How to Set Up a Guest User Account on Your Mac
The Guest User lets someone use your Mac temporarily without you creating a full account for them — and without exposing your files.
Why: A guest session is sandboxed: no password, no access to your data, and everything the guest does is wiped when they log out. It’s the safe way to hand your Mac to a visitor.
Fix 1: Turn on the Guest User
- Open Apple menu > System Settings, then click Users & Groups in the sidebar.
- Scroll down and click the info (i) button next to Guest User (enter your administrator password if prompted).
- Turn on Allow guests to log in to this computer.
- Click Done.
The Guest User now appears at the login screen. Anyone can click it and use the Mac without a password.
Fix 2: Set guest limits (optional)
While the Guest User settings are open, you can tighten things up:
- Limit adult websites — blocks known adult sites in the guest session. Changing this requires your administrator password.
- Allow guest users to connect to shared folders — off by default; leave it off unless you specifically want guests reaching shared folders over the network.
Fix 3: Understand what guests can’t do (and what gets deleted)
A guest session is deliberately limited:
- Guests can’t install software or make system-wide changes.
- Guests can’t see your account’s files.
- Any files a guest creates go into a temporary folder that is deleted automatically when they log out — so tell visitors to save anything they want to keep elsewhere (a USB drive or their own cloud account) before signing out.
FAQ
Why don’t I see a Guest User option? If your Mac uses FileVault, the guest can only open Safari (not a full desktop) — this is part of how Find My helps locate a lost Mac. Also make sure you’ve unlocked Users & Groups with an admin password.
Do guests need a password? No — that’s the point. They click Guest User at the login screen and go straight in.
Will turning on Guest User affect my account? No. Your account, files, and settings are untouched; the guest session is completely separate and temporary.