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Categories and tags

As your list grows, categories, tags, and favorites are what keep it under control. Categories are colored groups a contact can belong to (one or several at once), listed in the sidebar; tags are free-form keywords reached by typing # in the search box; and the favorite star pins the people you reach for most. Together with the full-width search and its # and @ modes, they let you land on the right contact in seconds.

Categories

Categories are colored groups you create to classify contacts your way, such as Clients, Suppliers, Friends, or Press. Each one has a name and a color, appears in the sidebar under Categories with a count, and a single contact can belong to several categories at the same time.

Create a category

  1. 1In the Contacts sidebar, find the Categories heading.
  2. 2Click the plus button (Add category) next to it.
  3. 3Give it a name and confirm; a color is assigned so it stands out.
  4. 4The new category appears in the sidebar with a count of how many contacts it holds.

You can also create a category on the fly while editing a contact: in the Categories field on the General tab, use the plus button, type the name, and it is created and assigned in one step.

Assign categories to a contact

  1. 1Open a contact and start editing it.
  2. 2On the General tab, find the Categories field, which lists every category as a chip.
  3. 3Click a chip to add that category; click it again to remove it.
  4. 4Select as many as apply, then save the contact.
A contact can be in several categories at once. Assigning one does not remove the others, so the same person can be both a Client and a Friend, for example. In the list, the first category shows as a badge and a +N counter reveals how many more there are.
Category assignment is by identity, not by name, so renaming a category keeps every contact and filter intact.

To manage an existing category, right-click it in the sidebar: you can Rename category, Share with team (making it and its contacts visible to your workspace, with Stop sharing to undo), or Delete. Deleting a category removes it from every contact that used it, but the contacts themselves stay.

Tags

Tags are free-form keywords you attach to a contact to describe it in your own words, such as "vip", "newsletter", or "event-2026". Unlike categories, they are not colored and you type them directly, so they are ideal for lighter, ad-hoc labeling. A contact can carry as many tags as you like. Tags no longer live in the sidebar — you reach them by typing # in the search box, the same pattern as in Notes.

  1. 1Open a contact and start editing it.
  2. 2On the General tab, find the Tags field.
  3. 3Type the tags separated by commas, for example: client, vip, newsletter.
  4. 4Save. Each tag is now listed when you type # in the search box.

Typing # in the search box opens the list of every tag in use, each with a count; the text you type after # narrows that list. Hover a tag row to reveal its Rename tag and Delete buttons — renaming updates the tag across all contacts, deleting removes it from every contact that had it.

Favorites

The favorite star highlights the contacts you reach for most, so you can filter down to them instantly regardless of category or tag. There are two ways to star a contact:

  • In the list, hover a contact and click the star that appears on its row — one click, no edit mode needed.
  • In the edit form, tick the Favorite contact option on the General tab and save.

In the sidebar, click Favorites to see only your starred contacts.

Favorite is independent from categories and tags: a contact can be a favorite while also belonging to any categories and carrying any tags.

Search and filter

Two tools work together to narrow the list: the sidebar filters and the full-width search box with its # and @ modes.

Filter from the sidebar

  • All contacts: shows everyone.
  • Favorites: shows only starred contacts.
  • Team members: the people of your workspace (read-only).
  • Trash: deleted contacts, with restore and empty trash.
  • A category: shows the contacts in that colored group.

Search across fields

The search box sits under the list header, spans the full width, and hints at its modes in the placeholder: Search · # tags · @ categories. Plain text matches several fields at once — name, nickname, every email and phone, company, role, department, city, and tags — ignoring accents and case, and the list filters as you type.

The # and @ modes

Typing # as the first character opens the tag list; typing @ opens the category list. The text after the prefix filters that list, Enter picks the first item, and Esc leaves the mode. Choosing an item applies the filter and the criterion stays visible in the field (for example #vip or @Friends), with an X button to clear it and go back to showing everything.

List tags in the search box; pick one to filter by it#
List categories in the search box; pick one to filter by it@
Pick the first item of the open # or @ listEnter
Clear the search and the filter that came from itEsc
Move the list selection without leaving the search box↓ / ↑
Text search and the active filter combine: pick a category or Favorites in the sidebar, then type in search to look only within that subset. A filter pinned from the field (via # or @) is undone by its X; a filter chosen in the sidebar is not.
Categories, tags, and favorites are set on the contact form. To learn every field a contact holds and how to edit them, see the "Add and edit" page. To move contacts in and out in bulk, see "Import and export (vCard)".