- Feature
- Preview images in web client
- Availability
- Generally available (October 2026)
- Industry focus
- Used vehicle and equipment dealers
Used vehicle dealers run on photographs. Appraisal photos of part-exchange cars, damage pictures from inspections, photos of documents such as V5 registration certificates, and images of repairs completed. When these images are attached in Business Central, staff need to see them quickly. Downloading every file to look at it slows everything down. Business Central 29.0 lets them open images right in the browser.
The industry challenge
In a dealership using Business Central for stock, purchasing and finance:
- Buyers attach appraisal photos to purchase documents for part-exchanges and trade purchases
- Workshop staff attach images of damage and completed repairs
- Sales staff attach photos of signed documents or identification checks
Until now, viewing an image attachment generally meant downloading the file and opening it in another app. That's slow on a busy forecourt, clutters download folders, and is awkward on tablets. Some staff simply didn't bother looking, which led to disputes over a vehicle's condition.
What Microsoft delivered in Business Central 29.0
According to Microsoft, users can now open image attachments directly in the web client without downloading them first. Images appear in a viewer similar to print preview or PDF preview, and can still be downloaded from the viewer if needed.
Microsoft lists support for JPEG, JPG, PNG, BMP, SVG, WEBP, ICO, GIF and AVIF, including animated GIF and AVIF. On Safari, TIFF and TIF are also supported. Thumbnails for images and the first page of PDFs are clickable and open the viewer.
The feature works across Business Central, including agents, email and extensions. Extension developers need to add support using the File.ViewFromStream method for Business Central online. An MVP walk-through also notes that images can be printed directly from the viewer.
Where the value shows up
| Business area | Impact for a used vehicle dealer |
|---|---|
| Appraisal speed | Buyers and managers review photos instantly |
| Dispute prevention | Condition photos are easy to check before and after sale |
| Mobile working | Images viewable on tablets on the forecourt |
| Workshop control | Repair photos reviewed without leaving the job |
| Tidiness | No more folders full of downloaded images |
It's a small convenience that removes friction from dozens of daily checks. When looking at a photo is effortless, people actually look.
A worked scenario
Consider an independent dealer selling 80 used cars a month across two sites (an illustrative example). Part-exchange appraisals are attached to purchase documents as photos.
The sales manager is approving a part-exchange valuation on a tablet in the showroom. With Business Central 29.0, she taps the thumbnail on the attached appraisal and the photos open in the viewer. She spots kerb damage on two alloy wheels that wasn't reflected in the valuation, adjusts the offer and approves it. Later, when the customer queries the deduction, the photos are just a click away.
Adoption considerations
- Use supported formats. Encourage staff to save photos in common formats such as JPG or PNG.
- Check your extensions. Ask partners to update custom extensions to use File.ViewFromStream where images are involved.
- Standardize attachment practice. Agree which photos must be attached to which documents.
- Mind image sizes. Very large photos may be slower to load, so consider sensible camera settings.
- Remember PDFs. First-page thumbnails make PDF attachments quicker to check too.
The bottom line
For used vehicle dealers, photographs are evidence: of condition, value and work done. Image preview in Business Central 29.0 makes that evidence instantly visible without downloads. It speeds up appraisals and workshop checks and helps prevent disputes.
If your team relies on photos stored in Business Central, it's worth checking your attachment practices and extensions with an experienced adviser.
Sources: Microsoft roadmap 573367 · Dynamics 365 Lab: Preview images directly in web client