SharePoint Document Issues

How to Prevent Co-Authoring in SharePoint DOCX Files

Tauseeq Magsi Sep 28, 2026 869 views

Question details

Organizations need a method to prevent simultaneous editing (co-authoring) in DOCX files accessed via File Explorer in SharePoint without using DOCM files or online check-out.

How to Prevent Co-Authoring in SharePoint DOCX Files

Product: Microsoft SharePoint
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Editing organizational DOCX files stored on SharePoint directly through Windows File Explorer.
Observed behavior: SharePoint natively enables real-time co-authoring for DOCX files, which allows simultaneous edits that the organization wants to restrict without utilizing the standard check-in/check-out system.

Before you start

Verify with your SharePoint Administrator whether document library settings can be adjusted, as forcing single-user editing overrides default Microsoft 365 collaboration behaviors.

Solution 1Recommended

Use Alternative File Formats or Enforce Check-Out

Since SharePoint does not provide a standard toggle to disable DOCX co-authoring without check-out, you must adjust library settings or rely on alternative formats.

Microsoft designed SharePoint and OneDrive to automatically enable co-authoring for modern Office files (DOCX, XLSX, PPTX). Currently, there is no supported native setting to turn off co-authoring for a specific DOCX file while bypassing the check-out requirement.

Enforce Library Check-Out

Navigate to your SharePoint Document Library Settings. Under 'Versioning settings', select 'Yes' for 'Require documents to be checked out before they can be edited'. This enforces a strict single-user lock, though it applies library-wide.

Use Legacy Formats

If modifying library settings is not an option, save the file as an older .doc format. SharePoint does not support real-time co-authoring for legacy .doc files, inherently restricting simultaneous edits.

Review Unsupported Scenarios

Consult Microsoft's official co-authoring troubleshooting guidance. Inserting certain unsupported objects (like specific ActiveX controls) into the document can intentionally disable co-authoring for that file.

Submit Feedback to Microsoft

Because this is a known limitation, you can submit a feature request through the Microsoft SharePoint Feedback Community to advocate for a native DOCX co-authoring toggle.

Use Alternative File Formats or Enforce Check-Out

Feature Limitation: Bypassing SharePoint's co-authoring design using unsupported elements may lead to sync conflicts or file locking errors in File Explorer.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can I disable co-authoring for a specific DOCX file without affecting the whole SharePoint library?

Natively, no. SharePoint does not offer a per-file toggle to disable co-authoring for DOCX files. You must either use check-out, change the file extension (e.g., to DOCM or DOC), or intentionally insert an unsupported object to break the co-authoring feature.

Why does saving a file as a .doc format prevent co-authoring?

Real-time co-authoring is a modern feature that relies on the Office Open XML structure (which uses the 'x' at the end of the extension, like DOCX). Older .doc files use a legacy binary format that SharePoint cannot parse for simultaneous edits, thus restricting it to one user at a time.

Does syncing the library via OneDrive change how co-authoring works?

No. When you open a synced DOCX file via File Explorer, the OneDrive sync client still connects to the SharePoint server and initiates a live co-authoring session in the desktop app, provided you are logged in with your Microsoft 365 account.

Document & File Issues