Microsoft Copilot $21 now $18/user/month + 1 month free

July 29, 2022

How to Copy and Paste Data from Excel into Business Central

Dynamics 365 Business Central allows users to quickly copy and paste data from Microsoft Excel directly into the General Journal, saving time and reducing manual entry errors.

This article outlines the correct process and common pitfalls to avoid.

Important Setup Notes

Before copying data from Excel:

  • Create an Excel worksheet with the same column layout as the Business Central General Journal
  • The General Journal can be personalized to match required fields
  • Dimension Codes must appear after the Account No. / Bal. Account No. fields
    • If an Account No. or Bal. Account No. is entered after dimensions, the dimension values will be cleared

Copying Data from Excel into Business Central

  1. In Excel, select the data to be copied to Business Central and right click to copy ( or use CTRL + C).
  2. Select the leftmost cell on an empty line on the Business Central General Journal and right click to Paste (or use CTRL + V).
  • Some or all rows can be deleted and re-imported.
  • The following transaction is the same as above except that the offsetting account 10200 is entered to Bal. Account No. where Bal. Account No., above, is blank

Where This Fits in Business Central Projects

Journal workflows, dimension handling, and data entry processes are often standardized during a Business Central implementation
to improve efficiency and prevent posting errors across finance teams.

Need Help with Journals or Data Imports?

If you have questions about journals, Excel integrations, or financial workflows in Business Central, our consultants are happy to help.

Contact BCS

Other articles

What Copilot “Cowork” Means for Business Users

Zoltan Orban

|

March 26, 2026
Microsoft recently introduced Copilot Cowork, and I wanted to take a closer look at what it represents in practical terms, especially for business users working across Microsoft 365 and related…

Why CRM Data Quality Matters More Than Data Volume

Marisa Mini

|

March 24, 2026
A database of 100,000 messy, outdated records is far less valuable than 5,000 that are clean and accurate. Companies often obsess over data volume. But when more data is prioritized over…

From Reactive to Predictive: AI in Business Central Distribution

Zoltan Orban

|

March 19, 2026
Most distribution teams don’t lack reporting. If anything, they often have too much of it. Dashboards, planning worksheets, inventory reports, and KPIs are readily available inside Dynamics 365 Business Central. Yet…

AI Agents in Business Central: How the Payables Agent Works

Jennifer Ryan

|

March 17, 2026
If you're curious how AI agents in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central actually work, we're hosting a live walkthrough of the Payables Agent on March 26. See live how the agent…

Migrating 1.3 Million CRM Records in Dynamics 365: Why We Used a Custom Console App

Marisa Mini

|

March 5, 2026
A government client needed to restructure 1.3 million contact records in Microsoft Dynamics 365 CRM. At that scale, traditional UI tools and flows can throttle, fail silently, or leave a…

AI Agents in Manufacturing ERP: D365 Business Central Guide

Seetharaman Andiappan Rajaram

|

March 4, 2026
AI agents are now live inside Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central. For manufacturers evaluating AI in ERP systems, the practical question isn’t what an agent is it’s how AI agents…