diff --git a/admin/inc/class.admin_categories.inc.php b/admin/inc/class.admin_categories.inc.php
index 34bab5ff65..a007aaff12 100644
--- a/admin/inc/class.admin_categories.inc.php
+++ b/admin/inc/class.admin_categories.inc.php
@@ -221,7 +221,7 @@ class admin_categories
 
 					if ($button == 'save')
 					{
-						Framework::refresh_opener($msg, $refresh_app, $content['id'], $change_color ? null : 'update', $this->appname);
+						Framework::refresh_opener($msg, $this->appname, $content['id'], $change_color ? null : 'update', $refresh_app);
 						Framework::window_close();
 					}
 					break;
@@ -244,7 +244,7 @@ class admin_categories
 					break;
 			}
 			// This should probably refresh the application $this->appname in the target tab $refresh_app, but that breaks pretty much everything
-			Framework::refresh_opener($msg, $refresh_app, $content['id'], $change_color ? null : 'update', $this->appname);
+			Framework::refresh_opener($msg, $this->appname, $content['id'], $change_color ? null : 'update', $refresh_app);
 		}
 		$content['msg'] = $msg;
 		if(!$content['appname']) $content['appname'] = $appname;
diff --git a/api/js/framework/fw_base.js b/api/js/framework/fw_base.js
index cea5a6c83a..bcc7b19a55 100644
--- a/api/js/framework/fw_base.js
+++ b/api/js/framework/fw_base.js
@@ -927,6 +927,11 @@ var fw_base = (function(){ "use strict"; return Class.extend(
 		}
 		// Call appropriate default / fallback refresh
 		var win = window;
+
+		// Preferences app is running under admin app, we need to trigger admin refersh
+		// in order to refresh categories list
+		_app = _app === 'preferences'?'admin':_app;
+
 		var app = this.getApplicationByName(_app);
 		if (app)
 		{
diff --git a/api/js/jsapi/egw_preferences.js b/api/js/jsapi/egw_preferences.js
index 0803bbf0f1..e3440956b9 100644
--- a/api/js/jsapi/egw_preferences.js
+++ b/api/js/jsapi/egw_preferences.js
@@ -150,8 +150,10 @@ egw.extend('preferences', egw.MODULE_GLOBAL, function()
 						}
 						else
 						{
+							delete query.current_app;
 							query.menuaction='preferences.preferences_categories_ui.index';
 							query.cats_app=current_app;
+							query.ajax = true;
 						}
 						egw.link_handler(egw.link(url, query), current_app);
 						break;