right-click the horizontal bar above the "Category" column, then select "view settings," I go to the "Advanced view settings: compact" selection box. When I click "format columns," then from "Available fields" highlight "categories," the window next to "Format" says "Text." If I click on the adjacent black triangle, the window opens but there are no options listed  other than "text." Shouldn't there be an option here that allows me to choose "color"? 

Hi,

It is by design that there is only "Text" when you highlight "Categories".

Actually if you select "Subject" from the Available fields, there is also only "Text". The triangle remains in the window no matter which field you highlight.

Regards,

Melon Chen
TechNet Community Su

Thanks for your input.

With all due respect, your comment that text appears as the only option "by design" doesn't explain WHY it's the only option. The main point of my query is that I'd like to configure the "Category" column to display the color of the  category rather than the name of the category, as it did previously in Outlook 2010. Do you have any explanation for either (a) why MS removed the capability of displaying the color or (b) how I can configure the column to display the color?

Hi,

One possible answer to your first question is that for many users who cannot distinguish between colors easily, the Text will be more accurate than Color.

Actually even when we select "Text", we can still see the color from Outlook:

Regards,

Melon Chen
TechNet Community Su