SharePoint A-Z : C is for Check In / Check Out

You can check out a document to prevent other people working on it. This will stop the co-authoring process. No-one will be able to edit the document while it is checked out.

You will see an arrow on the document name when a document is checked out.

Add the column “Checked Out To” if this is a feature you’re going to use a lot. That way you can see instantly who has the document, and contact them if you need them to check it back in.

When you’re done with document, you can check it back in.

There is a Discard check out option too.

If you discard the check out, all changes made will be lost and it will revert to the last version that was on the site. Do not discard check out with checking with the owner of the document first.

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Veronique Palmer Rottcher

I am based in South Africa and have 18 years fulltime SharePoint experience. I excel at intranet strategy, governance and architecture. The end user experience and strategic goals of the business are top of mind when we design and build intranets using SharePoint Online and other Microsoft 365 applications. Our award-winning consultancy has helped hundreds of businesses all over the world.

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