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Calendar Categories

Anthony2740 0 Reputation points
2025-07-31T11:31:31.1033333+00:00

Hello -

I'm using Mac OSX and having a difficult time changing category colors on the calendar. They've been changed to a palette of soft pastels which are extremely difficult to read for those like myself with certain vision impairments. I've been struggling with this for awhile now and it's become impossible for me to use the calendar effectively. I did not want this change and I'd simply like to change the colors.

In a world where everything seems to be customizable, I'm surprised Microsoft hasn't made this option more obvious, however, I cannot seem to find the option which allows me to switch the colors to something I can see.

Could you please guide me toward where the option is ? It's probably right in front of me and I will probably feel silly not to have seen it before - LOL

Thanks !

A

Microsoft 365 and Office | Development | Microsoft 365 App Publishing
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  1. Michelle-N 3,580 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2025-07-31T12:45:32.01+00:00

    Dear @Anthony2740

    Thank you for reaching out to the Microsoft Q&A Forum. 

    I understand you're having difficulty changing the calendar category colors in Outlook for Mac and find the default pastels hard to read.

    Based on my testing on a machine running macOS Sequoia 15.0, I can confirm that the ability to change event and category colors is available and functional in both the "New Outlook" and the "Legacy Outlook" versions. It's possible that this feature has been improved or fixed in a more recent version of Outlook or macOS. Please follow the following steps below.

    • To Change Category Colors in both New Outlook and Legacy Outlook for Mac:

    Right-click on any calendar appointment or event > Hover over Categorize in the context menu > In the window that appears, you can click on the color circle next to each category name to select a new, more vibrant color.

    I hope this guidance helps you find the option and adjust the colors to something much easier for you to see! However, if I have misunderstood your issue, please let me know.

    If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".    

    Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread 

  2. Bob Jones AKA CyberTaz MVP 425.6K Reputation points
    2025-07-31T14:53:49.3866667+00:00

    Unfortunately, there is no provision in the program for changing the available colors.

    Use Help> Feedback in the Outlook menu bar to express your concern to the development group. Include a reference to this thread. Don't expect an immediate change or a personal reply but Feedback is monitored & prioritized based on demand.

    You might see whether any of the macOS Accessibility or Display System Settings provide any relief.

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