How to set up a guest account to safely share a Windows 11 PC
You can still create a restricted guest account to share the device with other people, and in this guide, we’ll show you how on Windows 11.
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In older versions of Windows, a “Guest” account allowed users to create a super locked-down environment to safely share a computer with other people to run apps and access the internet, but this special account is no longer available on Windows 11 (orWindows 10).
However, it’s still possible to create a limited account onWindows 11with the same characteristics of a “Guest” account using the Settings app, Computer Management, Command Prompt, and even PowerShell commands.
In this Windows 11 guide, we will walk you through the steps to create a temporary guest account on your computer.
How to create a guest account using Settings
To create a guest account on Windows 11, use these steps:
Once you complete the steps, a restricted standard account will be created to share the computer with your house guests. The last thing left to do is sign out and sign in with the newly created account.
Although you can always share a computer with a standard account, you can go a step further and add the new account to the “Guest” group to make it more restrictive. However, since it’s impossible to change user groups from within the Settings app, you need to use the Computer Management app or Command Prompt.
Add account to the Guest user group
To add a Windows 11 account to the Guest group with Computer Management, use these steps:
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After you complete the steps, the account will belong to the Guests (more restrictive) system group.
How to create a guest account using Computer Management
To set up a guest account through Computer Management, use these steps:
After you complete the steps, the restricted local account will be created to share the computer with other people.
How to create a guest account using Command Prompt
To configure a temporary guest account through Command Prompt, use these steps:
Once you complete the steps, the account will appear on the sign-in screen for anyone to use with the assigned password.
How to create a guest account using PowerShell
To create a guest account with PowerShell commands on Windows 11, use these steps:
After you complete the steps, PowerShell will create the guest account to share the device with other people.
These steps are meant to set up an account to temporarily share a device with visitors. If you want to share a device more permanently, it’s recommended to create astandard accountfor each user with a Microsoft account or offline account.
More Windows resources
For more helpful articles, coverage, and answers to common questions about Windows 10 and Windows 11, visit the following resources:
Mauro Huculak has been a Windows How-To Expert contributor for WindowsCentral.com for nearly a decade and has over 15 years of experience writing comprehensive guides. He also has an IT background and has achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft, Cisco, VMware, and CompTIA. He has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years.
