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SimplyTag Frequently Asked Questions

Functionality

Does SimplyTag send my email data to TechHit servers?

SimplyTag logic is client-based. Your email is not sent to TechHit servers.

What is the difference between tag, category and label?

All three words mean the same thing. Outlook uses “category”. Gmail uses “label”. “Tag” is also commonly used to refer to the same concept. SimplyTag sounds better than SimplyCategorize or SimplyLabel, doesn’t it? :)

Does SimplyTag have configurable keyboard shortcuts so that I don’t have to reach for the mouse all the time?

Yes, absolutely. We pay a lot of attention to optimizing for keyboard-only usage. Use the Hotkeys tab in the Options window to configure keyboard shortcuts for fast operation.

Additionally, most of SimplyTag windows are specifically designed to make keyboard-only usage simple and effective. Do not hesitate to ask us if you have questions about it.

Can I move messages to a folder while assigning a category?

Yes, absolutely. Use the Move To Folder Action. Please see Categorize and archive in one step for details.

How do I create tag groups or bundles?

Use the Assign Additional Categories Action.

For example, create a tag named “BundleA”. In the “Assign Additional Categories” field for that tag add tags “Tag1”, “Tag2” and “Tag3”. Now, whenever you assign “BundleA” to a message, SimplyTag will also automatically assign “Tag1”, “Tag2” and “Tag3”.

How do I quickly create a new tag?

  • Open the QuickTag window. (You can assign a hotkey to it on the Hotkeys tab of the Options window).
  • Type the new tag name in the “Filter all categories” field at the top of QuickTag.
  • click “New Tag” (or hit Alt+N hotkey).
  • Hit Enter.

How do I rename a tag?

If you are OK with leaving the old tag on the tagged messages, you can simply create a new tag and start using it going forward. You can also do a search of all messages with the old tag and add the new tag to them.

If you would like to remove the old tag from the tagged messages and replace them with the new one, please follow the steps below. Let’s say you would like to rename TagOld to TagNew.

How do I remove one tag from messages, preserving the rest?

You have many categorized messges, potentially each messages has a different combination of tags. Let’s assume you would like to delete “TagA” and leave the rest of tags as is. Here is how you can do that:

  • Create a new tag, named “DeleteTagA”.
  • In the Remove Existing Categories Action field for “DeleteTagA”, add both “DeleteTagA” and “TagA”.
  • Select the messages you would like to delete “TagA” from.
  • Open the QuickTag window.
  • Add “DeleteTagA” in to the “Selected Categories” pane. This should be the only tag there.
  • Enable Preserve Existing Message Tags checkbox.
  • Click “Tag Message”.

Can SimplyTag suggest folders?

Yes, it can. Even though the primary purpose of SimplyTag is tagging, you can have SimplyTag suggest folders too.

I am using an IMAP account and my sent messages are not getting tagged.

Due to the way IMAP and Outlook work, we do not recommend using categories/tags with IMAP accounts.

For Outlook 2016 and 2013:

  • Select “File->Account Settings”
  • On the “Email” tab, select your IMAP account and click “Change”
  • Click “More Settings”
  • Go to “Advanced” tab
  • Under “Sent Items” section, uncheck “Do not save copies of sent items”.
  • Click “OK” to save your settings.

For Outlook 2010:

  • Open Outlook’s “Account Settings” window.
    • Outlook 2010: File->Account Settings.
    • Outlook 2007: Tools->Account Settings.
  • Select your IMAP account and click “Change”.
  • Click “More Settings”.
  • Select the “Sent Items” tab.
  • Check the “Save sent items in the Sent Items folder on this computer” option.
  • Click “OK” to save your settings.

What steps should I take after reorganizing categories or changing account configuration?

We recommend that you Reset Suggestions.

How does SimplyTag compare to Taglocity?

Taglocity was a great product. Kudos to the team that developed it. Unfortunately it appears that Taglocity is no longer supported. SimplyTag is newer and does not have all the same features yet, but we are working on it. We do have our own take on how categories and tags should be supported. The first few things you will notice are a great category prediction engine which enables one-click category assignment and streamlined optimized UI for both keyboard-only and mouse-based operation. SimplyTag does support Outlook 2016, 2013 and 2010, both 32 and 64 bit. We are actively developing and enhancing SimplyTag and would love to hear what you think about the product and any feedback or suggestions you might have.

How can I duplicate (copy and paste) categories from one message to another?

Use the Copy Tags and Paste Tags buttons. (New in v3).

How can I skip the SimplyTag prompt when sending a message?

If you are sending a message which you do not need to tag, you can skip the SimplyTag prompt for this message. Simply hold down the Shift key while clicking Send.

Note

If you would like to disable the SimplyTag prompt for all send messages, uncheck Prompt To Tag Messages I Send in the Options window.

What happens with messages I have tagged if I decide to stop using SimplyTag?

SimplyTag uses built-in Outlook Categories field to store message tags. Categories will remain as-is if you uninstall SimplyTag.

Installation and Compatibility

How do I install and activate the product?

Step 1 - Install the software

Download and install the trial version of the product, if you have not already done so. Run the installer and follow the prompts. If you have a license, be sure to install the version for which you are licensed.

Step 2 - Enter the license key

Click More (last SimplyTag button in the main Outlook window), then select Enter License Key.

Tip

Be sure to save your license key email in a safe place. You will need it if you decide to move the product to a new computer in the future.

I administer thousands of workstations. How do I easily deploy SimplyTag to all of them?

We provide a mechanism for large scale deployment and administration. Please contact us for details.

What operating systems are supported?

  • SimplyTag v3: Windows 10, 11, 2016, 2019, 2022 with the latest updates. Microsoft .NET Framework 4.7.1 or newer is required.
  • SimplyTag v2: Windows 7, 8, 8.1, 2008 R2, 2012 R2 with the latest updates. Microsoft .NET Framework 4.7.1 or newer is required.

What versions of Outlook are supported?

  • SimplyTag v3: Outlook 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, Office 365 (both 32 and 64 bit).
  • SimplyTag v2: Outlook 2010, 2013, 2016 (both 32 and 64 bit).

“New Outlook” is not supported.

Exchange or POP email account. Exchange recommended. IMAP is not supported.

Be sure to install the latest Office Service Pack. We recommend that you enable automatic Windows Updates to keep your system up-to-date.

Note

SimplyTag does NOT work with Outlook Web Access, Outlook Express, Windows Mail or Outlook for Mac.

Are Office 365 accounts supported?

Yes.

Does SimplyTag work with Outlook Web Access (OWA)?

SimplyTag does not support Outlook Web Access. It requires regular Outlook.

Does SimplyTag work with IMAP accounts?

Outlook has a number of limitations when using categories/tags with IMAP accounts. Your tag information is stored locally on your computer. It is not propagated to the server. Your tags are only visible on the computer on which you assign them. If you connect another device to the same account, you will not see the tags you assigned. This is a limitation of how Outlook interacts with IMAP accounts. This does not apply to Exchange and Office 365 accounts.

Given the above Outlook and IMAP limitations, we do not support SimplyTag with IMAP accounts.

I don’t see SimplyTag in Outlook after installing it. Why?

Restart Outlook. Make sure you shutdown Outlook completely during the restart. (Use the Task Manager to verify that Outlook is not running).

Make sure Outlook’s Ribbon is fully expanded.

If the above does not help, please verify that the Apply macro security settings to installed add-ins option is OFF. If that option is checked, uncheck it and restart Outlook. It is located under:

  • Outlook 2010, 2013, 2016: File -> Options -> Trust Center -> Trust Center Settings -> Macro Settings.

If the above does not help, please try the steps listed in the next question.

SimplyTag has disappeared from my outlook. How do I get it back?

Please check the following location:

If you see SimplyTag on that list, select it and click Enable. Then restart Outlook.

In Outlook 2010, 2013, 2016, if the above does not help, please verify that the Apply macro security settings to installed add-ins option is OFF. If that option is checked, uncheck it and restart Outlook. It is located under:

  • Outlook 2010, 2013, 2016: File -> Options -> Trust Center -> Trust Center Settings -> Macro Settings.

If the above does not help, please try the steps listed in the next question.

Note

If this happens to you repeatedly, there is likely an issue with Outlook itself. By far, the most common reason for this is a corrupted PST/OST file. You will find a solution for this and other potential reasons in this article. Please run scanpst on all your PST/OST files. Please note that you have to run scanpst repeatedly on every PST/OST file, until it tells you that there are no more errors in the file.

Note

If this happens to you repeatedly, there is likely an issue with Outlook itself. By far, the most common reason for this is a corrupted PST/OST file. You will find a solution for this and other potential reasons in this article. Please run scanpst on all your PST/OST files. Please note that you have to run scanpst repeatedly on every PST/OST file, until it tells you that there are no more errors in the file.

Why does the SimplyTag toolbar disappear after I restart Outlook?

This issue is likely caused by the fact that Outlook is still running after you closed its main window (usually due to a third-party misbehaving add-in).

Next time this happens, please use the following steps:

  • Close Outlook
  • Open the Task Manager
  • Switch to the Processes tab
  • Find Outlook.exe
  • Select it and click “End Task”
  • Wait 5 seconds, then start Outlook again.

That should bring your missing SimplyTag back.

If this keeps happening to you, you might want to disable some of the add-ins you have installed, to find which one is causing this issue. Please see this article for more information.

How do I move tags settings to a new computer?

Please follow these steps:

  • On the old computer: click Open Data Folder on the Advanced tab of the Options window.
  • Copy all files from this folder to the new computer.
  • On the new computer: click Open Data Folder on the Advanced tab of the Options window. Close Outlook. Copy all files to this folder.
  • Start Outlook.

I am a licensed user. How do I get updates?

Use the Check For Updates command.

How do I install the product for all users on a computer or a Terminal Server?

Starting with v2, the default EXE installer installs the product for the current user only. You will need to use an admin installer. See this section of the User Guide for the description of different types of installers.

Licensing

How do I enter my license key into SimplyTag?

See this FAQ.

Which edition is the trial - Standard, Pro or Ultimate?

The trial version includes features of all edition, so you can evaluate them all and decide which features best meet your requirements.

How do I transfer my SimplyTag license to a new computer?

Please see the Changing Computers section of the User Guide. Be sure to save your license key email in a safe place for future reference.

After that, follow these steps to train SimplyTag on the new computer.

How many licenses do I need?

Starting with version 3, SimplyTag is licensed per-user. A licensed user can use the product on up to 5 devices, provided all devices are exclusively used by that user. (A user is identified by the Windows login user name). If multiple users have access to a device where the product is installed, each user requires a license.

Prior to v3, SimplyTag was license per user per device.

How do I cancel my subscription?

We believe cancelling a subscription should be as easy as creating one.

If you ran into any issues, give us a chance to help you fix them.

Cancel your subscription.

I have lost my license key. How do I find it?

See this page for instructions.

What is your refund policy

See our refund policy.