---
id: post/thinkaboutit-be/7750
type: post
title: "How Do I: Use the Word Add-in for Business Central Report Layouts"
summary: The Dynamics 365 Business Central Word add-in is a free Microsoft Word extension that simplifies designing Word layouts for document reports by enabling easy field insertion, layout comments, and conditional content hiding based on data values. The add-in requires Business Central version 25 or later, with full data picker functionality in version 27 and later.
tier: community
language: en
tags:
  - word layouts
  - report design
  - document reporting
  - add-in
  - conditional content
system: reporting
review:
  state: reviewed
  by: opus
  at: "2026-10-08T01:55:43.026Z"
  flags: []
generated:
  at: "2026-10-08T01:26:53.141Z"
  pipeline: 0.2.0
  prompts:
    extract-post: 1
  input_hash: 0f36fb87a2b8d2238f8dcad59c7b5cc7dff0b4fb14e53b2cff6a2bc23f62c60a
evidence:
  - kind: blog
    url: https://thinkaboutit.be/2026/04/how-do-i-use-the-word-add-in-for-business-central-report-layouts/
    title: "How Do I: Use the Word Add-in for Business Central Report Layouts"
    date: "2026-04-01"
    commit: null
    t: null
    quote: null
  - kind: blog
    url: https://thinkaboutit.be/2026/04/how-do-i-use-the-word-add-in-for-business-central-report-layouts/
    title: "How Do I: Use the Word Add-in for Business Central Report Layouts"
    date: "2026-04-01"
    commit: null
    t: null
    quote: The add-in has grown steadily since then, and this post covers what it can do today and how to use it.
  - kind: blog
    url: https://thinkaboutit.be/2026/04/how-do-i-use-the-word-add-in-for-business-central-report-layouts/
    title: "How Do I: Use the Word Add-in for Business Central Report Layouts"
    date: "2026-04-01"
    commit: null
    t: null
    quote: Controlling what appears and what stays hidden depending on the data in the document required either manual workarounds or developer involvement.
  - kind: blog
    url: https://thinkaboutit.be/2026/04/how-do-i-use-the-word-add-in-for-business-central-report-layouts/
    title: "How Do I: Use the Word Add-in for Business Central Report Layouts"
    date: "2026-04-01"
    commit: null
    t: null
    quote: Word layouts are genuinely easier to work with for straightforward document design, and the add-in has made real progress.
links:
  learn: []
  objects: []
  features: []
  topics: []
  localizations: []
  videos: []
  posts: []
  guidelines: []
post_id: "7750"
source_id: thinkaboutit-be
source_name: think about IT - Steven Renders
url: https://thinkaboutit.be/2026/04/how-do-i-use-the-word-add-in-for-business-central-report-layouts/
published_at: "2026-04-01T12:36:08.000Z"
author: Steven Renders
full_text: false
words: 1835
quotes:
  - text: The add-in has grown steadily since then, and this post covers what it can do today and how to use it.
    why_it_matters: Establishes that the Word add-in is an evolving feature with recent improvements worth understanding
  - text: Controlling what appears and what stays hidden depending on the data in the document required either manual workarounds or developer involvement.
    why_it_matters: Explains the problem the add-in solves, making document design more accessible without developer help
  - text: Word layouts are genuinely easier to work with for straightforward document design, and the add-in has made real progress.
    why_it_matters: Provides balanced perspective on when Word layouts are appropriate versus when RDLC remains necessary
code_objects_mentioned: []
systems:
  - reporting
  - development
versions_mentioned:
  - "25"
  - "27"
  - "28"
preview:
  embeddable: true
  frame_url: https://thinkaboutit.be/2026/04/how-do-i-use-the-word-add-in-for-business-central-report-layouts/embed/
  image: https://i0.wp.com/thinkaboutit.be/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/2026-04-01_14-22-22.jpg?fit=399%2C206&ssl=1
  image_alt: null
  image_w: 399
  image_h: 206
  site_name: think about IT
  favicon: https://i0.wp.com/thinkaboutit.be/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/cropped-SiteIcon2-1.png?fit=32%2C32&ssl=1
  probed_at: "2026-10-07T11:50:45.044Z"
---

# How Do I: Use the Word Add-in for Business Central Report Layouts

[Read the post](https://thinkaboutit.be/2026/04/how-do-i-use-the-word-add-in-for-business-central-report-layouts/) · think about IT - Steven Renders (Steven Renders) · 2026-04-01 · 1835 words · tier community · reviewed (checked by Opus)

> The Dynamics 365 Business Central Word add-in is a free Microsoft Word extension that simplifies designing Word layouts for document reports by enabling easy field insertion, layout comments, and conditional content hiding based on data values. The add-in requires Business Central version 25 or later, with full data picker functionality in version 27 and later.

## Key points

- The Word add-in provides a task pane for inserting data fields, labels, and report information into layouts without manual workarounds
- Multiple hide controls automatically remove content when empty: Hide Field if Zero, Hide Empty Table, Hide Empty Table Row, and Hide Empty Table Column
- Layout comments can be embedded directly in Word files to document design decisions without affecting printed output
- The add-in works only with data already in the report; adding new fields or complex conditional logic requires developer involvement
- Word layouts still lack advanced features found in RDLC layouts such as conditional formatting, calculated aggregations, and complex page controls

## Quotes

- "The add-in has grown steadily since then, and this post covers what it can do today and how to use it." (Establishes that the Word add-in is an evolving feature with recent improvements worth understanding)
- "Controlling what appears and what stays hidden depending on the data in the document required either manual workarounds or developer involvement." (Explains the problem the add-in solves, making document design more accessible without developer help)
- "Word layouts are genuinely easier to work with for straightforward document design, and the add-in has made real progress." (Provides balanced perspective on when Word layouts are appropriate versus when RDLC remains necessary)

## Context

- Features: Word add-in for report layouts, Data field insertion, Layout comments, Hide Field if Zero, Hide Empty Table, Hide Empty Table Row, Hide Empty Table Column, Data picker task pane
- Versions: 25, 27, 28

Source: think about IT - Steven Renders, community blog. Summary, key points and quotes are derived (CONTENT-NOTICE.md); read the original for the full text.