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I've created a SharePoint library for the company where I work, and everything works fine. However, we've recently identified a problem.

The issue arises when someone attempts to save a document directly from the document itself using the "save as" button. In such cases, you are required to check in the document. Once you select the appropriate folder within SharePoint to save it, an error message is triggered: "We can't do that for you because the file is no longer checked out or has been deleted." When attempting to check it in from the library itself, another error occurs: "You must fill out all required properties before checking in this document."

I am aware that there is a column in the SharePoint library that demands information that needs to be manually chosen, and this may be related to the problem. The peculiar aspect is that checking in a document is only necessary when saving it directly from inside the document using the "save as" button.

Side note: I've already disabled the setting "Require documents to be checked out before they can be edited."

Is there a way to solve this or even completely disable the need to check in or check out documents?

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2 Answers 2

Reset to default
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The moment you have required properties, the checkin mechanism will start to kick in.

You can upload a document but if the required property is not filled-in, it will be uploaded as a checkedout draft until you fill-in the missing details and check in the document.

Some workarounds include

- make the required property(ies) optional

this is usually the easiest way because you avoid the whole checkin/checkout requirement completely. users can upload documents via drag-and-drop or other methods and documents are immediately checked in because nothing is required

- default column value

if you have required properties and you don't want to make them optional, you can setup a default value for each of your required properties/columns. that way, whenever someone uploads a new document, it will be assigned a default property value, which makes the document eligible for checkin.

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the fact that this problem appears when you "save as" is simply an indication that you are creating a brand new document, which is bound to the content type requirements

in general, as long as all the required properties are filled-in, the system should attempt to check in automatically (e.g. drag-and-drop with a required column set to a default value). if they are not filled-in, checkin will fail and you will be asked to fill the missing details.

another aspect you should check is why an existing document (supposedly with the required properties filled-in) cannot be uploaded as a new document? are the required properties different from one library to the other? because a property stored in a document should travel with a copy of the document to another library... for example, if the original document has a property "company" set to "contoso" and you save a copy, it shouldn't complain that the copy is missing the company value...

in short, I suggest to check exactly what property is "complaining" and if it's filled-in in the original document. this can potentially reveal issues with content types and columns. if you want to jump straight into a "no check in" experience and avoid all related issues, then convert your required properties to optional

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  • Thank you for your response! The thing is, when I upload a document from my desktop for instance, there is no problem at all. I only have to fill in the required colomn after uploading but I dont have to check in the document. This appears only to be happening when I use the "save as" option. Commented Nov 22, 2023 at 12:22
  • "I only have to fill in the required colomn after uploading" --> this is the system checking in for you because you filled the property. in some cases (for example drag and drop, and potentially 'save as') there is no opportunity to fill in the details (during upload time) so the documents goes straight to check out. different upload methods will result in different behaviour. the only way to get rid of the error on all the various upload methods is to not have required properties or have a default, so that when no value is provided, the default is taken Commented Nov 22, 2023 at 13:44
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Tiago has already provided a good answer, I would just add to it by saying you might have required columns, perhaps hidden from view, which are required (i.e. may not be left blank).

To check this go to> Document Library Settings and look for any Required columns - to change it from being required, click on it to go to the Edit Column page.

screenshot of Columns visible in Document Library Settings - one of which is a Required field

Screenshot of column settings

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