Recently Used Lookup Values Improve Everyday Productivity (BC29)

One of the practical usability enhancements coming in Dynamics 365 Business Central 2026 Release Wave 2 (BC29) is the new Recently Used in Lookups feature.

While it may seem like a small change, it addresses a common activity that users perform throughout the day: searching and selecting records from lookup fields.

What's New?

Business Central now surfaces recently used records directly within lookup dialogs. When users open a lookup, Business Central can display records they have recently searched for or selected, allowing them to find frequently used values faster without repeatedly performing the same search. The suggestions are personalized to each user based on their usage patterns.

Feature details in update 29.0 public preview for 2026 release wave 2 - Business Central | Microsoft Learn 

Where You'll Notice It

This enhancement can be useful anywhere lookup fields are commonly used, including:

• Customers
• Vendors
• Items
• Locations
• Dimensions
• Country/Region Codes
• Payment Terms

Users who repeatedly work with the same records can access them more quickly, reducing clicks and data entry time.

Example Scenario

Consider a purchasing agent who frequently creates purchase orders for the same vendors.

Before BC29

1.    Open Vendor lookup

2.    Search for vendor

3.    Select vendor

With BC29

1.    Open Vendor lookup

2.    Switch to Recent

3.    Select vendor

The feature helps reduce repetitive searching and streamlines everyday tasks.

Benefits

Faster Data Entry

Frequently used records are easier to find, reducing repetitive searches.

Personalized Experience

Each user sees recommendations based on their own activity and usage patterns. 

Improved Efficiency

Users can spend less time searching and more time processing transactions.

Consistent User Experience

The feature leverages the same underlying intelligence used by other Business Central experiences, providing a more consistent and responsive user interface. 

Not Limited to Lookups

During testing, I also noticed that recently used records can be influenced by records accessed through Global Search, not just records selected from lookup dialogs. This helps make the recommendations more relevant by reflecting how users actually navigate and work within Business Central.

A Couple of Wishes for Future Enhancements

While the feature is a welcome addition, there are a couple of improvements that could make it even better:

• Include manually entered values in the Recent list. Currently, values entered directly into a field do not appear in Recent. Including successfully validated manual entries would better reflect how many experienced users work within Business Central.
• Show Recent records by default. Instead of requiring users to switch to the Recent view each time, an option to open lookups directly on recently used records could further reduce clicks and improve productivity.

Final Thoughts

The new Recently Used in Lookups feature is a simple but valuable enhancement in Business Central 2026 Wave 2. By surfacing recently selected records directly within lookup dialogs, Microsoft is making everyday navigation and data entry faster and more intuitive.

It may not be the biggest feature in BC29, but for users who spend their day creating transactions and maintaining records, the time savings can quickly add up.