# Understanding automatic check-in for SharePoint Online

The Muhimbi Document Converter for SharePoint Online behaves consistently, across all functionality provided, when it comes to automatically checking files in or out.

_A similar article, for the on-premise version of the Muhimbi Document Converter, can be found in [this Knowledge Base article](/guides/document-converter/sharepoint/knowledge-base/are-files-checked-in-out-after-conversion.md)._

There are 2 different scenarios, which - for good reasons - behave differently:

1. **GUI / REST API (Explicit Login):** Operations carried out via Muhimbi's user interface, as well as API access where user credentials are provided explicitly, are a bit more flexible as operations are carried out in the context of a real user.

2. **Workflows / REST API (Login via APP):** Operations carried out via SharePoint Designer Workflows (not MS-FLOW), and those carried out via our API (where authentication is carried out by the Muhimbi App), run in the context of the App User. As a result files cannot be left checked-out, as regular users cannot see files left checked out by an App.

A full overview can be found in the table below.

| Doclibs without explicit check-out / check-in      | GUI/ API (Explicit login) | Workflow / API (Login via App) |
| -------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------- | ------------------------------ |
| _Required metadata filled out_                     |                           |                                |
| File is new                                        | checked-in                | checked-in                     |
| Overwrite file that is not checked out             | checked-in                | checked-in                     |
| Overwrite file that is checked out by current user | checked-out error         |                                |
| Overwrite file that is checked out by other user   | error                     | error                          |
|                                                    |                           |                                |
| _Required metadata is missing_                     |                           |                                |
| File is new                                        | checked-in                | checked-in                     |
| Overwrite file that is not checked out             | checked-in                | checked-in                     |
| Overwrite file that is checked out by current user | checked-out               | error                          |
| Overwrite file that is checked out by other user   | error                     | error                          |

| **Doclibs requiring explicit check-out / check-in** |             |            |
| --------------------------------------------------- | ----------- | ---------- |
| _Required metadata filled out_                      |             |            |
| File is new                                         | checked-in  | checked-in |
| Overwrite file that is not checked out              | checked-in  | checked-in |
| Overwrite file that is checked out by current user  | checked-out | error      |
| Overwrite file that is checked out by other user    | error       | error      |
| _Required metadata is missing_                      |             |            |
| File is new                                         | checked-out | error      |
| Overwrite file that is not checked out              | checked-out | error      |
| Overwrite file that is checked out by current user  | checked-out | error      |
| Overwrite file that is checked out by other user    | error       | error      |

If you wish to apply different criteria to _check-out_ and _check-in_ operations then we recommend creating a simple workflow that evaluates the status of the file and based on the outcome checks it in our out.

---

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