Business Central OneDrive integration for files and Excel

What Business Central OneDrive integration gives your users

With Business Central OneDrive integration, two actions appear wherever Business Central shows a file. You see them in the Attachments factbox on an order or in the Report Inbox on a Role Center. The actions are Open in OneDrive and Share. The first copies the file to the user's own OneDrive. It then opens the file in Word, Excel, PowerPoint or a PDF viewer online.

The second copies the file the same way. It then opens the familiar Microsoft 365 sharing window. So a link can go to a colleague with view or edit rights. Nobody has to find the Downloads folder. The file stays reachable later from Teams, Office or a phone.

Opening Excel exports in the browser

With the Excel part of the feature on, Open in Excel on a list page sends the workbook to OneDrive. It opens in Excel for the web. Excel report layouts work the same way. A controller can share the aged receivables workbook with a credit manager. Both can work in it at once.

This matters most on devices with no desktop Office, such as a warehouse tablet or a shared terminal. We also cover the limits in training. The workbook is a copy of the data at that moment. Changes made in it do not flow back unless the user picks Edit in Excel.

How we set up the OneDrive integration

An administrator runs the OneDrive Setup assisted setup guide. They choose which of the two features to enable and grant consent. You can test the connection from the same guide. Each user needs a Microsoft 365 license that includes OneDrive. Their OneDrive must also have been opened once, so the folder exists.

Before we turn it on for everyone, we enable it for a pilot group. We confirm the behavior with your Microsoft 365 administrator. Sharing policies, external sharing limits and conditional access rules all apply to files that arrive from Business Central. They apply just as they do to any other file.

Where the files go and who can see them

With the feature on, files are copied into a Business Central folder in the OneDrive of the person who clicked. They are grouped by company name. The original stays attached to the record in Business Central. Editing the OneDrive copy does not change the attachment. That surprises people who expect a live link.

Each click makes a copy. So sensitive documents can spread beyond the permissions that protect them inside Business Central. We agree with you which roles should have the feature. Then we explain the rule in plain words for users. Share the link, not the record, and only with people who may see it.

Business Central OneDrive integration, SharePoint or an add-on

OneDrive is personal storage. It suits viewing, quick sharing and work on an export. It is not a shared archive. The files belong to one user's account and follow that account's lifecycle. When the person leaves, a file shared from their storage can become unreachable for the team.

When a team needs one library of contracts, drawings or signed delivery notes linked to records, SharePoint or a document management add-on is the better home. We are direct about which need you have. Often the answer is both. Use OneDrive for daily convenience. Use a structured library for records that you must keep.

Business Central OneDrive integration questions

Does Business Central OneDrive integration work with Business Central on premises?

The assisted setup described here is for Business Central online. There, the link to Microsoft 365 is already in place. On-premises systems need extra setup, including an app registration in Microsoft Entra ID. We confirm what your version supports before we promise anything. Then you can decide with the facts, and we plan the work around your own servers.

Does editing the file in OneDrive update the attachment in Business Central?

No. The file in OneDrive is a copy. If the edited version should replace the original, a user attaches it to the record again. We make that point early in training, because it is the most frequent misunderstanding. A short written tip card helps new users remember the rule. We hand it out with the training notes.

Do users need an extra license for this?

They need a Business Central license. They also need a Microsoft 365 license that includes OneDrive for work. Most organizations already have both. Microsoft makes no separate charge for the feature itself. We confirm license coverage before rollout. That way, nobody finds a missing license on the first day of use, and the pilot runs smoothly.

Can we turn the feature on for only some users?

Yes. Permissions control the actions. So you can grant them to chosen roles and leave them out for others. We usually start with finance and sales administration. Then we widen access once the sharing rules are understood. That keeps sensitive files in a small circle first, and it gives us real feedback before the full rollout.

What happens to the copies when an employee leaves?

They follow your Microsoft 365 policy for that person's OneDrive, like any other personal file. The originals remain attached to the records in Business Central. So nothing is lost from the system of record. We suggest you add a short step to your leaver checklist, so the policy for old copies is clear to your IT team.

Other Microsoft 365 connections

OneDrive is one of several links between Business Central and Microsoft 365. The pages below cover shared libraries, Excel, Teams and Outlook. Each has its own setup and its own best use. Read them next if your Business Central OneDrive integration plan is part of a wider Microsoft 365 rollout, so every tool has a clear job. For the product detail, see Microsoft Learn: Business Central and OneDrive integration.