diff --git a/admin/inc/class.admin_categories.inc.php b/admin/inc/class.admin_categories.inc.php
index d2e306310b..7106f7d062 100644
--- a/admin/inc/class.admin_categories.inc.php
+++ b/admin/inc/class.admin_categories.inc.php
@@ -198,7 +198,7 @@ class admin_categories
 
 		$sel_options['icon'] = self::get_icons();
 		$sel_options['owner'] = array();
-		
+
 		// User's category - add current value to be able to preserve owner
 		if(!$content['id'] && $this->appname != 'admin') $content['owner'] = $GLOBALS['egw_info']['user']['account_id'];
 
@@ -215,7 +215,7 @@ class admin_categories
 		{
 			$sel_options['owner'][0] = lang('All users');
 			$accs = $GLOBALS['egw']->accounts->get_list('groups');
-			foreach($accs as $acc) 
+			foreach($accs as $acc)
 			{
 				if ($acc['account_type'] == 'g')
 				{
@@ -299,7 +299,7 @@ class admin_categories
 		{
 			$globalcat = false;
 		}
-		if($globalcat) $filter['access'] = 'public';
+		if ($globalcat) $filter['access'] = 'public';
 		egw_cache::setSession(__CLASS__.$query['appname'],'nm',$query);
 
 		if($query['filter'] > 0 || $query['col_filter']['owner']) {
@@ -311,10 +311,7 @@ class admin_categories
 		}
 
 		$cats = new categories($filter['owner'],$query['appname']);
-
-$globalcat=1;
-$parent = 0;
-		$rows = $cats->return_sorted_array($query['start'],false,$query['search'],$query['sort'],$query['order'],$globalcat,$parent,true,$filter);
+		$rows = $cats->return_sorted_array($query['start'],false,$query['search'],$query['sort'],$query['order'],'all_no_acl',$parent=0,true,$filter);
 		$count = $cats->total_records;
 		foreach($rows as $key => &$row)
 		{
@@ -367,7 +364,7 @@ $parent = 0;
 			$appname = categories::GLOBAL_APPNAME;
 			foreach(array($content['nm']['appname'], $_GET['cats_app'], $_GET['appname']) as $field)
 			{
-				if($field) 
+				if($field)
 				{
 					$appname = $field;
 					break;
diff --git a/phpgwapi/inc/class.categories.inc.php b/phpgwapi/inc/class.categories.inc.php
index 09fd1927a8..84135f0c8e 100644
--- a/phpgwapi/inc/class.categories.inc.php
+++ b/phpgwapi/inc/class.categories.inc.php
@@ -171,7 +171,8 @@ class categories
 	 * @param string $query='' query-pattern
 	 * @param string $sort='ASC' sort order, defaults to 'ASC'
 	 * @param string $order='' order by, default cat_main, cat_level, cat_name ASC
-	 * @param boolean $globals include the global egroupware categories or not
+	 * @param boolean|string $globals includes the global egroupware categories or not,
+	 * 	'all_no_acl' to return global and all non-private user categories independent of ACL
 	 * @param array|int $parent_id=null return only subcats of $parent_id(s)
 	 * @param int $lastmod = -1 if > 0 return only cats modified since then
 	 * @param string $column='' if column-name given only that column is returned, not the full array with all cat-data
@@ -234,7 +235,7 @@ class categories
 			}
 
 			// check for read permission
-			if(!$this->check_perms(EGW_ACL_READ, $cat))
+			if(!$this->check_perms(EGW_ACL_READ, $cat, $globals === 'all_no_acl'))
 			{
 				continue;
 			}
@@ -316,7 +317,8 @@ class categories
 	 * @param string $query='' query-pattern
 	 * @param string $sort='ASC' sort order, either defaults to 'ASC'
 	 * @param string $order='cat_name' order by
-	 * @param boolean $globals includes the global egroupware categories or not
+	 * @param boolean|string $globals includes the global egroupware categories or not,
+	 * 	'all_no_acl' to return global and all non-private user categories independent of ACL
 	 * @param array|int $parent_id=0 return only subcats of $parent_id(s)
 	 * @param boolean $unserialize_data=false return $cat['data'] as array (not serialized array)
 	 * @return array with cats
@@ -479,9 +481,10 @@ class categories
 	 *
 	 * @param int $needed necessary ACL right: EGW_ACL_{READ|EDIT|DELETE}
 	 * @param mixed $category category as array or the category_id
+	 * @param boolean $no_acl_check=false if true, grants are NOT checked, gives access to all non-private categories of all users
 	 * @return boolean true permission granted, false for permission denied, null for category does not exist
 	 */
-	public function check_perms($needed,$category)
+	public function check_perms($needed, $category, $no_acl_check=false)
 	{
 		if (!is_array($category) && !($category = self::read($category)))
 		{
@@ -510,6 +513,12 @@ class categories
 			return true;
 		}
 
+		// if $no_acl_check is set, allow access to all public (non-private) categories
+		if ($no_acl_check && $category['access'] == 'public' && $this->account_id != self::GLOBAL_ACCOUNT && $category['appname'] == $this->app_name)
+		{
+			return true;
+		}
+
 		// Load the application grants
 		if ($category['appname'] == $this->app_name && is_null($this->grants))
 		{
@@ -517,8 +526,9 @@ class categories
 		}
 
 		// Check for ACL granted access, the self::GLOBAL_ACCOUNT user must not get access by ACL to keep old behaviour
-		return ($this->account_id != self::GLOBAL_ACCOUNT && $category['appname'] == $this->app_name && ($this->grants[$category['owner']] & $needed) &&
-					($category['access'] == 'public' ||  ($this->grants[$category['owner']] & EGW_ACL_PRIVATE)));
+		return $this->account_id != self::GLOBAL_ACCOUNT && $category['appname'] == $this->app_name &&
+			($this->grants[$category['owner']] & $needed) &&
+			($category['access'] == 'public' ||  ($this->grants[$category['owner']] & EGW_ACL_PRIVATE));
 	}
 
 	/**