Can we change “Open in Excel” behavior to force download in Business Central Cloud?

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Posted on by Akash Raj

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Hi everyone,

In Dynamics 365 Business Central (cloud), when users click on “Open in Excel”, the Excel file opens in the browser (e.g., in Excel Online) by default.

Is there a way to change this behavior so that the Excel file gets directly downloaded to the user's local system (i.e., download as .xlsx instead of opening in the browser)?

I understand that this might be browser-driven, but we’re looking for a more user-friendly experience where users can immediately get the file saved without it opening in Excel Online.

Any suggestions, workarounds, or browser settings that could help are welcome!

Thanks in advance 🙏

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Dynamics 365 Business Central

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DAnny3211 11,397 on at

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In Business Central (cloud), the behavior of the “Open in Excel” action is primarily governed by the browser and Microsoft 365 integration. By default, the file opens in Excel Online to provide a seamless cloud-based experience.

Currently, there is no native Business Central setting to force a direct download of the .xlsx file to the local machine. However, the following alternatives may help improve the user experience:

Use “Export to Excel” instead of “Open in Excel”
On many pages, both options are available. “Export to Excel” triggers a direct download of the file, bypassing Excel Online.

Adjust browser settings
In browsers like Microsoft Edge or Google Chrome, you can configure how Office files are handled. Disabling automatic opening of Excel files may prompt the browser to download them instead.

Use Excel Desktop integration
If enabled, Excel files can be opened directly in the desktop version of Excel, avoiding the browser-based experience.

Custom AL development
For more advanced scenarios, a custom AL extension could be developed to export data to Excel and trigger a download using a blob or custom endpoint.

At this time, there is no tenant-level configuration to change this behavior globally. It may be worth submitting a suggestion on Microsoft Ideas to request this feature in future releases.

Please consider marking this reply as helpful if it addresses your question.
Best regards.

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Ahmad Subhani 581 on at

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Hi,

In default system this option is not available, the file will open first and then you can open that and save that in System. This can only be done through Customization.

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Gerardo Rentería Ga... 25,213 Most Valuable Professional on at

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Hi

Viewing and editing in Excel from Business Central - Business Central | Microsoft Learn

Best

GR

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Jainam M. Kothari 15,631 Super User 2025 Season 2 on at

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May this can help : https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics365/business-central/dev-itpro/developer/devenv-excel-buffer

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RockwithNav 8,600 Super User 2025 Season 2 on at

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This behavior is actually controlled by Business Central and Microsoft 365 integration, not just the browser. You cannot achieve this from Open In Excel button. You need to go with the customization and maybe give a separate button altogether.

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YUN ZHU 95,331 Super User 2025 Season 2 on at

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Hi, Similar to the following behavior, hope it can give you some hints.

Dynamics 365 Business Central: How to use Edit in Excel in the browser/web (Excel Online)

https://yzhums.com/39161/

Thanks.

ZHU

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Mansi Soni 8,907 Super User 2025 Season 2 on at

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Hello,

In Business Central (cloud), the Open in Excel action defaults to opening the file in Excel Online when the user is signed into Microsoft 365, as it leverages OneDrive integration. There’s no built-in BC setting to force direct download as .xlxs. However, a practical workaround is to use Export to Excel instead of Open in Excel this triggers a direct download of the file to the local system. You can also advise users to right-click the Open in Excel link (if visible) and choose Save link as or adjust browser settings to always ask where to save files. But for the cleanest user experience, use Export to Excel wherever possible.

Hope this answer will help you as well!

Regards,
Mansi Soni

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techreviews.digital 376 on at

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Dear @CU30070636-2,

Greetings!!!

Business Central is tightly integrated with Microsoft 365 services, including OneDrive and Excel Online. When users are signed in with a Microsoft 365 account, the system assumes they prefer cloud-based editing and collaboration.

Solution:

Some browsers (like Chrome or Edge) allow you to disable automatic opening of Office files:

Go to browser settings → Downloads

Disable “Open Office files in the browser”

This may prompt the browser to download .xlsx files instead

I hope it will resolve all your concerns.

Best Regards,

Sheikh Muhammad Jawad

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