Outlook 2011: Keyboard shortcut to assign categories?

In Outlook 2011, is there some way to assign keyboard shortcuts to specific categories, so I can categorize messages without having to use the mouse to select the drop-down from the Categories menu in the Ribbon?

Yes, you can do this.

1. Open System Preferences.
2. Select Keyboard.
3. Select Keyboard Shortcuts.
4. Select Application Shortcuts in the left navigation pane.
5. Click the + button to create a new shortcut.
6. Choose Microsoft Outlook.app in the Application drop-down menu.
7. Enter the exact name of the menu command you want to add. E.g. for an Outlook category named "Project X" enter that category name, "Project X."
8. Click in the Keyboard Shortcut field and press a unique keyboard sequence such as Control-Option-T.
9. Click the Add button.

For some more ideas about how you could add keyboard shortcuts to Outlook:Mac, check out "Unleash new uses for keyboard commands in Outlook for Mac" in the Office:Mac Help Blog.

I had mixed results with the above method. It would work once, and then just scroll to the last email received in my list after that. However, I launched Automator (in Applications folder) and created a service (looks like a gear) from the new workflow menu. From there it only took 2 actions from the several Outlook choices included in Automator:

 • Get Selected Outlook Items
 • Set Category of Outlook Items

Drag these items to the workflow area and select the Category from the dropdown. Save and and name this workflow. Then, select Services > Services Preferences... from the program name in the title menu, scroll to your named workflow and double-click to the right to assign a keyboard shortcut.

The only downfall is that this shortcut will work from anywhere, I will try to isolate it to work ONLY when using Outlook later.