Note: By default, when you create a new category, the category is displayed in the navigation pane. Under Show in Navigation Pane, select or clear the check boxes that you want.
Under Personal Settings, click Categories. If the field on the left is a text field, the colors will show. This happens when you move the Categories column to the left of the From field, or more accurately, immediately to the right of a field that uses an icon. This is a bug in all recent versions of Outlook and it's easily fixed. Why are categories not showing in Outlook? Price How do I get my categories back in Outlook? Get a writing assignment done or a free consulting with