Microsoft quietly rolled out timeline bookmarks in 2023 for Dynamics 365 and Power Apps, but many users missed what could be one of the most practical productivity enhancements to hit the platform in recent years.
While Copilot features grab headlines, timeline bookmarks deliver a different kind of productivity improvement – one that transforms your daily workflow.
If you’ve ever found yourself repeatedly applying the same filters to your timeline views – perhaps showing only emails from the last 30 days, or filtering for specific activity types – you’ve experienced the exact friction that Microsoft designed timeline bookmarks to eliminate.
This feature transforms what was once a repetitive, multi-click process into a single-click solution.
Understanding the Challenge
Timelines on Dynamics 365 forms can become overwhelming. Accounts, contacts, and other record types quickly accumulate emails, phone calls, appointments, tasks, notes, and various other activities over time.
Users waste valuable time scrolling through endless timeline entries to find relevant information. Traditional filtering helped, but users had to reconfigure their preferred views repeatedly, session after session.
Consider a typical scenario. A customer service rep handling complex cases might need to view only recent emails and phone calls to understand the latest customer interactions. Previously, this involved opening the filter panel and selecting these two activity types every time a record was opened. Multiply this across dozens of customer interactions daily, and the time cost becomes significant.
The Bookmarks Solution
Timeline bookmarks solve this problem by letting you save filter combinations as reusable presets.
Think of them as saved views for timelines that capture not just which interactions to display but also activity status, reasons and timeframe.
Once created, these bookmarks appear as easily accessible options in the timeline interface, transforming a multi-step process into a single click.
If you’re a longstanding Dynamics user, you may remember an earlier “Remember my Filters” function. However, whereas this only stored one filter rule, the new feature accommodates up to 15 different bookmarks.
Bookmarks are personal to each user, so you can create and manage your own set of bookmarks without impacting others.
Time-Saving Impact
The productivity gains from timeline bookmarks become apparent quickly in practice.
Administrators report that users save measurable time with this feature, particularly for users managing high-volume accounts or switching between different timeline views daily.
You’ll find this feature especially valuable if your role requires frequent context-switching between different types of customer interactions.
People managing complex customer relationships across multiple touchpoints will find bookmarks particularly valuable for isolating specific information streams. For instance, an account manager might have a combination of bookmarks for recent emails, completed opportunities, case resolutions, marketing interactions and phone calls, allowing them to assess account status from different perspectives. A support manager might have a bookmark that automatically applies filters to show resolved cases from the last 30 days.
You can designate one bookmark as your default timeline view. This can be set for a specific form or applied globally to all timelines, providing a consistent experience across contacts, accounts, opportunities and all other record forms.
If each person saves just five minutes per day through more efficient timeline navigation, a team of 50 users saves over 20 hours weekly – equivalent to half a full-time employee’s work week.
While the benefits are clear, successful implementation may require admin attention to a few technical details.
Implementation Considerations
While timeline bookmarks are enabled by default in Dynamics 365 environments, administrators might need to review and update permission requirements.
The feature relies on the “Custom Control Extended Setting” permission. If users don’t see the bookmark icon in their timeline interfaces, you may need to grant appropriate security role permissions to this custom table.
Check that your security role includes permissions for the ‘Custom Control Extended Setting’ (msdyn_customcontrolextendedsetting) table if bookmark icons don’t appear.
Value for Organisations
Beyond individual productivity gains, timeline bookmarks contribute to broader organisational efficiency. When users can quickly access relevant information, customer interactions become more informed and responsive. Support teams can rapidly review recent case activity, sellers can efficiently track engagements, and managers can quickly assess performance.
Dynamics 365 bookmarks can also contribute to better knowledge management within customer-facing teams. Consistent use of bookmarks with relevant filters helps ensure that team members focus on the most relevant information for their roles, reducing the likelihood of missing critical customer interactions or updates.
Looking Forward
The next time you catch yourself applying the same timeline filters repeatedly, remember that bookmarks can transform that tedious process into a single click. The most powerful productivity tools don’t just save time – they free you to focus on what truly matters: building customer relationships and driving business results.
