Outlook category colors changed?

Hi Lydia & Darpan,

I have the same issue as Lydia. Except my issue started on the Feb 28, 2020. I have two computers, both running Windows 10 (one Home, one Pro). The Windows 10 Pro computer was not set up until May 5, 2020. Both computers are running Office 365 Business (now Microsoft 365 Business Standard). I normally access Outlook using the desktop version downloaded from Office 365. I use the Category colors of Outlook EXTENSIVELY in my Outlook Calendar dating back to 2006.

Let me explain a little deeper into the issue:

On 2.28.20, when I opened my desktop Outlook (Office 365) on my Windows 10 Home edition computer, the color palette (the one with 25 color choices) had changed. It was a MUCH paler palette than the day before! An example, my Black color is now Dark Gray. It’s in the same position on the color palette as the Black, but it’s no longer black in color, nor is it called Black. It’s called Dark Gray. This is only one example of the at least SIX colors who had a significant color change.

I contacted Office 365 support that very day, 2.28.20.  Ticket #‎18930946. The Microsoft support person felt that my Outlook Profile on my desktop had become corrupted and wanted to set up a new Profile. However, I stopped that direction mainly because I knew I would be setting up a totally new Windows 10 Pro edition computer in the very near future, and if my Outlook Profile were corrupted on the Windows 10 Home edition computer, the new setup on a new computer would take care of that situation.  So, I lived with the change for a while.

I set up the Windows 10 Pro edition computer on May 5, 2020, and downloaded Outlook for my desktop from Office 365 on May 6, 2020. I then set up the new Outlook with my Exchange account email, the same account as on the Windows 10 Home edition computer, and instantly had the very same PALE color palette for my 25 Category colors. The same pale palette that was first observed on 2.28.20.  So, the new profile idea did NOT work.

On May 8, 2020, I had time to contact Office 365 support (ticket #19951159), and after several days of research they have no idea what is going on, nor why it is happening. My Office 365 support person’s color palette is the bolder older palette, but he was also running an older version of Office 365 than I. He said that we could ‘rollback’ the Outlook version to predate the color palette change; however, neither he nor I felt that was a good long-term solution. He suggested replying to Lydia's message in Microsoft Community, which he had read too, which is what I am doing here.  He also suggested posting to Outlook User Voice, just like Darpan said, which I will also do.

Darpan, below is the color palette from your picture example in your last reply, dated 5.6.2020. Your color palette more closely resembles the older bolder palette rather than the newer paler palette:

Darpan, your color palette is above. My new paler color palette is below. Focus on the Black color box (far right column, middle box). As you can see, the color box for that color is now MUCH grayer than yours. Also note the color box on the far right column, bottom box. This color used to be Dark Maroon. It is now called Dark Pink and barely dissimilar from the Magenta box located several positions above it!

BOTTOM LINE and what I would like to know:

• IF there is a setting in Windows 10 that has changed this, please let me know. The Office 365 support person I spoke with today thought it might be a Windows 10 issue.

• IF this is a temporary issue with Office 365 (Microsoft 365), please let me know.

• If Microsoft needs more time to figure this out, please let me know.

• IF the new PALE (ugly) color palette is here to stay, fine, I will go change the colors in my Category palette that have been tarnished, that now look too much like other colors, and I will come up with a new color system to match the pale (ugly) new color palette.  Of course, this will change my Outlook Calendar all the way back to 2006. Grrrr. It’s not really that hard to change the Category colors, HOWEVER:

• IF this new pale color palette (which is sorta washed out and ugly) is only temporary, I don’t want to change my Category colors now only to have to change them back when the color palette returns to normal!

Does that explain the issue better?

Any help? Anyone?

Thanks!

Don

Hi Darpan,

I am very familiar with how to choose and reassign colors for my categories.

I only have 25 choices of color, and when I last restarted Windows, those colors changed.

Is there a way to make custom colors?  Can I bring back the old set of colors?  Or, am I stuck with the new color options?

Thank you,

Lydia

First off, I want to thank The Rea's for their graphic and concise evaluation of our problem. I have been using the same Microsoft color palette on my business calendar for years.  Unfortunately, for me, I have gotten to a point where I just glance at my calendar to get cogent information, i.e. if I see the Dark Red I know that meeting involves my boss and I will spend more time on preparation.  Now, my Dark Red looks like the washed-out Red which connotes a lesser meeting.  I know this sounds trivial but my brain has been trained to react to certain calendar colors and those colors are no longer there.   I had IT come up and take a look and they could not solve this problem.  I then turned it over to my three teenagers who also came to the conclusion this is a permanent Microsoft change.   

What bothers me the most is how Microsoft (in this case, Darpan) goes radio silent when they do not have an answer as opposed to just telling us the truth.  Are you working on a fix?  Is this a permanent change? At least help us understand what you are thinking so I can make the appropriate changes to my calendar and move on with my life.

This is a ridiculous change! It's not an "update" - it's a "downgrade"!!!

Obviously we all HATE the new dismal putrid color palette for Outlook color categories which makes it practically impossible to use the category colors which we depend on to use our calendar efficiently. Now we have to guess which color is which because they are so pale and similar, so the new colors are useless. WE NEED THE OLD BOLD COLORS BACK!!!!!

Please make life easier rather than harder!!!!!

BOLD COLORS NEEDED NOW!!!!!

Don explained this perfectly, the same exact thing happened to me.  I spent some time trying to fix it this morning before googling it and finding this thread. On one hand I'm relieved it's not just me, but on the other hand I really hope the old bolder colors come back, I really hate these new muted colors.