If you’re still mouse-hunting around Business Central all day, you’re not “being thorough” — you’re being robbed (by your own habits).
In most UK SMEs we work with, the biggest time drain isn’t missing features. It’s slow navigation, slow filtering, and repetitive line entry. These 10 shortcuts fix that, fast — and they’re all straight from Microsoft’s own shortcut list for the Business Central web client.
| Shortcut (Windows) | What it does | Why it saves time in real life |
|---|---|---|
| Alt + Q | Open Tell me | Jump to pages, reports, and actions by typing instead of clicking through menus. |
| Ctrl + Alt + Q | Open Find Entries | Instantly trace related documents/entries using things like document no. and posting date. |
| F3 | Toggle the search field on lists | Quick find in long lists without opening filters. Perfect for “where’s that customer/item/order?”. |
| Alt + F3 | Toggle filtering to the selected value | One-key “show me only records like this” (and press again to remove it). |
| Ctrl + Shift + Alt + F3 | Reset filters (field + totals) | The panic button when a list “goes empty” because someone filtered it into oblivion. |
| Alt + Down Arrow | Open a drop-down / lookup | Faster selection for customers, items, locations, dimensions, posting groups, you name it. |
| Ctrl + Alt + Down Arrow | Open the related card/list filtered to that value | The fastest drill-down in BC: jump from a lookup field straight into the underlying record/list. |
| F8 | Copy the value from the cell above (editable lists) | Huge in journals and document lines when values repeat (dimensions, location code, etc.). |
| Ctrl + Insert | Insert a new line in documents | Speeds up line-heavy sales orders, purchase orders, and other document entry. |
| Alt + Shift + W | Open the current page in a new window | Side-by-side working without tab chaos: compare records, copy details, reconcile faster. |
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How to get teams using these without a “training programme”
Don’t try to learn all 10 at once. Do this instead:
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Week 1 (daily drivers): Alt+Q, F3, Alt+F3, Reset filters
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Week 2 (finance and support teams): Ctrl+Alt+Q (Find Entries)
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Week 3 (heavy data entry): F8, Ctrl+Insert
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Anytime you multitask: Alt+Shift+W
That’s a realistic adoption curve. Anything else is just wishful thinking with a keyboard.
The biggest time-savers in Business Central are Alt+Q (Tell me), Ctrl+Alt+Q (Find Entries), F3 (search lists), Alt+F3 (filter to value), and Ctrl+Shift+Alt+F3 (reset filters).
If you want to make this land with users, the best move isn’t more shortcuts — it’s printing a one-page “Top 10′ desk card and making it part of onboarding for anyone who touches journals, sales orders, or purchase orders. That’s where the hours actually disappear.
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FAQs: Business Central keyboard shortcuts
Do these shortcuts work in the Business Central web client?
Yes. These shortcuts are documented by Microsoft for the Business Central web client. Some behaviour can vary slightly by browser and context.
What’s the fastest way to jump to a page without hunting menus?
Use Alt + Q to open Tell me, then type the page, report, or action name.
How do I trace related entries for a posted document quickly?
Use Ctrl + Alt + Q to open Find Entries and view related documents and entries based on shared details like document number and posting date.
What’s the quickest way to search a long list?
Press F3 to toggle the list search box, then type what you’re looking for.
How do I filter a list to the value I’m currently on?
Use Alt + F3 to toggle filtering to the selected value. Press it again to remove that filter.
Why won’t F8 work for me?
F8 only works in editable lists (like lines on documents or journals). It copies the value from the cell above in the same column.
Next Steps
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