Manage Files That Have No Checked-In Version

It is a fairly rare occurrence that a file will have no checked-in version, but the Manage Files Which Have No Checked In Version tool on the Document Library Settings page does come in handy is certain situations. This tool is not helpful if a user simply checks out a file and then forgets to check it back in because there will be a checked-in version that exists before the file is checked out.

Where this tool is handy is when documents are uploaded to the document library but required metadata is not entered. This can happen when the Open with Explorer button on the Library tab of the Ribbon is used and multiple documents are pasted into it, or the upload multiple documents tool is used from the Documents tab. Because many end users will want to save time, it can occur that the uploaded files will end up in a checked-out status, and the list administrator will need to access this link and add the required metadata to the items and then check them in.