Remove a published document from the backward-compatible document library

Occasionally, you may need to remove a published document from public view. There is no unpublish command available, but you can remove a document from public view while keeping a version of the original document in the backward-compatible document library. To do this, you create a copy of the document in another location, and then delete the original. This removes the published document from the document library and public view. Next, place the copy that you made of the document in the original folder. Microsoft Office SharePoint Portal Server 2003 treats this document as a new, unpublished document. All prior version history is lost. SharePoint Portal Server removes the "published" status from the document, but makes an unpublished copy available for private view.

Note  To change a portion of the content of a published document, you can check the document out, make the necessary changes, and then republish it. Note that, in this case, the original published copy of the document remains available for searching and viewing on the document library in the portal site until the newer version of the document is approved (if appropriate) and published.

Remove a published document from public view

1. From the network place for the backward-compatible document library, locate the document that you want to remove from public view.
2. Right-click the document, and then click Copy.
3. Locate a folder where you can temporarily store a copy of the document. Right-click that folder, and then click Paste.

   Verify that the document is copied to the folder. If you copied the document to an enhanced folder, its document status is checked out.

4. Right-click the original, published document in the original folder, and then click Delete.
5. Click Yes.
6. Locate the copy of the document that was made in step 3 of this procedure. Right-click the document, and then click Cut.
7. Right-click the document's original folder, and then click Paste.

   Verify that the document is copied to the folder. Its status is checked out.

You can continue to work with the document now, or check it in to make it available for other folder users to work with. The published version of the document is removed from the document library and portal users can no longer search for or view it. If you want portal users to be able to view the document, you must publish it again.

Related Topics

Publish documents in the backward-compatible document library

About the approval process in the backward-compatible document library

About document management and publishing