The quick answer
Point to your name, account, and role at the top right of NetSuite and choose Switch to NetSuite Next. NetSuite reloads without the row of tabs. Your pages are now in the Menu drawer, opened from the three-line button on the bar along the bottom of the screen, under the same groups your tabs used. In this example the Customers list is still Lists > Relationships > Customers. The way back is Exit NetSuite Next, in the menu you open by clicking your initials on the bottom bar. If Switch to NetSuite Next isn't in your profile menu, NetSuite Next isn't available to your account yet, or the role you're using isn't eligible or isn't allowed to use it.
The screenshots show sample data. Person and operating-company names are fictional. Use your own records and values when following the steps.
Before you start
NetSuite Next changes how you get around NetSuite. It doesn't change your records, your role, or your permissions. Switching layouts is also separate from changing role or company. In this example the same company, the same Administrator role, and the same Home reminders (14 Overdue Invoices, 6 Sales Orders to Bill, 3 Customer Payments to Deposit) show up before and after the switch.
The Switch to NetSuite Next option only appears when two things are true:
- Oracle has made NetSuite Next available to your account. It's rolling out in phases, and administrators get a notice in NetSuite once the account is eligible.
- An administrator has allowed it for the role you're using. That's set per role on Manage access to NetSuite Next, under Setup > Company > AI Preferences. Optional lets people in that role switch back and forth. Blocked keeps them on the tab-based layout. Some releases also have a NetSuite Next only setting, which moves the role into NetSuite Next at its next login. Which settings you see depends on your release.
Customer, Vendor, Partner, Advanced Partner, and Employee Center roles aren't eligible right now. If a colleague has the option and you don't, compare the account and role you're each using before assuming something's broken.
This example uses the Administrator role, starting on Home in the tab-based layout. Other roles see different menu categories and pages, in both layouts.
01. Note where Customers lives in the tab layout
Start on Home in the tab-based layout. Point to the Lists tab, then to Relationships. Customers is in the submenu, between Prospects and Contacts. Click an empty part of the page to close the menu without opening anything. Lists > Relationships > Customers is the path you'll look for in NetSuite Next.
02. Switch to NetSuite Next
Point to your name, account, and role at the top right. The profile menu opens. Click Switch to NetSuite Next, the item with "Put AI to work for your business" under it. NetSuite reloads in the new layout, still in the same company and role.
If the option isn't there, NetSuite Next isn't available to this account yet, your role isn't eligible, or its access is set to Blocked. Nothing else in this guide applies until that changes.
03. Hide the Get started panel
A Get started with NetSuite Next panel opens on the left, with tips such as Learn the basics of NetSuite Next and Explore your data in lists. Click Hide at the bottom of the panel. The Menu drawer has a Get started with NetSuite Next link if you want it back.
With the panel gone, Home has no tabs across the top. The bar along the bottom holds Home, Menu (the three-line button next to Home), your initials, and the Search or ask a question box. In this example the reminders are the same 14, 6, and 3 from the tab layout.
04. Open Customers from the Menu drawer
Click Menu on the bottom bar. The drawer opens with three sections. Shortcuts holds pages you pin. Create holds links for records you commonly create. Menu is the navigation tree, with categories named after your tabs, in sentence case. Both Shortcuts and Create are empty in this example.
Under Menu, expand Lists, then expand Relationships, and click Customers. It's the same Lists > Relationships > Customers path from step 1.
The Customers list opens. In this example it shows 18 results, starting with C-2031 Alder Street Bistro. Your count depends on your data and what your role can see.
The Search menu box at the top of the drawer finds pages in the menu by name. To find a record, like a specific customer or invoice, use Search or ask a question on the bottom bar instead.
05. Find Exit NetSuite Next
Click your initials on the bottom bar. The account menu opens with your name, company, and role, then All my roles and companies, Set preferences, Help and support, Exit NetSuite Next, Provide feedback, About, and Sign out. Exit NetSuite Next is the way back. It's here on the bottom bar, not in the top-right profile menu you used to switch in.
Clicking it returns you to the tab-based layout. The screenshots stop before that click, so they don't show which page you land on. The option is there when your role's NetSuite Next access is Optional. A role set to NetSuite Next only stays in NetSuite Next.
Check the result
- NetSuite Next shows no tab row, and the bottom bar has Home, Menu, your initials, and Search or ask a question.
- Menu > Lists > Relationships > Customers opens the Customers list, 18 results in this example.
- The account menu shows the same company and role you had before switching, Example Supply Co. and Administrator here.
- Exit NetSuite Next is in the account menu.
Common questions
How do I turn on NetSuite Next?
In the tab-based layout, point to your name, account, and role at the top right and choose Switch to NetSuite Next. NetSuite reloads in the new layout. If the Get started panel opens, click Hide to see Home.
Where did the navigation tabs go in NetSuite Next?
They moved into the Menu drawer. Click Menu, the three-line button on the bottom bar, and the Menu section lists categories named after your role's tabs. Pages keep their groups, so the Customers list is under Lists, then Relationships, then Customers.
How do I get back to the old NetSuite layout?
Click your initials on the bottom bar and choose Exit NetSuite Next. It's in that account menu, not in the top-right profile menu you used to switch in. You'll only have it if your role's NetSuite Next access lets you switch back and forth.
Why don't I see Switch to NetSuite Next in my profile menu?
Either NetSuite Next isn't available to your account yet, since it's rolling out in phases, or the role you're using isn't allowed to use it. An administrator sets that per role on Manage access to NetSuite Next, under Setup, Company, AI Preferences. Customer, Vendor, Partner, Advanced Partner, and Employee Center roles aren't eligible, so compare roles before you assume something's misconfigured.
Does switching to NetSuite Next change my data or permissions?
No. It changes the navigation and layout. You stay in the same company and role, your records don't change, and your role still decides which pages you can open.
What's the difference between Search menu and the search box on the bottom bar?
Search menu, at the top of the Menu drawer, finds pages in the menu by name, like the Customers list. The Search or ask a question box on the bottom bar is for records, like a specific customer or invoice.