SharePoint 2013 is a collaborative platform with which several users
can store and share documents with other team members. It’s likely that
more than one user will attempt to open and edit a document at the same
time. SharePoint makes it possible for users to lock a document by
checking it out so that only one person can edit the document at a
time. Changes made to a document when it is checked out cannot be seen
by other users until it is checked back in.
Requiring users to check out documents prior to editing them can be
configured in the library settings. An optional comment can also be
added when the document is checked in, which can be viewed in the
document’s history.
Require document check out on a library
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On the ribbon of your document library, click the Library tab.
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In the Settings group, click Library Settings.
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On the Library Settings page, in the General Settings section, click Versioning Settings.
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In the Require Documents To Be Checked Out Before They Can Be Edited section, click the Yes option.
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Click OK.
Display the check out status in a document library
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On the Quick Launch bar or in Site Contents, select the document library with which you want to work.
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Click the menu drop-down icon (...) above the list headings.
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On the menu that appears, click Modify This View.
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On the Edit View page, select the Checked Out To check box.
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Click OK.
