---
id: topic/dev-itpro/administration/admin-center
type: topic
title: Admin center
summary: The Business Central administration center is the portal where tenant administrators manage online environments, apps, updates, access, capacity, telemetry, notifications and billing. It answers questions on environment lifecycle (create, copy, rename, delete, restore, transfer, export) and day-to-day admin tasks. A subtopic covers the Admin Center API.
tier: official
language: en
system: administration
review:
  state: reviewed
  by: opus
  at: "2026-10-07T02:16:15.343Z"
  flags: []
generated:
  at: "2026-10-08T06:31:25.130Z"
  pipeline: 0.2.0
  prompts:
    hub-topic: 1
  input_hash: 435334cc60fef9ae9cfd779872b229173852be5b008e1b9c73deeb9129eaed10
evidence:
  - kind: learn
    url: https://learn.microsoft.com/dynamics365/business-central/dev-itpro/administration/administration-center-api_app_management
    title: Business Central Admin Center API - App Management
    date: "2026-07-07"
    commit: null
    t: null
    quote: null
  - kind: learn
    url: https://learn.microsoft.com/dynamics365/business-central/dev-itpro/administration/administration-center-api_authorizedaadapps
    title: Business Central Admin Center API - Authorized Microsoft Entra Apps
    date: "2025-11-17"
    commit: null
    t: null
    quote: null
  - kind: learn
    url: https://learn.microsoft.com/dynamics365/business-central/dev-itpro/administration/administration-center-api_available_applications
    title: Business Central Admin Center API - Available Applications
    date: "2025-11-17"
    commit: null
    t: null
    quote: null
  - kind: learn
    url: https://learn.microsoft.com/dynamics365/business-central/dev-itpro/administration/administration-center-api_environment_database_export
    title: Business Central Admin Center API - Environment Database Export
    date: "2026-07-28"
    commit: null
    t: null
    quote: null
  - kind: learn
    url: https://learn.microsoft.com/dynamics365/business-central/dev-itpro/administration/administration-center-api_environment_outage_reporting
    title: Business Central Admin Center API - Environment Outage Reporting
    date: "2025-11-17"
    commit: null
    t: null
    quote: null
  - kind: learn
    url: https://learn.microsoft.com/dynamics365/business-central/dev-itpro/administration/administration-center-api_environment_settings
    title: Business Central Admin Center API - Environment Settings
    date: "2025-11-17"
    commit: null
    t: null
    quote: null
  - kind: learn
    url: https://learn.microsoft.com/dynamics365/business-central/dev-itpro/administration/administration-center-api_environments
    title: Business Central Admin Center API - Environments
    date: "2025-11-17"
    commit: null
    t: null
    quote: null
  - kind: learn
    url: https://learn.microsoft.com/dynamics365/business-central/dev-itpro/administration/administration-center-api_reschedule_updates
    title: Business Central Admin Center API - Manage Updates
    date: "2025-11-17"
    commit: null
    t: null
    quote: null
  - kind: learn
    url: https://learn.microsoft.com/dynamics365/business-central/dev-itpro/administration/administration-center-api_notifications
    title: Business Central Admin Center API - Notifications
    date: "2025-11-17"
    commit: null
    t: null
    quote: null
  - kind: learn
    url: https://learn.microsoft.com/dynamics365/business-central/dev-itpro/administration/administration-center-api_session_management
    title: Business Central Admin Center API - Session Management
    date: "2025-11-17"
    commit: null
    t: null
    quote: null
  - kind: learn
    url: https://learn.microsoft.com/dynamics365/business-central/dev-itpro/administration/administration-center-api_support_settings
    title: Business Central Admin Center API - Support settings
    date: "2025-11-17"
    commit: null
    t: null
    quote: null
  - kind: learn
    url: https://learn.microsoft.com/dynamics365/business-central/dev-itpro/administration/administration-center-api_telemetry
    title: Business Central Admin Center API - Telemetry
    date: "2025-11-17"
    commit: null
    t: null
    quote: null
  - kind: learn
    url: https://learn.microsoft.com/dynamics365/business-central/dev-itpro/administration/administration-center-api_environmenttransfer
    title: Business Central Admin Center API - Transfer environments
    date: "2025-11-17"
    commit: null
    t: null
    quote: null
  - kind: learn
    url: https://learn.microsoft.com/dynamics365/business-central/dev-itpro/administration/tenant-admin-center
    title: Business Central Administration Center
    date: "2025-10-14"
    commit: null
    t: null
    quote: null
  - kind: learn
    url: https://learn.microsoft.com/dynamics365/business-central/dev-itpro/administration/administration-center-api
    title: Business Central Administration Center API
    date: "2025-11-06"
    commit: null
    t: null
    quote: null
  - kind: learn
    url: https://learn.microsoft.com/dynamics365/business-central/dev-itpro/administration/administration-center-api-mcp
    title: Business Central Administration Center API MCP Server (preview)
    date: "2026-03-25"
    commit: null
    t: null
    quote: null
  - kind: learn
    url: https://learn.microsoft.com/dynamics365/business-central/dev-itpro/administration/tenant-admin-center-environments-copy
    title: Copy an environment
    date: "2024-01-19"
    commit: null
    t: null
    quote: null
  - kind: learn
    url: https://learn.microsoft.com/dynamics365/business-central/dev-itpro/administration/tenant-admin-center-environments-delete
    title: Delete and recover environments
    date: "2025-10-08"
    commit: null
    t: null
    quote: null
  - kind: learn
    url: https://learn.microsoft.com/dynamics365/business-central/dev-itpro/administration/tenant-admin-center-telemetry
    title: Environment Telemetry
    date: "2021-04-01"
    commit: null
    t: null
    quote: null
  - kind: learn
    url: https://learn.microsoft.com/dynamics365/business-central/dev-itpro/administration/tenant-admin-center-database-export
    title: Exporting Databases in the Admin Center
    date: "2026-07-28"
    commit: null
    t: null
    quote: null
  - kind: learn
    url: https://learn.microsoft.com/dynamics365/business-central/dev-itpro/administration/tenant-admin-center-manage-access
    title: Manage Access to Environment
    date: "2025-08-05"
    commit: null
    t: null
    quote: null
  - kind: learn
    url: https://learn.microsoft.com/dynamics365/business-central/dev-itpro/administration/tenant-admin-center-manage-consumption-billing
    title: Manage consumption-based billing
    date: "2026-02-04"
    commit: null
    t: null
    quote: null
  - kind: learn
    url: https://learn.microsoft.com/dynamics365/business-central/dev-itpro/administration/tenant-admin-center-notifications
    title: Manage Tenant-Specific Notifications
    date: "2025-10-20"
    commit: null
    t: null
    quote: null
  - kind: learn
    url: https://learn.microsoft.com/dynamics365/business-central/dev-itpro/administration/tenant-admin-center-manage-apps
    title: Managing Apps
    date: "2025-05-01"
    commit: null
    t: null
    quote: null
  - kind: learn
    url: https://learn.microsoft.com/dynamics365/business-central/dev-itpro/administration/tenant-admin-center-capacity
    title: Managing Capacity
    date: "2025-11-12"
    commit: null
    t: null
    quote: null
  - kind: learn
    url: https://learn.microsoft.com/dynamics365/business-central/dev-itpro/administration/tenant-admin-center-environments
    title: Managing Production and Sandbox Environments
    date: "2026-07-28"
    commit: null
    t: null
    quote: null
  - kind: learn
    url: https://learn.microsoft.com/dynamics365/business-central/dev-itpro/administration/tenant-admin-center-manage-sessions
    title: Managing Sessions in the Admin Center
    date: "2021-12-14"
    commit: null
    t: null
    quote: null
  - kind: learn
    url: https://learn.microsoft.com/dynamics365/business-central/dev-itpro/administration/tenant-admin-center-update-management
    title: Managing Updates in the Admin Center
    date: "2025-11-17"
    commit: null
    t: null
    quote: null
  - kind: learn
    url: https://learn.microsoft.com/dynamics365/business-central/dev-itpro/administration/tenant-admin-center-environments-rename
    title: Rename Environments in the Admin Center
    date: "2021-04-01"
    commit: null
    t: null
    quote: null
  - kind: learn
    url: https://learn.microsoft.com/dynamics365/business-central/dev-itpro/administration/tenant-admin-center-backup-restore
    title: Restoring an environment in the admin center
    date: "2025-02-11"
    commit: null
    t: null
    quote: null
  - kind: learn
    url: https://learn.microsoft.com/dynamics365/business-central/dev-itpro/administration/tenant-admin-center-environments-move
    title: Transfer Environments
    date: "2025-10-08"
    commit: null
    t: null
    quote: null
links:
  learn:
    - https://learn.microsoft.com/dynamics365/business-central/dev-itpro/administration/tenant-admin-center
    - https://learn.microsoft.com/dynamics365/business-central/dev-itpro/administration/tenant-admin-center-environments-copy
    - https://learn.microsoft.com/dynamics365/business-central/dev-itpro/administration/tenant-admin-center-environments-delete
    - https://learn.microsoft.com/dynamics365/business-central/dev-itpro/administration/tenant-admin-center-telemetry
    - https://learn.microsoft.com/dynamics365/business-central/dev-itpro/administration/tenant-admin-center-database-export
    - https://learn.microsoft.com/dynamics365/business-central/dev-itpro/administration/tenant-admin-center-manage-access
    - https://learn.microsoft.com/dynamics365/business-central/dev-itpro/administration/tenant-admin-center-manage-consumption-billing
    - https://learn.microsoft.com/dynamics365/business-central/dev-itpro/administration/tenant-admin-center-notifications
    - https://learn.microsoft.com/dynamics365/business-central/dev-itpro/administration/tenant-admin-center-manage-apps
    - https://learn.microsoft.com/dynamics365/business-central/dev-itpro/administration/tenant-admin-center-capacity
    - https://learn.microsoft.com/dynamics365/business-central/dev-itpro/administration/tenant-admin-center-environments
    - https://learn.microsoft.com/dynamics365/business-central/dev-itpro/administration/tenant-admin-center-manage-sessions
    - https://learn.microsoft.com/dynamics365/business-central/dev-itpro/administration/tenant-admin-center-update-management
    - https://learn.microsoft.com/dynamics365/business-central/dev-itpro/administration/tenant-admin-center-environments-rename
    - https://learn.microsoft.com/dynamics365/business-central/dev-itpro/administration/tenant-admin-center-backup-restore
    - https://learn.microsoft.com/dynamics365/business-central/dev-itpro/administration/tenant-admin-center-environments-move
  objects: []
  features: []
  topics:
    - topic/dev-itpro/administration
    - topic/dev-itpro/administration/admin-center/admin-center-api
  localizations: []
  videos:
    - video/-uAvdZAWWwI
    - video/22duXC6j_No
    - video/3Xus5tm2xKI
    - video/42adOzECiA0
    - video/HixajKEd-A4
    - video/KNy2KujjheU
    - video/LerAo-GGl8U
    - video/uv2NsSD5P7U
    - video/wPEZ3U5j4zw
  posts:
    - post/duiliotacconi-com/1537
    - post/mohana-blog/tag-blogger-com-1999-blog-1492436440038408053-post-1170961607735589786--c4e7aa9368
    - post/mohana-blog/tag-blogger-com-1999-blog-1492436440038408053-post-2501623073598492643--ce507d65a8
    - post/thatnavguy-com/https-thatnavguy-com-blog-2025-bc-friday-tips-33-restore-environment--42bac06f08
    - post/thinkaboutit-be/7897
    - post/thinkaboutit-be/7930
    - post/thinkaboutit-be/8077
    - post/waldo-be/317739
  guidelines: []
learn_toc_path:
  - Administration
  - Admin center
toc_file: dev-itpro/TOC.md
parent: topic/dev-itpro/administration
children:
  - topic/dev-itpro/administration/admin-center/admin-center-api
coverage:
  learn: 31
  code: 0
  video: 9
  blog: 8
  guideline: 0
bc_forms: []
member_hash: 930971b86417f2cb2b2eec1be9a17360eecf5bc00c57b0be177b1f74f8f8c24d
narrative: generated
---

# Admin center

> The Business Central administration center is the portal where tenant administrators manage online environments, apps, updates, access, capacity, telemetry, notifications and billing. It answers questions on environment lifecycle (create, copy, rename, delete, restore, transfer, export) and day-to-day admin tasks. A subtopic covers the Admin Center API.

Path: [Administration](../administration.md) > Admin center · tier official · system administration · narrative reviewed (checked by Opus)

## Overview

The admin center is the main place to administer Business Central online. The pages cover the portal itself (access requirements, delegated admin roles, GDAP), then the Environments tab for production and sandbox environments, including Power Platform linking, update windows and security groups.
Lifecycle pages cover copying, renaming, deleting and recovering, restoring to a point in time, exporting databases to BACPAC, and transferring environments between Microsoft Entra tenants. Operational pages cover sessions, updates, apps, capacity, telemetry, notifications, access, and consumption-based billing for Copilot and agents. A separate Admin Center API subtopic (15 pages) covers programmatic access.
Start with the Business Central Administration Center page for access and the overall layout, then Managing Production and Sandbox Environments. Move to the task-specific page you need.

## Key points

- Deleted environments are soft-deleted for 14 days and can be recovered. After that they are hard-deleted permanently.
- Restore works to a point in time within 28 days using automated backups, with a limit of 10 restores per month.
- Database export creates BACPAC files in an Azure standard storage account using a shared access signature. Exports are rate limited and customer-managed encryption keys are supported.
- Transfers between Entra tenants must be accepted on the destination tenant within 8 hours. Post-transfer setup is needed for users and integrations.
- Copying an environment keeps the same application version, extensions and configuration, and unlinks it from Power Platform.
- Managing Apps handles Global Apps, Per-Tenant Extensions and DEV extensions, covering installation, update scheduling, dependency resolution and an Apps Update Cadence setting for automatic updates.
- Updates are managed with update windows, scheduled or canceled updates, notification recipients and preview versions.
- Notifications go through email, Message Center, Application Insights, Logic Apps and Power Automate. Consumption billing for Expense, Payables and Sales Order agents uses prepaid capacity or pay-as-you-go through Power Platform.

## Subtopics

- [Admin Center API](admin-center/admin-center-api.md) (15 pages)

## More Learn pages

- [Business Central Administration Center](https://learn.microsoft.com/dynamics365/business-central/dev-itpro/administration/tenant-admin-center): Learn about how a VAR or an internal administrator can set update windows and other admin tasks using the admin center.
- [Copy an environment](https://learn.microsoft.com/dynamics365/business-central/dev-itpro/administration/tenant-admin-center-environments-copy): Learn how to create an environment that is a copy of a production or sandbox environment.
- [Delete and recover environments](https://learn.microsoft.com/dynamics365/business-central/dev-itpro/administration/tenant-admin-center-environments-delete): Learn how to delete and recover deleted environments using the Business Central admin center.
- [Environment Telemetry](https://learn.microsoft.com/dynamics365/business-central/dev-itpro/administration/tenant-admin-center-telemetry): Learn how the Business Central admin center provides telemetry for each environment.
- [Exporting Databases in the Admin Center](https://learn.microsoft.com/dynamics365/business-central/dev-itpro/administration/tenant-admin-center-database-export): Learn how to export production environment data as BACPAC files to Azure storage. Start your export today.
- [Manage Access to Environment](https://learn.microsoft.com/dynamics365/business-central/dev-itpro/administration/tenant-admin-center-manage-access): This article describes features in the admin center that help controlling user access to environments.
- [Manage consumption-based billing](https://learn.microsoft.com/dynamics365/business-central/dev-itpro/administration/tenant-admin-center-manage-consumption-billing): Learn about managing consumption-based billing for Business Central.
- [Manage Tenant-Specific Notifications](https://learn.microsoft.com/dynamics365/business-central/dev-itpro/administration/tenant-admin-center-notifications): Learn about how an internal admin and a delegated admin can get notified of changes for Business Central tenants.
- [Managing Apps](https://learn.microsoft.com/dynamics365/business-central/dev-itpro/administration/tenant-admin-center-manage-apps): Discover how to use the Business Central administration center to manage apps, update environments, and ensure compatibility with the latest features.
- [Managing Capacity](https://learn.microsoft.com/dynamics365/business-central/dev-itpro/administration/tenant-admin-center-capacity): Learn how to monitor and optimize storage, manage environments, and stay within your quota using the administration center.
- [Managing Production and Sandbox Environments](https://learn.microsoft.com/dynamics365/business-central/dev-itpro/administration/tenant-admin-center-environments): Learn how to use Business Central admin center to manage tenant environments, both sandbox and production.
- [Managing Sessions in the Admin Center](https://learn.microsoft.com/dynamics365/business-central/dev-itpro/administration/tenant-admin-center-manage-sessions): Use the Business Central administration center to manage sessions in your tenant environments.
- [Managing Updates in the Admin Center](https://learn.microsoft.com/dynamics365/business-central/dev-itpro/administration/tenant-admin-center-update-management): Use the Business Central administration center to manage environment updates, including setting update windows and update dates.
- [Rename Environments in the Admin Center](https://learn.microsoft.com/dynamics365/business-central/dev-itpro/administration/tenant-admin-center-environments-rename): Use the Business Central administration center to rename environments.
- [Restoring an environment in the admin center](https://learn.microsoft.com/dynamics365/business-central/dev-itpro/administration/tenant-admin-center-backup-restore): Use the Business Central administration center to restore backups of environments.
- [Transfer Environments](https://learn.microsoft.com/dynamics365/business-central/dev-itpro/administration/tenant-admin-center-environments-move): You can transfer a Business Central environment to another Microsoft Entra tenant. Start in the Business Central admin center.

## Videos and posts

Linked by a Haiku matcher with a grounding quote from the item's summary (link/topics.ts); machine-generated.

- [How to choose the best Update Window in Dynamics 365 Business Central Online](../../../posts/duiliotacconi-com/1537.md) (community post): "pick a Business Central Online update window so that application hotfixes"
- [Managing Apps in the Business Central Admin Center](../../../posts/mohana-blog/tag-blogger-com-1999-blog-1492436440038408053-post-1170961607735589786--c4e7aa9368.md) (community post): "The Manage Apps page in the Business Central admin center controls the stack"
- [How I Recreated the Extension Upload Experience in Business Central](../../../posts/mohana-blog/tag-blogger-com-1999-blog-1492436440038408053-post-2501623073598492643--ce507d65a8.md) (community post): "calling the Business Central admin center API from AL"
- [BC Friday Tips #34 Restore Environment](../../../posts/thatnavguy-com/https-thatnavguy-com-blog-2025-bc-friday-tips-33-restore-environment--42bac06f08.md) (community post): "An environment can be restored to any point within the last 28 days from the Admin Center"
- [How Do I: Manage and Postpone BC Updates in the Admin Center](../../../posts/thinkaboutit-be/7897.md) (community post): "Managing Business Central SaaS updates in the Admin Center allows you to schedule, delay, and respond to rollout pauses"
- [Quick Tip: Almost Every BC Major Release Gets Paused. Are Your Environments Ready?](../../../posts/thinkaboutit-be/7930.md) (community post): "schedule production updates late in the window, configure notification recipients"
- [Quick Tip: Reading the Capacity Page in the Business Central Admin Center](../../../posts/thinkaboutit-be/8077.md) (community post): "Two independent limits govern environment creation: environment count"
- [Troubleshooting Series – Ep2 – Admin Center – Sessions](../../../posts/waldo-be/317739.md) (community post): "The Sessions window in the Business Central Admin Center allows partners and delegated admins"
- [Transfer Environments](../../../videos/-uAvdZAWWwI.md) (video): "Environment transfers between Entra tenants; Transfer scheduling; Pending transfer cancellation"
- [Manage all your Apps And Updates in Admin Center for Business Central](../../../videos/22duXC6j_No.md) (video): "Manage all your Apps And Updates in Admin Center for Business Central"
- [What's new: Manage PTEs in the Admin Center (2026 release wave 2)](../../../videos/3Xus5tm2xKI.md) (video): "PTE upload, install, and update in admin center; Flexible deployment schedule for PTE"
- [What's New: Upgrade to Preview (2025 release wave 2)](../../../videos/42adOzECiA0.md) (video): "Copy Production Data to Sandbox and Upgrade to Preview"
- [What's new: Match Production Database Configuration (2026 release wave 2)](../../../videos/HixajKEd-A4.md) (video): "sandbox configuration; production database matching; admin center"
- [What's new: Database Export Enhancements (2026 release wave 2)](../../../videos/KNy2KujjheU.md) (video): "database export; admin center; operations page; reliability; visibility"
- [Microsoft presents: Next level administration skills with the admin MCP server and agents](../../../videos/LerAo-GGl8U.md) (video): "Admin MCP Server for Business Central; Multi-Tenant Administration via MCP"
- [What's New: Flexible Update Management (2024 release wave 2)](../../../videos/uv2NsSD5P7U.md) (video): "update management; major versions; minor updates; grace period; enforced updates"
- [What's New: Flexible Update Management (2025 release wave 1)](../../../videos/wPEZ3U5j4zw.md) (video): "Flexible update management - General availability; Five-month update period"

Source: Microsoft Learn (CC BY 4.0). Descriptions are Learn's own.
