Dynamics 365 Business Central – Productivity tips

General functions Keyboard shortcuts

• • Ctrl+F1

Business Central Help

• • Alt+T

My Settings

• • Alt+Q (    )

Open Tell Me

• • F5

Refresh data

Data in lists Keyboard shortcuts

• • Alt+F7

Sort column in asc/desc order

• • Shift+F3 (     )

Toggle filter pane; focus on data filters

• • Alt+F3

Filter on selected cell value

Tips and tricks for Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central

Search:

Search looks at visible columns and it is not case-sensitive.

• • Shift+F12 

Role Explorer

• • Alt+N 

Create a new record

• • Alt+Shift+N

Close a newly created record and create a new one

• • Alt+Shift+W

Pop-out a page to a separate window

• • Ctrl+Shift+F3

Toggle filter pane; focus on totals filters

• • F3 

Toggle the search box

Saving filters:

Filtering can be adjusted by using powerful filter characters. Some of

E.g. ‘man’ looks for an exact character match   E.g. 1200|1300 looks for numbers with 1200

Filters can be permanently saved as a view and can include expressions such as ranges. Them are:

• • @ Case-insensitive

E.g. @man looks for text that matches man and is not case-sensitive

• • ? One unknown character

E.g. Hans?n looks for text such as Hansen or Hanson

• • *Indefinite unknown characters

E.g. *Co* looks for text that contains ”Co” and is case-sensitive

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Keyboard Shortcuts: Speed Up Navigation

Memorizing Business Central’s keyboard shortcuts can save hours over time. Here’s a cheat sheet:

• • General Navigation
    
    • • Ctrl + 1/2/3…: Switch between Role Centers (e.g., Accountant, Sales Manager).
    • • Alt + Shift + N: Create a new record (e.g., customer, vendor).
    • • Ctrl + F3: Open the Navigate pane to backtrack through viewed pages.

• • Data Entry & Editing
    
    • • F9: Post a document (invoice, order).
    • • Ctrl + Enter: Save and close a record.
    • • Shift + F12: Toggle between edit and view modes.

• • Search & Filter
    
    • • Ctrl + F: Open the in-page search bar.
    • • Shift + F3: Filter by a selected cell’s value.

• • Reporting
    
    • • Ctrl + P: Print or preview a report.
    • • Ctrl + Alt + F1: Open the Report Inbox for scheduled tasks.

Pro Tip: Customize shortcuts via My Settings > Keyboard Shortcuts.

Master the Search Function

Business Central’s search tools help users locate data instantly. Here’s how to use them:

1. 1. Tell Me
      Press Alt + Q to open the Tell Me search bar. Type keywords (e.g., “create invoice”) to find actions, pages, or reports without navigating menus.

1. 1. Advanced Filtering
      In list pages (e.g., Customers, Items), click the funnel icon to apply filters by fields like dates, amounts, or statuses. Save filters as Views for quick access later.

1. 1. Search in Lists
      Use the search bar above lists to type keywords (e.g., a customer’s partial name). Business Central auto-suggests matches across all visible columns.

1. 1. Cross-Reference Data with Drill-Downs
      Click any underlined value (e.g., an order number) to drill into related records, transactions, or master data.