Categories & Custom Categories

Learn how to create and manage email categories for perfect organization.

What are Categories?

Categories are the main way InboxZebra organizes your emails. Think of them like folders, but smarter - the AI automatically decides which category each email belongs in.

Default Categories

InboxZebra comes with 9 built-in categories:

  1. Work - Direct work correspondence from colleagues
  2. Personal - Friends, family, personal relationships
  3. Development - GitHub, code reviews, dev tools (if you’re a developer)
  4. Newsletters - Mass emails from publishers, marketing
  5. Notifications - System alerts, confirmations, service updates
  6. Spam - Unwanted or junk emails
  7. Urgent - Time-sensitive emails needing immediate attention
  8. Tasks - Action items, follow-ups required
  9. Other - Doesn’t fit elsewhere

You can’t delete default categories, but you can edit their descriptions to match your needs.

Viewing Emails by Category

In the Sidebar

The left sidebar shows all your categories with email counts:

Work (45)
Personal (12)
Newsletters (23)
...

Click any category to see only emails in that category.

Filtering

The main window shows emails from the selected category. You can:

  • Sort by date, subject, or sender
  • Search within the category
  • Select multiple emails for bulk actions

Creating Custom Categories (Pro Feature)

Free Tier: 3 Custom Categories

On the free tier, you can create 3 custom categories in addition to the 9 defaults (12 total).

Pro/Business: Unlimited

Upgrade to Pro for unlimited custom categories.

How to Create a Category

  1. Open Settings (Cmd+,)
  2. Go to Categories tab
  3. Enter category name in the text field (e.g., “Client Projects” or “Investor Relations”)
  4. Choose a color using the color picker
  5. Click “Add”

Your new category appears in the list!

Locked? If you see a lock icon on the Add button, you’ve reached the free tier limit (3 categories). Upgrade to Pro to add more.

Editing Category Descriptions

Why Descriptions Matter

Category descriptions tell the AI what emails belong in each category. Better descriptions = better accuracy!

How to Edit

  1. Open Settings (Cmd+,) → Categories tab
  2. Right-click the category you want to edit
  3. Select “Edit Description”
  4. Write a clear description of what belongs in this category
  5. Click “Save”

Writing Good Descriptions

Good examples:

  • ✅ “Client communications, project proposals, feedback, deliverable reviews, and contract discussions”
  • ✅ “Investor updates, pitch meeting followups, fundraising conversations, and term sheet discussions”
  • ✅ “Freelance platform notifications from Upwork, Fiverr, Toptal, and client inquiries”

Bad examples:

  • ❌ “Client stuff” (too vague)
  • ❌ “Emails” (not helpful)
  • ❌ “Important” (subjective)

Tips:

  • Be specific about senders, topics, or keywords
  • Mention email types (alerts, notifications, newsletters)
  • Include examples if helpful

How the AI Uses Categories

Categorization Process

When InboxZebra processes an email:

  1. Reads the subject, sender, and email content
  2. Compares to your category descriptions
  3. Considers learned examples from past emails
  4. Applies custom instructions (if you set them)
  5. Assigns the best-matching category

Learning from Your Corrections

The AI gets smarter over time!

When you recategorize an email:

  1. The AI remembers your choice as a high-priority example
  2. Future similar emails go to the correct category
  3. After 5-10 corrections per category, accuracy reaches 90%+

See: Learning System for details

Category Colors

Office 365 (Outlook)

InboxZebra automatically assigns colors to categories based on their names:

  • Urgent → Red
  • Work → Orange
  • Financial → Green
  • Personal → Blue
  • Development → Yellow

These colors appear in Outlook on all your devices!

Gmail

Gmail uses labels instead of categories, but the concept is the same. Labels don’t have colors in Gmail by default, but InboxZebra’s organization still helps.

Deleting Categories

Built-in Categories

You cannot delete the 9 default categories. You can:

  • Edit their descriptions
  • Choose not to use them (emails will go to “Other”)

Custom Categories

To delete a custom category:

  1. Open Settings (Cmd+,) → Categories tab
  2. Find your custom category
  3. Click the trash icon next to it
  4. Confirm deletion

Warning: Emails in this category will be recategorized as “Other” the next time you sync.

Best Practices

Start with Defaults

Use the default categories first and see how they work for you. They’re designed for common email patterns.

Add Categories as Needed

Create custom categories when you notice a pattern:

  • Client Projects - Track communications per client or project
  • Invoices & Payments - Client invoices, payment confirmations, Stripe notifications
  • Partnerships - Business development, collaboration opportunities
  • Investor Relations - VC communications, investor updates, fundraising
  • Contractors - Freelancer and agency communications

Keep It Simple

Don’t create too many categories:

  • 9-15 categories is ideal
  • Too many = harder to find emails
  • Too few = everything gets mixed up

Use Descriptive Names

Good names:

  • ✅ Client Projects
  • ✅ Investor Relations
  • ✅ Product Feedback
  • ✅ Invoices

Avoid:

  • ❌ Important (subjective)
  • ❌ Misc (not helpful)
  • ❌ Todo (use Tasks instead)

Category Shortcuts

Quick Actions

Right-click any category in the sidebar for quick actions:

  • Edit Description - Update what belongs here
  • Recategorize All - Move all emails to a different category
  • View Statistics - See email count and trends

Next Steps