Learn how to search smarter in Business Central using Tell Me, Search company data, list search, filters and shortcuts, so you can find pages and records in seconds.
Use Alt+Q for Tell me to jump to pages, actions and reports fast.
Use F3 to search within a list, and use the filter pane (Shift+F3) plus Filter to this value (Alt+F3) to narrow results instantly.
For “lost” records, use Search company data and exclude tables/fields you don’t need to speed it up.
Why most people “can’t find anything” in Business Central
Business Central search isn’t one tool — it’s a set of tools. If you pick the wrong one, you’ll either get junk results or waste time rummaging around like you’ve lost your keys in the fridge.
We coach users to think in three modes:
- Navigate (find pages, actions, reports): use Tell me
- Find a record on this list (fast): use list search + filters
- Find a record anywhere (slower but powerful): use Search company data
1) Tell me: the fastest way to get to the right place
Use Alt+Q, type what you want, and pick a result. Business Central updates matches as you type and can use synonyms/alternate terms (so “product” might surface “items”).
How we make Tell Me work better in real businesses
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Search the outcome: “bank rec”, “aged debt”, “stock valuation”, “release order”, “apply entries”.
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Use “On current page” results when you’re already on the right document/card—Tell Me can surface actions relevant to the current context.
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Bookmark what you use constantly (if personalisation is enabled for your role), so you stop searching for the same page every day.
Search Help (when users ask “how does this work?”)
From Tell Me, you can choose Search Help to find Microsoft documentation for your keyword. NOTE: results won’t include documentation for third-party extensions.
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2) List search + filters: where speed actually lives
If you’re on the right list already, don’t use system-wide search out of habit. Use F3 for quick list search, then use Shift+F3 / Alt+F3 to filter aggressively.
This is the pattern we teach because it’s repeatable:
- Alt+Q to get to the right list fast
- F3 to narrow by text quickly
- Alt+F3 on a value to instantly filter
- Shift+F3 when you need proper multi-field/date filtering
If users do just that, Business Central feels “fast” overnight, because they’ve stopped making it do the slow job.
3) Search company data: when you genuinely don’t know where the record is
Tell Me also lets you search company data (records across Business Central) and show results on the Search in company data page.
This is the right tool when:
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You only have a document number, email, partial name, reference, etc.
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You don’t know if it’s a quote vs order vs posted invoice.
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You need to find a record but don’t know which module it lives in.
Why it can feel slow (and what to do about it)
Business Central searches tables one at a time, and results start appearing after each table finishes. It also tracks “popularity” of tables based on what you click, which can influence ranking and help it find things faster next time.
The big performance lever: reduce what it searches. Microsoft explicitly recommends excluding as many tables/fields as you can, because the default “everything” approach can slow searches down.
In other words: don’t let salespeople search warehouse tables they’ll never use!
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4) Advanced Tell Me: AI search for pages, reports, and queries
Advanced Tell Me is an AI-powered enhancement that adds semantic (meaning-based) search to help you find pages, reports, and queries even when your wording doesn’t match the exact caption.
Two blunt truths users need to know:
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It’s for metadata/navigation, not for searching your transactional data (records, postings, etc.).
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It’s a preview feature managed via Feature Management, and Microsoft describes it as “production-ready preview” with supplemental terms.
If your team constantly says “what’s that page called again?”, Advanced Tell Me is genuinely worth switching on.
The shortcut table: the ones worth learning
This is the cheat-sheet we push with users because it saves hours over a month (and stops the “where is it?” nonsense).
| What you want to do | Shortcut (Windows) | What it does | Why it’s useful |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open Tell me | Alt+Q | Opens the Tell Me window | Fastest way to jump to pages, actions, reports |
| Search within a list | F3 | Toggles the list search field | Perfect for quick “type and narrow” on Customers, Items, Entries |
| Open/close filter pane | Shift+F3 | Toggles the filter pane (list filters) | Proper filtering (dates/ranges/multiple fields) |
| Open totals filters | Ctrl+Shift+F3 | Opens filter pane focused on totals filters | Handy when totals/flowfields are involved |
| Filter to selected value | Alt+F3 | Toggles filtering to the selected value | The quickest “show me only this” move |
| Filter to selected field | Shift+Alt+F3 | Adds the selected column as a filter and focuses it | Faster than hunting for the column name |
| Reset filters | Ctrl+Shift+Alt+F3 | Resets filters (field + totals) | Fixes the classic “why is nothing showing?” problem |
| Find related entries | Ctrl+Alt+Q | Opens Find Entries | Trace what’s linked to what (docs/entries by posting info) |
| Help from keyboard | Ctrl+F1 | Opens help pane / help article (varies by version) | Useful when users want “what does this page do?” |
The practical takeaway
Stop treating “search” like one feature.
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Alt+Q (Tell me) when you want to go somewhere or do something
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F3 + filters when you’re working a list (fastest daily workflow)
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Search company data when you’ve lost a record—and tune the tables/fields so it isn’t crawling the entire system
That’s how you get more value from Business Central without buying anything extra or “training everyone for months”. It’s just the right habits, in the right order.
FAQs: Search in Business Central
What’s the difference between Tell me and Search company data?
Tell me (Alt+Q) helps you find pages, actions, and reports. Search company data helps you find records across the system when you don’t know where the data lives.
What’s the quickest way to find something on a long list?
Use F3 to open the list search field and start typing. If you need more control, open the filter pane with Shift+F3 and add filters on the fields that matter.
How do I filter a list to just the value I’m looking at?
Select the cell and press Alt+F3 to filter to that value. Press Alt+F3 again to remove that filter.
Why do my filters sometimes “hide everything”?
Usually there’s an old filter still applied (often on a column you’re not looking at). Use Ctrl+Shift+Alt+F3 to reset filters back to the default view.
Why is Search company data slow in our tenant?
If it’s set to search too many tables and fields, it will take longer. The best fix is to exclude tables/fields users don’t need so Search company data scans less and returns results faster.
What is Advanced Tell Me and should we enable it?
Advanced Tell Me is an AI-powered, meaning-based search experience for finding pages, reports, and queries. It’s useful when users don’t know the exact name of what they’re trying to open, and it can be enabled by an admin via Feature Management.
Next Steps
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