Outlook Contact Insights

Use the Business Central Outlook add-in to view contacts and create documents in Outlook.

Business Central Outlook Add-in Guide

This guide provides a practical overview of the Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central Outlook add-in—what it is, what it does, and how to install and use it effectively.

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What the Outlook Add‑in Does

The Business Central Outlook add-in allows you to work with ERP data directly from your Outlook inbox. It consists of two components:

1

Contact Insights

• View customer/vendor details from Business Central inside Outlook.
• Create and send documents such as quotes and invoices without leaving your email window.
• Open the customer card, see history, and drill deeper into documents.

2

Document View

• Detects document numbers inside an email body (e.g., invoice, order).
• Provides a link directly to the corresponding Business Central document.

These features streamline your workflow by keeping communication and transaction processing in one place.

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Installation Options

You can install the add‑in in two ways, depending on your role, we recommend the centralised deployment:

A. Admin Installation (Centralised Deployment)

• Use Microsoft 365 admin center → Centralized Deployment.
• Deploy to the entire organisation, groups, or individual users.
• Recommended for controlled rollouts.

B. User Self‑Installation

• From Business Central, open Assisted Setup → Set up your Business Inbox in Outlook.
• Follow prompts to authenticate and install.

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Using the Add‑in

Opening the Add‑in

• In Outlook, select the Business Central icon in the ribbon or message window.
• On Outlook Web, it may appear under More actions (…); you can pin it for quick access.

Working With Contacts

• When a customer emails you, BC identifies the sender and opens the customer card.
• From there, you can browse history and create new records.

Creating Documents

• Create Sales Quotes, Invoices, Orders, Credit Memos directly inside Outlook.
• Fill in line items and send documents instantly.

Switching Between Companies

• You can switch BC companies from the add‑in if your BC version supports it (2019 wave 2+).

More information here: Use Business Central as your Business Inbox in Outlook

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Requirements & Notes

• Microsoft 365 subscription with appropriate permissions.
• Works with one BC environment at a time—to change environments, reinstall the add‑in.

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Additional Resources

• Get the Add‑in (Microsoft Learn): Get the Business Central add-in for Outlook