Mail flag colors mismatch from MacBook to iPhone

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Level 1

15 points

Mail flag colors mismatch from MacBook to iPhone

I use four colours of flags to categorise my emails in Mail. When I apply a flag to a mail on my MacBook, the flag appears as it should do on that mail as viewed on the MacBook but when I look on my iPhone, the colour is always one of the other three colours.

I've tried various combinations of applying flags on the MacBook and on the iPhone to try to find a pattern but the allocation of colours is totally random with one exception. The colour applied in Mail on the MacBook NEVER appears as the same colour on my iPhone.

If anyone has any useful wisdom to share, I would be grateful. Thank you.

Operating systems on both devices are fully up-to-date.

Posted on Nov 28, 2025 12:16 AM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

azaksalmarzur28

Level 2

426 points

Nov 28, 2025 6:21 AM in response to Spartacles

The mismatch happens because macOS Mail uses named color flags while iPhone Mail uses numbered IMAP flags, and most mail servers (especially Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo) don’t map these 1:1. To fix: reset flags on Mac to default, rebuild mailboxes, toggle Mail off/on in iPhone, and re-add the account if needed. If using Gmail/Outlook, full color accuracy is simply not supported — only iCloud Mail provides perfect flag color sync across Apple devices.

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Answer 2

AlWeir

Level 5

4,862 points

Nov 28, 2025 5:59 AM in response to Spartacles

If it isn't iCloud account they are not connected.

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Answer 3

Spartacles Author

Level 1

15 points

Nov 28, 2025 6:05 AM in response to AlWeir

They are connected in iCloud.

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