How to Force Check-In Checked-Out SharePoint Documents

Forced SharePoint Check-In

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During a migration processing run, documents checked out by users cannot be modified by ReplaceMagic. The Enforce Check-In feature forces those documents to be checked in first — enabling ReplaceMagic to process them without manual intervention from the user who has them locked.

In some case you might have some documents that are in checked-out state. This means that no other users can make changes in those documents. SharePoint allows users belonging to Site Admin group to do force check-in and ReplaceMagic, if user has correct role, can do that for you. Important is that once when we check-in document this document will be again available for all users. Of course, if some user is currently working on document and we force check-in he/she might lose changes so be careful with this setting.

To enable ReplaceMagic to do force check-in go to configuration of SharePoint parameters for ReplaceMagic. Configuration can be found under Configuration button which is in main ReplaceMagic form:



When Configuration form is opened go to SharePoint Configuration tab:



SharePoint Check-in/Check-out setting is controlled over parameter "Enforce check-in?". By setting this parameter ReplaceMagic will forcefully check-in checked-out documents.

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Main drivers for ReplaceMagic (beside to fix your documents) were:

The Problem: Documents Checked Out During a Migration Run

During a migration processing run, some documents may be checked out by users who are currently editing them. ReplaceMagic cannot modify a checked-out document — it will be reported in the Additional Info tab as skipped. In a large organisation this can mean dozens or hundreds of files are left unrepaired, requiring a follow-up run or manual intervention.

Solution: Enforce Check-In

The "Enforce check-in" setting in Configuration → SharePoint tab instructs ReplaceMagic to force any checked-out document to be checked in before processing it. This ensures that the full document library is processed in a single run, with no files skipped due to checkout locks.

Risk and Recommendations

Forcing a check-in discards any unsaved changes the user was making at the time. This is a significant risk if users are actively editing documents during the migration fix run. To mitigate this:

• Communicate to all users in advance that a migration run is planned and ask them to check in their documents before it begins
• Schedule the run outside business hours when fewer users are likely to have files checked out
• For critical or large-scale migrations, consider using the OnCall support option to run the job over a weekend with expert assistance on hand

How to Identify Who Has Documents Checked Out

In the scan results, any document that was skipped due to a checkout lock shows the username of the person who has the file checked out in the Additional Info column. You can use this information to contact those users directly and ask them to release the file before you retry the run.

Alternative: Import Skipped Files

If you prefer not to use forced check-in, use the "Import Skipped Files" option in the Additional Info tab to create a targeted retry list. After users have released their checked-out files you can reload this list and process only the previously skipped documents — without having to rescan the entire library.

Configuration

Open Configuration → SharePoint tab → "Enforce check-in" and enable the toggle. This setting works independently of the regular check-in / check-out setting and applies only to documents that are already checked out by another user at the time ReplaceMagic attempts to process them.

In case of any questions please do not hesitate to contact us.