---
title: "Create and Assign Message Categories"
slug: "assign-or-remove-message-category"
description: "Create message categories in Mapp Engage and assign them to email and SMS messages, or remove them, before the message is sent."
status: "update"
updated: 2026-11-06T15:58:28Z
published: 2026-11-06T15:58:28Z
canonical: "docs.mapp.com/assign-or-remove-message-category"
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.mapp.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Create and Assign Message Categories

## Goal

Create message categories and assign them to email and SMS messages. For what you can do with message categories, see [Message Categories and Tags](/v1/docs/message-categories).

---

## Create a Message Category

1. Go to *Administration > Categories > Message*.
2. Click **New Message Category**.
3. In the **Name** field, enter a name for the category. The name appears in message statistics, reports, and exports. If a message uses the category placeholder, recipients see the name as well.
4. Optional: In the **Description** field, enter a description.
5. Click **Save**.

To edit or archive existing categories, see [Message Category: Overview](/v1/docs/message-category-overview-window).

---

## Assign or Remove a Category

You assign a category to a message before it is sent. After a message has been sent, you cannot change its category.

1. Open the message:
  - For a new message, go to *Create New > Message*.
  - For an existing message, go to *Messages > Draft Messages* or *Messages > Prepared Messages*, select **Email** or **SMS**, and open the message for editing.
2. Go to the **Configuration** step. In email messages, expand **Advanced Options**.
3. From **Message Category**, select the category. To remove the category, select **Do not assign a category**.
4. Finish the message as usual: send it, schedule it, or save it as a prepared message.

In email messages, you can also select the category in the **Content** step.