Choosing colors in Outlook Calendar Categories

Hi @Mike 

Thanks for reaching out to the Microsoft Q&A forum.   

It’s completely normal that when you hover your mouse over an event with a category in Legacy Outlook for Mac, the category name does not appear. This feature hasn’t been developed yet in the Legacy version. 

If you want to see the category name, you’ll need to open the event. It will display in the upper-right corner of the event, as shown in the example image. 

I agree that using the default category name based only on its color can make it difficult for colorblind users. In this case, I recommend changing the default category name or creating a new one with a name and color that suit your needs. Category names should be defined by their labels rather than just their colors, as this makes them much easier to use for colorblind users. 

To change the name or color of a category, go to Outlook > Settings > Categories. 

In the Categories window, select your account, click the color of the category you want to change, and a palette will appear for you to choose a new color. To change the name, simply double-click the category name, and you’ll be able to edit it. 

Additionally, you can find events by category using these steps: 

• Navigate to Calendar 
• Click the search bar to open the Search section. 
• Choose All Events. 
• Select Advanced. 
• From the dropdown, choose Categories. 

Then, select the category you want to filter from the account you’re using. 

I agree that showing the category name when hovering over an event would be a great improvement. You can share this suggestion through the Microsoft Feedback portal so it reaches other users and the development team. 

I hope this provides helpful insight. If you have any updates or further questions, please feel free to reach out. 

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It appears that the behavior you are experiencing with the color palette in Outlook Calendar categories, where colors are not identified by text when hovering, is not typical. This lack of text identifiers can indeed pose challenges for users who are color blind. However, this issue may not necessarily be related to your computer's upgrade to Sequoia 15.7.2, as the absence of text identifiers has been noted in various versions of Outlook.

If this feature is critical for your use, consider providing feedback to Microsoft regarding the accessibility of color categories in Outlook. They may take user feedback into account for future updates to improve usability for individuals with color blindness.

References:

• Categorize Your Outlook Items
• Color categories