New Microsoft Outlook for Windows and web: New "None" color category for Mail and Calendar

Coming soon to new Microsoft Outlook for Windows desktop and Microsoft Outlook for the web: A None color category that users can apply to Mail and Calendar items. This update provides parity with classic Outlook and more flexibility and customization for users to categorize their emails and calendar events. By selecting the None option, users can choose to have items without a designated color, allowing for cleaner organization and more control over which items stand out visually.

This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 469035.

When this will happen

Targeted Release: We began rolling out late December 2024 and expect to complete by late February 2025.

General Availability (Worldwide): We will begin rolling out late February 2025 and expect to complete by late March 2025.

General Availability (GCC, GCC High, DoD): We will begin rolling out late March 2025 and expect to complete by late April 2025.

How this will affect your organization

Before this rollout, the None color category displayed as gray.

After the rollout:

• Mail items will not have a color, which is the same behavior in classic Microsoft Outlook.
• Calendar items will retain the default category color related to the user's chosen theme, which is the same behavior as the previous version of Outlook.

This change will be available by default.

What you need to do to prepare

This rollout will happen automatically by the specified date with no admin action required before or after the rollout. You may want to notify your users about this change and update any relevant documentation.

Learn more: Create and assign color categories in Outlook - Microsoft Support (will be updated before rollout)

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