Business Central ships with standard report formats, but you can create your own with a custom layout. This guide covers the full process: finding the Custom Report Layouts page, copying an existing layout, editing it in Word, importing it back, and assigning it to the right report.
What Is a Custom Layout in Business Central
A custom layout is a format file that you create and manage yourself in Business Central. It gives you control over how a report looks when it is printed or sent. You can change column positions, add a logo, adjust fonts, insert footer text, or rearrange sections. Furthermore, a custom layout uses the same data as the standard layout. The report logic does not change. Only the format file is different.
Business Central supports two main formats for custom layouts: Word and RDLC. Word is the easier option for most users. You open it in Microsoft Word, make your changes, and save. RDLC is more powerful but requires a design tool like Visual Studio Report Designer. Consequently, most non-technical users start with Word layouts and can get a lot done without any developer help.
Finding the Custom Layout Page
Before you start, it helps to know what the built-in layouts can and cannot do. The standard layouts look clean and work well out of the box. However, they do not include your company branding. They use a generic structure that may not match the way your business presents documents. For example, you might want your logo in a specific corner, a different font on the totals row, or a note at the bottom that tells the customer who to contact. A custom layout lets you add all of those things. You keep the report as it is and just change how its output is presented. The standard report logic still pulls the data. The format is just yours to define.
Search for Custom Report Layouts in Business Central. This page lists all the custom layouts in your environment. You can search by report number to narrow the list. For example, report 1304 is the standard Business Central sales quote. Searching for that number shows all the custom layouts already built for that report.
From this page, you have two options. You can create a brand new custom layout from scratch, or you can copy an existing layout and change it. Indeed, the copy approach is faster and safer in most cases. You start with a working format and make only the changes you need. Therefore, the risk of breaking the layout structure is much lower than starting from a blank file.
Copying and Naming the Custom Layout
Select the layout you want to copy and run the copy action. Business Central creates a new record with a name like “Custom Copy of…” and opens it for editing. Change the name to something clear. For instance, “US Sales Quote Red” tells you which document it is for and which version it represents.
Specifically, a clear naming convention matters when you have more than one custom layout for the same report. Without it, you may struggle to remember which layout does what when you return to the page later. Additionally, a good name makes it easier to explain to a colleague which layout to use.
Editing Your Format File in Word
Open the new layout record and click Export Layout. This downloads the layout as a Word .docx file. Open it in Microsoft Word. The document shows the layout structure and Word content controls, but without live data. The fields show placeholder text rather than real values. This is normal for a Word layout outside Business Central.
Make your changes. For example, add a phone number in the footer. Change the font on a heading. Move a field to a different position. When you are done, save and close the file. Overall, any change you make in Word will appear in the printed document once you import the file back. Moreover, you can open and edit the file as many times as you need before you are happy with the result.
Importing and Assigning the Updated Layout
Working With Word Content Controls
If you are not sure which content controls map to which data fields, you can check the report documentation or look at the field labels in the existing layout. Business Central Word layouts use standard Word content controls that link to the report data. You do not need to create new controls. Just work around the existing ones. Specifically, editing text outside the content controls – such as a footer line or a label – is the simplest type of change and does not touch the data mapping at all.
Go back to Custom Report Layouts in Business Central. Find your custom layout record and click Import Layout. Select the Word file you saved. Business Central replaces the old layout file with the updated one.
Next, go to Report Layout Selection and find the report you are updating. Change the layout to your new custom layout. Click OK. Open a preview of the document – for example, the sales quote. You will see the data as usual, but the format now reflects the changes you made in Word. Notably, the whole team gets the updated format from this point forward without any further action on their part.
Wrapping Up: Custom Layout Creation in Business Central
Creating a custom layout in Business Central is a straightforward process. Copy an existing layout, export it, edit it in Word, import it back, and assign it. Furthermore, no code changes are needed at any step. Consequently, any user with the right permissions can manage their own document formats without waiting for a developer.
Similarly, the same process works for any report that supports Word layouts – not just the sales quote. Invoices, purchase orders, and reminders can all have their own custom layouts. Therefore, once you have done it once, you can apply the same steps to invoices, purchase orders, and any other document your business needs to customise. In short, the custom layout tools in Business Central give your team real control over the documents you send to customers and partners. That control is worth using.
Watch the full walkthrough in the video above to see every step done live inside Business Central. It shows the whole process from the Custom Report Layouts page through to the updated sales quote preview, including the Word edit and the import step. It is a short demo that makes each step easy to follow.
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