SharePoint - Version Control: Checking in and out
SharePoint requires users to utilize the check-out and check-in premise when working on documents in some Document Libraries (setting dependent). There are a few notable benefits of this such as:
- Authors of a document being able to save what they're working on without changes being visible to the public. These changes will only become visible once the author has decided to 'check-in' their document.
- The author can write comments that describe the changes made to the document. This is useful for preventing confusion among other potential authors as it encourages communication.
- When a document is 'checked out', it is locked for exclusive editing by the user, which means two users cannot work on the document at the same time. This is possible by using the co-authoring functionality, however it can cause issues with functionality.
How do I check-out a document?
If you're planning on working on a specific file that is in your team site, and the document library is configured to force you to check out prior to editing, you can become the exclusive editor by clicking on the 
icon and clicking More > Check Out. The file will now be locked for editing only you until you've decided to check-in.
A few things to note:
- You are able to save the file you're working on without the changes you've made being visible to other users. It is only when you check-in the document that changes are live.
- Once you've decided to check-in the document, the last change you made becomes public.
How do I check-in a document?
By clicking the 
icon again, and clicking More > Check in. You will now be greeted with a text box that asks you to write a comment regarding the changes you've made to the document, like this:
it is important to type comments here as this creates an ongoing historical record of the changes that were made to the document.
How do I view the version history?
First, highlight the file you wish to view. Now, click on the 
icon and click 
You'll now be able to see the complete version history of the document, as shown below. You can then choose to roll back to the version, remove versions etc. Note that although this is a very powerful tool its recommended you become familiar with the process before using on any important files!
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