Error message when you try to edit and save the Office HTML files from a SharePoint document library: "The file cannot be saved because it is not checked out. To make changes to this file, you must check it out."

Source: Microsoft Support

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A SharePoint document library is enabled with the "Require Check Out" option. Whenever we try to edit and save the Office html files from a SharePoint document library, we get the following error message.

The file cannot be saved because it is not checked out. To make changes to this file, you must check it out.

This error occurs only for the office html documents saved to this document library as "Web Page (*.htm; *.html)". This issue will not occur if a html document uploaded directly to this document library.

When you save a *.docx file as *.htm to a document library, it will create a resource folder and files then save all of this to the document library, these resource folder and files are not visible through the SharePoint UI.

This process looks like publishing a web page to the document library.

When you try to save the .htm file, it will try to update the resource files as well, since those files are not checked out, we will get this error message.

Workaround One

1. Edit the .docx file.
2. When you try to save the document as a web page, choose either one of the following file formats.
   • Single File Web Page (*.mht; *.mhtml)
   • WebPage, Filtered (*.htm; *.html)
     
     Do not use "Web Page (*.htm; *.html)"

Note This issue only occurs with the file format “Web Page (*.htm; *.html)”

Workaround Two

Note This workaround is for SharePoint 2007 only.

1. Configure "HTML Viewer".
2. Central Administration -> Application Management -> HTML Viewer.

Configure the document-to-Web page converters

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepointserver/HA101575371033.aspx (http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepointserver/HA101575371033.aspx)

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