# Check a document out and back in

Take exclusive editing rights on a document, work on it, and return it as a new version — plus how to back out with Undo Check Out and what to do when someone else holds the lock.

Product: content-central · Versions: 7.x · Audience: user · Time: 10 minutes · Last verified: 2026-09-05

Canonical: https://help.ademero.com/content-central/documents/check-out-and-check-in

**At the end of this guide you'll know how to lock a document so only you can change it, return your edited file as a new version, and undo a checkout cleanly — including the etiquette for a lock someone else is holding.**

Check-out is exclusive editing: while you hold it, colleagues can still *view* the document, but nobody else can change it. That's the point — no two people editing the same file over each other.

## Step 1: Check the document out

1. Find the document (search, Folder Browser, or a queue) and open its **⋯** actions menu.

2. Under **Make Changes**, click **Check Out**.

*[Screenshot: Check Out lives in the Make Changes group; the same menu follows the document everywhere it appears.]*

**What you should see:** the document's **Status** column now shows an orange **Checked Out** badge, and the document appears in your list under **Work Areas** > **Checked Out**.

> **NOTE:** If Check Out is refused on a document that's on an approval process, that's a system policy, not an error — by default, documents under approval can't be checked out. Your administrator controls it with the setting **Allow documents to be checked out while on an approval process**.

## Step 2: Get the file and do your work

Checking out doesn't hand you the file by itself — use **Download** from the same actions menu to save a copy, edit it in the application of your choice, and keep it somewhere you'll find it for step 3.

Everything you've checked out lives in one place: **Work Areas** > **Checked Out**, with the date you took each lock.

*[Screenshot: Every document you hold, with its Checked Out date. The row's actions include Check In when you're ready.]*

> **NOTE:** While a document is checked out, its field values are locked too, unless your administrator enabled **Allow document properties to be modified when documents are checked out**.

## Step 3: Check it back in

1. On the **Checked Out** page (or the document's **⋯** menu under **Checked Out**), click **Check In**.

2. In the **Check In Document** dialog, click **Select file**, choose your edited file, and click **Check In**.

**Success check:** "Document checked in successfully!" — the lock releases, and your file is now the document's newest **major version**. The old version isn't gone: the document's **View History** shows the Checked Out and Checked In entries, and earlier versions remain in its revision history.

## Backing out: Undo Check Out

Took the lock and changed your mind? **Undo Check Out** (same menus) releases the lock **without** creating a version.

*[Screenshot: Read it literally: any edits you made to your downloaded copy will not enter Content Central. Check in instead if you want to keep them.]*

## When someone else holds the lock

- Hover the **Checked Out** badge to see who has it — then ask them to check in or undo.
- Administrators (and document-type admins) can force it: choosing **Undo Check Out** on someone else's lock asks for confirmation and **notifies that person**. Use it for departures and vacations, not impatience — their unsaved work is lost.

If a document seems stuck in a locked state and nobody admits to holding it, [Find out what's locking a file](/content-central/administration/find-out-whats-locking-a-file) digs deeper.

## What's next

- [Change a document's type, catalog, or fields after filing](https://help.ademero.com/content-central/documents/change-a-document-after-filing)
- [Find out what's locking a file](https://help.ademero.com/content-central/administration/find-out-whats-locking-a-file)