Dynamics 365 Business Central license key version update

Transition your customers from version-specific license keys to a single forward-compatible key for Business Central versions 28 and later.

Impacted audience

Partners supporting any on-premises edition of Dynamics 365 Business Central, including Dual Use Rights licenses for Business Central online customers

Effective October 1, 2026, new releases of Dynamics 365 Business Central will no longer include version-specific license keys for on-premises. For Business Central versions 28 or later, "28+" will be the relevant license key version. Releases prior to version 28 (such as 27, 26, and others) will continue to have version-specific license keys.

What this means for you and your customers

At each new version release on or after October 1, 2026, Business Central customers must download a refreshed version of the 28+ license key if they wish to upgrade to the latest version. The date on which the 28+ license key is downloaded will determine which objects are unlocked on the license file.

For example, at the release of Business Central version 30 in April 2027, customers can download a new 28+ license key to unlock the version 30 objects on their license. Customers who attempt to run a version 30 deployment with a 28+ license key that was downloaded on October 1, 2026, will receive a version compatibility warning message. The product will consider version compatibility for 28+ license keys, depending on the date on which the license key was downloaded.

Next steps

• Support your customers by ensuring they have the appropriate refreshed 28+ license key before each Business Central version upgrade.
• Business Central online customers can download their Dual Use Rights (DUR) license keys from the Microsoft 365 Admin Center by following these instructions. Note: The license key version number for Business Central DUR license keys downloaded from the Microsoft 365 Admin Center will appear as "28" upon initial release; the format will be corrected to "28+" by the second week of October.
• There are no changes to the release cycle for Business Central major and minor versions as a result of this announcement. See the latest Business Central updates.