How to import and export categories in Outlook?

As you know, you can create many color categories in Outlook. In addition, you can also export all of your customized categories and share them with your colleagues, or import into new computer, etc. This article is arranged to walk you through exporting and importing categories in Microsoft Outlook.

Export categories from Microsoft Outlook

Import categories into Microsoft Outlook

Export categories from Microsoft Outlook

All color categories, including defaulted categories and customized categories, can be exported from Microsoft Outlook. You can do it as following:

Step 1: Create a new note:

• In Outlook 2007, please click the File > New > Note.
• In Outlook 2010, please click the New Items > More Items > Note.

Step 2: In the new note dialog, type some text in it. In this case, we enter the text of Categories.

Step 3: Click the button at the upper-left corner in the Note window, and then click the Save & Close in Outlook 2010 (or the Close in Outlook 2007).

Step 4: Shift to the Note view with clicking the Note icon in the Navigation Pane.

Step 5: Click the note you created before, and then click the Categorize > All Categories in the Tags group on the Home tab in Outlook 2010.

In Outlook 2007, click the Categorize > All Categories in the Toolbar.

Step 6: In the Color Categories dialog box, check the color categories that you will export later, and then click the OK button.

Step 7: Drag and move the note into a folder of Windows to save it. This note will be saved as an .msg file.

Import categories into Microsoft Outlook

Before you import color categories into your Microsoft Outlook, an .msg file of note with color categories is required.

Step 1: Shift to the Note view with clicking the Note in the Navigation Pane.

Step 2: Drag the .msg file of note with color categories into Microsoft Outlook.

Step 3: Shift to the Mail view with clicking the Mail in the Navigation Pane.

Step 3: Right click one email account name in the Navigation Pane, and select the Data File Properties in the right-clicking menu.

Step 4: In the Folder Properties dialog box, click the Upgrade to Color Categories button.

Step 5: A warning dialog box comes out, and just click the Yes button.

Then all color categories added in the .msg file of note are copied and imported into Microsoft Outlook.

Step 6: Click the OK button in the Folder Properties dialog box.

Note:
1. If your email account type is SMTP which does not support the Note, for example the Gmail, this trick is not available.
2. You can update the color categories only if the pasted note and your email folder belong to the same data file of pst or ost.