How to Use Chat with Copilot in Business Central: A 2026 Guide

Overview

This post explains how to check, configure and use Chat with Copilot in Business Central in 2026. You will also see what has changed since version 25.4 and what the version 29 chat experience adds.

Key Takeaways

• Chat with Copilot answers questions about your Business Central data and shows you how to complete tasks. It does not change data or take action.
• Microsoft activates Copilot capabilities by default from update 25.0, so most administrators only need to confirm that the Chat capability is active.
• Users need the Copilot Sys Features permission set, or execute permission on system object 9690, before they can open Chat.
• Microsoft still labels Chat as a production-ready preview. Copilot comes with your licence at no extra cost today, but Microsoft may introduce quotas or pricing later.
• Turn on Bing Search if you want Chat to answer questions about add-on apps.
• The version 29 preview adds a unified chat that combines business data, web results and general knowledge.

What Chat with Copilot in Business Central Does

Chat with Copilot is an AI assistant that sits in a pane inside Business Central. You type a question in plain English, and it replies with text, links to records or links to Microsoft Learn articles. It works in Business Central online only.

You can use Chat in three main ways. First, you can find records, such as the latest sales order for a customer. Second, you can ask for explanations, for example what dimensions are or how to post a sales order. Third, you can select Ask Copilot on a field tooltip to see what that field does.

Chat can also group and total data. If you ask it to group records or find an average, it builds an analysis tab and links to it. Copilot draws its answers from the official Microsoft documentation and from the documentation of your installed apps. Our Business Central features page shows where Chat fits alongside the rest of the system.

What Has Changed since Version 25.4

The original guide covered update 25.4, when Chat needed switching on in Feature Management. That step now applies only to updates 25.3 to 25.5. Newer versions work differently, so the old instructions may send you to the wrong page.

Since update 25.0, Microsoft has activated Copilot and agent capabilities by default. Administrators now manage Chat from the Copilot & agent capabilities page. Because of this, many businesses already have Chat running without realising it.

Two other changes matter. From update 26.3, some Copilot features can search the web for extra information. Meanwhile, Microsoft has added agents, including the Sales Order Agent, Payables Agent and Expense Agent, next to Chat on the same capabilities page.

Before You Start: Requirements and Permissions

Chat with Copilot runs only on Business Central online. On-premises and private cloud deployments do not get it. If you run either, you cannot use Chat today.

An administrator must complete the setup. You need SUPER permission, or an admin licence such as Dynamics 365 Administrator or a delegated partner admin. Microsoft does not yet offer object-level permissions for Copilot configuration, so any administrator can change these settings.

Check regional and language support too. Each Copilot capability publishes its own list of supported regions and languages. Review that list before you roll Chat out to teams in several countries.

Step 1: Check That the Chat Capability Is Active

Start by confirming that Chat is active in your environment. This takes a couple of minutes.

1. Search for Copilot & agent capabilities in Business Central and open the page.
2. Look for the Allow data movement toggle near the top. If it appears, switch it on. Skip this step when you see a link called How do I govern my copilot data? instead.
3. Find Chat in the list. The page splits capabilities into preview and generally available sections.
4. Select Chat and choose Activate if the status shows Inactive.
5. Ask users to sign out and back in. Some changes take effect straight away, but others need a fresh session.

The data movement toggle only appears when your environment sits in a different geography from the Azure OpenAI Service that Copilot uses. Once Azure OpenAI reaches your geography, Business Central connects automatically and the toggle disappears. If users still cannot see Copilot, you can cancel their sessions from the Business Central administration center.

Step 2: Give Your Users Access

Chat uses the permission system, so an active capability does not mean everyone can open it. Users need the Copilot Sys Features permission set. Alternatively, you can grant execute permission on system object 9690, Allow Copilot Chat.

Copilot also inherits each user’s data permissions. It cannot read any more data than the person asking can already see. For that reason, a junior user and a finance director can ask the same question and get different answers.

Review your permission sets before rollout, especially if you restrict access to sensitive tables. Our support team can audit this for you.

Step 3: Decide Whether to Turn On Bing Search

Bing Search is optional. Turning it on lets Chat search the web when it needs more information. Microsoft says it improves answers about the add-on apps and extensions installed in your environment.

To enable it, switch on the Enable Bing Search toggle on the Copilot & agent capabilities page. Consider your data governance policy first. Microsoft still lists web search as a preview feature, and it explains how the feature works in Searching the web with Copilot.

Step 4: Start Chatting with Copilot

Once setup is complete, your team can start asking questions.

1. Select the Copilot icon in the upper-right corner of the screen. The Copilot pane opens.
2. Type a question, statement or command in the Ask a question box. Press Enter or select the arrowhead.
3. Use the prompt guides Find, Explain or Guide if you want help phrasing a question. They are short openers that steer Copilot towards a type of answer.
4. Review the answer. It may include text, links to Business Central pages or links to Microsoft Learn articles.
5. Ask a follow-up to refine the answer. Chat remembers the context, so you do not need to repeat yourself.

Prompt suggestions appear only in the CRONUS demonstration company. To change topic, select the Start a new Copilot chat session icon above the question box. Chat also clears when you close or sign out of Business Central.

How to Write Better Prompts

Clear questions get better answers. Microsoft recommends asking one question at a time and keeping each one short. Use terms that appear in Business Central or its documentation, such as customer ledger entries or posted sales invoice.

These prompts work well:

• “Find the Item with Description ‘ATHENS Desk'” locates a single record.
• “Show me customer ledger entries for Adatum from about three weeks ago” handles a date range without manual filters.
• “Which customers got most discounts” builds an analysis tab.
• “How do I post a sales order” gives step-by-step guidance.

Add the app name if you ask about an add-on. This helps most when you have several apps installed. If an answer misses the mark, rephrase the question or start a new chat session.

What the Version 29 Chat Experience Adds

Version 29 is due in October 2026, and its public preview is already available. It introduces a unified chat experience that Microsoft describes as consistent with Microsoft Copilot. Early preview write-ups by Microsoft MVPs report that it combines Business Central data, web search results and general knowledge in one conversation.

Those write-ups mention several additions. These include file and image attachments, temporary chats, model switching and an agent mode with an agent store. Users with a Business Central licence get the base experience. Anyone who also holds a Microsoft 365 Copilot licence reportedly gets extra capabilities.

Microsoft may change these details before general availability. Test the new chat in a sandbox first, and check whether you must enable it on the Copilot & agent capabilities page. Our release wave 2 preview covers the wider update. While you test, check your integrations as well, because Microsoft is removing SOAP web services in the same version.

How Chat with Copilot Helps Your Team

Chat shortens the time between a question and an answer. A new starter in your warehouse can ask how to post a purchase receipt instead of interrupting a colleague. Likewise, a finance manager can ask for a customer’s recent ledger entries without building filters.

Consider an illustrative calculation. Say 20 users each save 10 minutes a day by not hunting through pages. Your team then recovers 200 minutes, or just over three hours, every working day. Real figures will differ, so treat this as a way to size the opportunity rather than a forecast.

Sector teams benefit too. Manufacturing and Engineering businesses with large item catalogues can find records by description. Distribution and Wholesale teams can look up customers and orders quickly during busy periods. Both groups can also ease onboarding, because Copilot links straight to the relevant documentation.

Chat is one part of a wider set of AI tools. Read our guide to what agents in Microsoft Copilot are to see where autonomous agents fit. You can also read our post on ten ways Copilot supports SME operations.

Limits to Know Before You Roll Out Chat

Chat answers questions but does not act. Microsoft states that it does not take action, create data or change configuration. If you want Copilot to complete work for you, look at agents such as the Sales Order Agent instead.

Answers come from documentation, so always check the linked article before you follow guidance. Accuracy can vary with the apps you install. Microsoft also cannot offer Copilot to customers who run ISV Embed apps. The company also states that it does not read your prompts or train models on your data without your explicit permission.

Chat is still a production-ready preview, which means Microsoft’s supplemental terms of use apply. Microsoft includes Copilot in your Business Central licence at no extra cost today. However, it says it might introduce fair-use policies, quotas or pricing later.

Users can rate answers with the like and dislike buttons. Administrators can switch this feedback off in the Power Platform admin center if company policy requires it. The Microsoft configuration guide explains where to find the setting.

What This Means for Your Business

Chat with Copilot gives your team a quick way to find records and learn Business Central. Because Microsoft activates it by default, you may already have it running without any plan for how people use it.

Treat it as a rollout, not a switch. Confirm the capability is active, set permissions, decide on web search and show your team how to write good prompts. Then test the version 29 chat in a sandbox before it reaches your live environment.

Get Help Setting Up Copilot in Business Central

Tecvia helps UK businesses configure Copilot, set permissions and train teams to use it well. Get in touch with Tecvia to book a free review of your Copilot settings.

You can also see how our Copilot capabilities fit your processes, or learn how our implementation approach supports phased rollouts. IT teams may find our page for IT Directors and Managers useful too.