Check Out, Check In and Versions are important features that let users manage files and documents in a library effectively. Learn how to check out and check in files to a SharePoint Document Library. You can also discover how to discard a check out from a document library, and steps to make it mandatory to check out a file before editing.
- Go to the library with the file, hover over the file and select the check mark.
- Select the ellipse (…) from the toolbar, and pick Check Out.
- Click on the refresh icon to know the progress of the check out process.
- Once the file is checked out, you can see a green arrow over it.
How to check in a file to a document library?
- Enter the library with the file you want to check in.
- Click the check mark found while hovering over the file.
- Select the ellipse from the toolbar and choose Check In.
- Add any comments or description of the changes you made in the dialogue box.
- Click Check In when you are done.
Steps to discard a check-out from a document library
- Go to the library and hover over the file to select the check mark.
- Pick Discard Check Out by clicking the ellipses from the toolbar.
- Click on Discard Check Out in the confirmation dialogue box that appears.
- Click on the icon above the Discard Check Out message to confirm the file’s check out status.
Steps to make it mandatory to check out a file before editing
- Go to the library in which you want to configure the settings.
- Pick Library Settings by clicking on Settings.
- Select Versioning Settings from the Settings Page.
- From the Versioning Settings page, enable Require documents to be checked out before they can be edited by choosing Yes.
Written by Alex K Joseph, Digital Marketing Strategist, Dock 365
Alex K Joseph is a digital marketing strategist at Dock 365 with deep expertise in content marketing and Microsoft technologies. His published work covers SharePoint administration, Microsoft Teams, Power Automate, Microsoft 365 admin workflows, and Dynamics 365, the underlying platform that Dock 365's contract management software is built on. He has been writing for Dock 365 since 2021, producing technical content that helps SharePoint and Microsoft 365 administrators evaluate CLM solutions in the context of their existing Microsoft stack.


