How to set up a secure guest account on a Windows computer

Sometimes you have to lend your computer to someone, or share your Windows device with others. In that case, creating and using a guest account is the optimal solution. The guest account user will still have his or her own space without accessing or affecting the personal content of the device owner.

What is a “Guest Account” in Windows 11?

Guest accounts on Windows have changed a lot over the years. Windows 7 and Windows 8 allow you to easily create dedicated “Guest” accounts. These accounts have limited access to your computer. For example, guest accounts cannot install software or change system settings.

Starting with Windows 10, Microsoft has hidden the guest account feature. To be more precise, Microsoft still reserves the name "Guest" for the guest account, but basically users will not be able to create the same type of guest account as in Windows 7 and Windows 8.

In other words, a secure guest account on Windows is a separate user profile that allows others to access the basic functions of the computer. This profile restricts access to personal files, settings, and important areas of the operating system. This makes it easy and convenient for you to hand over your computer to others while still ensuring peace of mind that your privacy and security of the device are not compromised.

Guest accounts have the following limitations:

• Restricted access to system files and folders.
• Cannot access other users' files and folders on the computer.
• Unable to install and uninstall applications and programs.
• Changes made will be discarded immediately upon logout.

How to set up a secure guest account on Windows

You can create a secure guest account in two steps. First, you create a standard user account and name it Guest User. Second, you need to add it to the Guest group, which automatically imposes restrictions on the account.

Create guest user account

It should be noted that before the restrictions are imposed, the Guest account will have all the privileges of the Standard User account when we create the account. That means this account will be able to perform certain actions, such as installing and uninstalling software, or adjusting system settings. However, this account will not have access to the files, folders, applications, and settings of other accounts on the computer.

To create a guest account on Windows, press Win+i to open the Settings app . Then, go to Accounts > Other Users and click the " Add Account " button.

Next, click the " I Don't Have This Person's Login Information " link in the pop-up window. Then, click the " Add a User Without a Microsoft Account " link.

In the " Who's Going to Use This PC " dialog box, enter Guest User, leave the password field blank and click the " Next " button.

Add guest account to guest group

You will need to access the Computer Management console to add the guest account to the Guest group. However, keep in mind that this tool is not available in Windows Home editions. Only Windows Pro, Education, and Enterprise editions have it.

After confirming you have access to Computer Management, press Win + R to open the Run dialog box. Type the Windows Run command compmgmt.msc into the dialog box and press the " OK " button.

In the Computer Management console, go to Computer Management > System Tools > Local Users and Groups > Groups and double-click the " Guests " group.

In the Properties window of the Guests group , click the " Add " button.

In the Select User window , enter Guest User in the text box and click the " Check Names " button. After verifying the existence of the account, click the " OK " button.

Finally, click " Apply " and then click " OK " to save the changes and add the guest account to the Guest group.

That's it, you've successfully created a secure guest account. Now, anyone using this account will be strictly restricted and will not be able to make any changes that could compromise your computer's privacy and security.