How to search for emails by category on new Outlook app

Anonymous
2023-11-14T20:56:23+00:00

In the older version of the Outlook app on desktop, I was able to easily search for emails with a specific category. However with the new Outlook app, I'm not sure how to do that anymore. I understand that you can click on an email with a category to search for emails with the same category, but I find this rather inconvenient. Is there an easier workaround that's more similar to how the old Outlook app worked?

Outlook | Windows | New Outlook for Windows | For home

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Anonymous
2023-11-15T03:00:40+00:00

Dear Yongj_363,

Good day! Thank you for posting to Microsoft Community. We are happy to assist you.

Based on your description, you are asking about searching for emails by category on the new Outlook app. Here's how:

  1. Click on the search bar at the top of the Outlook app.
  2. Type in the name of the category you want to search for.
  3. Choose the category option when it comes out.
  4. The search results will show all emails that have been categorized with the category you searched for.

I did an sample search, please refer to the information below:

  1. I categorized my emails in my inbox as custom 123, default Blue, Green and Purple.

.

  1. When I search emails with one specific category, I just search the name of this category.

For123: I typed 123, the option would come out for searching 123 category (If the option does not show up, add a space).

.

.

For Blue category: I typed Blue and I got the option for Blue category.

.

.

I hope the information above can be useful for you. If there is any update or I misunderstand you, please feel free to let me know. I will continue to assist you. Your understanding and co-operation are highly appreciated.

Thanks for your precious time. Have a nice day.

Sincerely,

Sherry | Microsoft Community Moderator

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  1. Anonymous
    2024-09-17T14:45:39+00:00

    Did you get an answer to this? I would really like to be able to find email with 2+ categories, and only see those.

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  2. Anonymous
    2024-08-30T17:21:32+00:00

    Just to say that this worked fine for me until recently i.e. enter category name (or part name) in the search bar and the category / tag would clearly show with label icon next to it alongside any other types that matched the search criteria.

    However, for no apparent reason, I've recently noticed the category /tag item (and icon) no longer appears, only all other item types.

    Where did it go and why??

    Thanks.

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  3. Anonymous
    2024-08-14T17:12:19+00:00

    Still looking for an answer to this in August 2024:
    My categories don't appear in the drop-down when I type them into the search bar the way you've shown here :(

    There also isn't a "Category" field in the Advanced Search options which seems odd to me.

    Wondering if this is a bug on my end or if the Categories feature has been scaled back or moved?

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  4. Anonymous
    2024-08-07T13:15:24+00:00

    When I search the category is never an option in the drop down because I have many emails with similar words in the header. Is there any way to limit the search to just the categories?

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