How to install Business Central, step by step
How to install Business Central depends on the version you chose. The online service needs no installation. You sign up and Microsoft provides the environment. The on-premises version runs on your own servers and uses a setup program. This guide covers both routes, plus the apps and add-ins that users put on their own devices.
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How to install Business Central online: no setup needed
For the online service the work is sign-up, not installation. A Microsoft 365 administrator starts a trial, or buys licenses through a Microsoft partner. Microsoft then creates a production environment in the region for your country. Users open the web address in a current browser such as Edge or Chrome and sign in.
Assign licenses to each person in the Microsoft 365 admin center. The users then appear in Business Central after a sync on the Users page. The first sign-in offers a demonstration company called CRONUS. Create your real company from the Companies page or with assisted setup. Keep CRONUS only for practice. So this is how to install Business Central online: sign up, assign licenses and open the browser.
Get your tenant started →
- ✓Start a trial or buy licenses
- ✓Assign licenses to users
- ✓Open the web client
- ✓Create your own company
- ✓Run assisted setup guides
Apps and add-ins users install themselves
Business Central has a mobile app in the Apple and Google stores and a desktop app in the Microsoft Store. Each one signs in with the same work account and shows the same data as the browser. Warehouse and field staff often prefer the phone or tablet app, but office staff stay in the browser.
The Excel add-in powers the Edit in Excel action. Users change records in a worksheet and publish them back. The Outlook add-in shows customer and vendor details beside an email. It can also start a quote or an invoice from the email. An administrator can deploy both add-ins from the assisted setup pages, so nobody has to ask each user.
Ask about add-in rollout →- ✓Mobile app for phones
- ✓Tablet app
- ✓Windows desktop app
- ✓Excel add-in
- ✓Outlook add-in
How to install Business Central on-premises
You get the on-premises version through a Microsoft partner, together with a license file. Run setup.exe from the installation media. Choose the demo option, which puts everything on one machine. Or choose a custom install, where you pick components and their target servers. So check the published system requirements for your version first.
A typical production layout splits into three tiers. A SQL Server database holds the data. The Business Central Server service runs the business logic. Internet Information Services hosts the web server components. Setup asks for the database server, the service account and the ports. When it finishes, you import the license and create users.
Plan the server layout →- ✓Business Central Server
- ✓Web server components
- ✓SQL Server database
- ✓Administration Shell cmdlets
- ✓AL development environment
Configuration after the installation
An on-premises server needs decisions that the online service makes for you. Choose the credential type, such as Windows authentication or Microsoft Entra ID. Secure the web client with a certificate so traffic stays encrypted. Next, open the required ports between tiers. Also set up database backups, because those now fall to you.
You publish extensions with the administration shell cmdlets. Your own team or partner applies cumulative updates. Keep development and test work on a separate instance. Many teams use a Docker container made with the BcContainerHelper PowerShell module. Then your experiments never touch the database that holds live transactions.
Have us check the configuration →- ✓Authentication type
- ✓Certificates for the web client
- ✓Backup schedule
- ✓Update routine
- ✓Separate test instance
What to do once Business Central is running
Installation only gives you an empty system. The real work is setup. You need a chart of accounts, posting groups, number series, customers, vendors, items and opening balances. Assisted setup guides cover the basics. Configuration packages let you load master data from Excel in a controlled order, with validation before anything applies.
Create a sandbox before you load real data, and rehearse there. That is the safe way to finish how to install Business Central for production. Assign permission sets so people see only what their role needs. If you want a second pair of eyes on the plan, or want us to handle the on-premises install, our consultants do this work remotely during US business hours.
Talk about first setup →- ✓Company information
- ✓Chart of accounts
- ✓Posting groups
- ✓Master data import
- ✓User permissions
How to install Business Central: common questions
Do I need to install anything for Business Central online?
No server or client install is needed. Users open the service in a supported browser and sign in with their work account. The mobile app, the desktop app and the Office add-ins are optional extras. They add convenience for some roles.
Is there a trial I can use before buying?
Microsoft offers a trial of the online service. You start it from its website with a work email address. It includes the CRONUS demonstration company. You can also create your own trial company to explore before you buy licenses. That way your team tests real tasks, not only the demo data. Then you decide with facts.
What does an on-premises installation need?
It needs Windows servers for the service and web tiers, a supported edition of SQL Server and a license from a partner. It also needs someone to manage certificates, backups and updates. Microsoft Learn lists the exact system requirements for each version. So read that page before you buy servers, and confirm the SQL Server edition with your partner.
Should a new customer choose online or on-premises?
Most new customers choose online. Microsoft runs the infrastructure and the updates, and the newer cloud features are available. On-premises stays an option where policy or connectivity needs local hosting. You can move it to the cloud later with the migration tool. Also, many firms start online and never look back, because the updates arrive without any work from their staff.
How do I install an extension or add-on?
Online, open the Extension Management page. Pick an app from the marketplace or upload a per-tenant extension file. On-premises, an administrator publishes, synchronizes and installs the extension with PowerShell cmdlets in the administration shell.
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