How to color-code appointments in Outlook Calendar

3 years ago 547

Finding important appointments is simply a spot easier erstwhile you tin scan for a circumstantial colour alternatively than substance successful Microsoft Outlook Calendar. Never miss an assignment again.

Several versions of Microsoft Outlook ago, you could usage colour to place appointments by rapidly applying a category. Outlook nary longer supports this feature, although, with a small roughhousing, you tin inactive get to them. Because they're not supported and due to the fact that you bash person to leap done hoops to retrieve them, I don't urge their usage immoderate longer. I expect them to vanish with each upgrade, and if they don't wholly disappear, they mightiness halt moving arsenic expected, and you mightiness not adjacent recognize it.

SEE: Windows 10: Lists of vocal commands for code designation and dictation (free PDF) (TechRepublic)

You can, however, inactive usage conditional formatting to colour codification appointments. The bully quality is, erstwhile the formatting regularisation is successful place, you won't person to bash anything. Outlook volition use the colour automatically. In this article, I'll amusement you however to usage this diagnostic successful Microsoft 365's desktop mentation of Outlook. You tin usage conditional formats with different Outlook items, specified arsenic email messages. The process is the same, but you request to beryllium successful the due window.

I'm utilizing Microsoft 365 desktop connected a Windows 10 64-bit system, but you tin usage earlier versions. There's nary objection file; you won't request one. This diagnostic isn't supported successful Outlook Online.

Make a program for your Outlook Calendar colour codes

Before you commencement creating rules to color-code your appointments, walk a fewer minutes deciding which colors you privation to use and to what types of appointments. I can't springiness an nonstop regularisation of thumb due to the fact that everyone works differently. For instance, you mightiness colour codification appointments by taxable substance oregon task titles. Or you mightiness colour codification by whether it's mandatory oregon optional. There are each kinds of reasons you mightiness privation a peculiar assignment to basal out.

SEE: 83 Excel tips each idiosyncratic should master (TechRepublic)

The benignant of assignment that you take to color-code should person a accordant spot oregon contented for the regularisation to find. For that reason, you bash request to deliberation it each retired conscionable a spot earlier diving close in. We'll color-code appointments by a trigger operation successful the taxable text, "Restructure Committee." If idiosyncratic sends a connection to the radical but uses a antithetic subject, the information won't beryllium met. That's wherefore this needs a spot of up-front planning.

Before we tin bash thing though, we request an appointment.

How to adhd an assignment successful Outlook Calendar

Before we adhd the conditional formatting rule, let's make an assignment for the restructure committee, arsenic follows:

Double-click Sept. 7, 2021, a Tuesday successful your calendar (I'm utilizing the Month view; I conscionable find it easier erstwhile creating appointments due to the fact that you get a bigger representation of everything that's going on.) Doing truthful creates an Event item. Alternatively, you tin click New Appointment and make it from scratch, but for now, usage the double-click.
In the resulting dialog, participate the sanction Restructure Committee. When applying to your ain work, the sanction should beryllium descriptive and meaningful truthful it's casual to find and maintain.
Uncheck the All Day enactment truthful the commencement and extremity times are available.
Set the clip for 9:00 AM done 12:00 PM, arsenic shown successful Figure A.
Click Save & Close to instrumentality to the Calendar window.

Figure A

Technically, you don't person to person an assignment that meets the information earlier creating the conditional formatting rule, but the diagnostic does enactment with existing appointments.

How to use the conditional format successful Outlook Calendar

With oregon without an appointment, applying a conditional format is easy, and Outlook applies the codification automatically. You request a condition, which successful this lawsuit is the taxable text, "Restructure Committee." In addition, you request to prime a color; we'll usage red.

Let's get started:

Open the Calendar model and click the View tab. Then, take View Settings successful the Current View group. In the resulting dialog, click Conditional Formatting.
Click Add to make a caller rule, and participate a sanction for it, specified arsenic Color Restructure Appt.
Choose the colour reddish (Figure B).
Click Condition successful the bottom-left of the dialog. This is wherever things tin get a spot complex.
Click the Appointments and Meetings tab (if necessary, it's the default).
Enter Restructure Committee successful the Search for the Words power (Figure C). Don't uncheck the In Subject Field Only (default) mounting due to the fact that you privation to look for this operation successful the message's subject. This dialog deserves immoderate exploration aboriginal due to the fact that of its galore options. You'll privation to larn astir each of them.
Click OK 3 times to instrumentality to the Calendar window.

Figure B

Figure C

Browse to the assignment for Sept. 7. You'll find the existing assignment color-coded successful reddish arsenic shown successful Figure D.

Figure D

The information acceptable successful measurement 6 could beryllium different. For instance, you mightiness take to look for lone the connection restructure. Or you mightiness click the Advanced tab and adhd much words different than restructure, but omitting committee—when specifying aggregate words, committee mightiness get a batch of hits that don't use to the restructure committee. This illustration is elemental and doesn't connection immoderate imaginable snags, but things tin get much analyzable erstwhile needed.

How to marque a gathering recurring successful Outlook Calendar

The formatting regularisation volition enactment connected existing and each caller assignment items that acceptable the condition. Use the instructions supra to make a caller assignment if you privation to spot that astatine work. If you opt to marque the gathering recurring, the regularisation volition adjacent color-code those, aft the fact. Open the assignment and click Recurrence successful the Options radical (on the Event tab). Outlook volition prime the Weekly and Tuesday options for you, arsenic shown successful Figure E. When you instrumentality to the calendar, you volition spot an assignment for each Tuesday, successful red.

Figure E