Turn Off Apple Mail Categories to bring back the old simple view in your inbox. Apple added Categories in iOS 18.2, iPadOS 18.4, and macOS Sequoia 15.4.
This feature sorts emails into Primary, Transactions, Updates, and Promotions. Many find it helpful, but others prefer one list view. If you like the older style, here’s how to change it.
Apple added Categories in iOS 18.2, iPadOS 18.4, and macOS Sequoia 15.4. This feature sorts emails into tabs, but you can free up iPhone storage without deleting apps if you want more space for your messages.
Turn Off Apple Mail Categories in Mail App
Apple Mail Categories sort your messages into four clear groups. Primary shows personal or urgent emails. Transactions stores receipts, purchase details, and shipping notifications. Updates keeps newsletters, reminders, and subscription alerts. Promotions holds offers, deals, and coupon emails.
If an email is time-sensitive, it appears in Primary even if it fits another category. This helps important updates stand out. Devices with Apple Intelligence also mark priority messages and highlight deadlines.
While this system is meant to help organize emails, not everyone likes it. Some people want to see all emails together without switching between tabs. Others already have their own system for sorting emails.
To Turn Off Apple Mail Categories and return to the old view:
- Open the Mail app on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac.
- On iPhone or iPad, tap the three dots in the top right corner of the inbox. On Mac, look for the More button at the top.
- On iPhone or iPad, choose List View from the menu. On Mac, uncheck Show Mail Categories.
Once you do this, your inbox shows emails in chronological order, like before. The change is instant. You can turn Categories back on anytime using the same steps.
If you have Apple Intelligence, you may see an extra option for Priority Messages in the More menu. Older devices will not have this option. There’s also an About Categories section where you can see how messages were sorted over the last week, but you cannot manually correct wrong placements from there.
Remove Category Icons from Apple Mail
Even after you Turn Off Apple Mail Categories, you may still see icons beside each email. These icons indicate the old category of that message. Some find them useful, but others think they waste space or clutter the screen.
Apple does not provide a direct “hide icons” option in Mail settings. However, there’s a workaround. This method also removes contact photos from your inbox list. The change only affects the list view, not individual emails.
Follow these steps to remove category icons:
- Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
- Scroll down and tap Mail under Apps.
- Go to the Message List section.
- Turn off the toggle for Show Contact Photos.
When you return to Mail, the category icons and contact photos will be gone from your inbox. Inside individual messages, icons and photos will still be visible as before.
This method works only for iPhone right now. On Mac or iPad, there is no separate setting for category icons at the moment.
Why Some Users Prefer Turning Off Apple Mail Categories
Apple designed Categories to make inbox management faster and easier. However, not everyone enjoys this style. There are several reasons people choose to Turn Off Apple Mail Categories:
- All emails in one place: Many users like scrolling through all emails without tabs.
- Custom sorting methods: Some people use folders, rules, or search instead of categories.
- Quick scanning: One list view can be faster for spotting new messages.
- Clean look: Removing categories and icons creates a simpler layout.
Also, some users find themselves moving messages between categories often because the system places them incorrectly. Others do not want to learn a new layout after years of using the old one.
How Apple Mail Categories Work
Apple Mail Categories act like automatic filters for incoming emails. When you receive a message, the system checks its type, content, and sender. It then assigns it to one of the four categories:
- Primary: Personal, important, or time-sensitive emails.
- Transactions: Online orders, receipts, and delivery updates.
- Updates: Newsletters, subscription alerts, and event reminders.
- Promotions: Sales, coupons, and marketing emails.
You can tap on a category to see only emails from that group. On iPhone and iPad, you can also swipe left across category tabs to switch to All Mail view without changing the setting permanently. On Mac, you’ll find the All Mail option to the right of the category buttons.
If you like Categories sometimes but not always, this swipe or click method is a quick alternative to turning them off completely.
Tips for Managing Emails Without Categories
If you Turn Off Apple Mail Categories, you can still keep your inbox organized using other methods:
- Folders: Create folders for work, personal, or shopping.
- Flags: Use colored flags to mark important emails.
- Search: Use the search bar to quickly find old messages.
- Rules (Mac): Set rules to automatically move emails to folders.
You can also use third-party tools like Clean Email to automate sorting, blocking spam, and cleaning old emails. This can give you the benefits of categories without using Apple’s built-in system.
As We Conclude
Turn Off Apple Mail Categories if you want a simple inbox. Switching to List View brings back the old style instantly. You can also remove category icons for a cleaner look.
While Categories may help some users, others prefer one continuous list of emails. Apple’s settings give you control, so you can keep your inbox exactly the way you like it.
