Windows 10 no longer has the old built-in Guest account experience as a normal supported option. The safer approach is to create a separate Standard local account for visitors.
Steps
- Open Settings > Accounts > Family & other users.
- Choose Add someone else to this PC.
- If appropriate for an offline visitor account, choose the option indicating you do not have the person’s sign-in information, then Add a user without a Microsoft account.
- Create a neutral account name and a strong password if the account needs one.
- Select the new account > Change account type and confirm it is Standard, not Administrator.
How it works
A Standard account separates the guest’s profile/files/settings and prevents many system-wide changes without administrator approval. It is not the same as the obsolete special Guest account.
Important considerations
Windows 10 is unsupported. Do not enable hidden Guest-account hacks or grant visitors administrator rights. On a supported Windows version, use a separate Standard account and remove it when no longer needed.
Practical guidance
For a temporary visitor, avoid putting personal documents in Public/shared folders and sign out of your own account before handing over the PC. A Standard user cannot ordinarily read another user’s private profile files, but an administrator can. Remove the visitor account and its local data when access is no longer needed.
Additional details
Do not name the account `Guest` expecting Windows to recreate the old Guest security model; it is simply a normal local account name and can cause confusion. Give it a clear name such as Visitor and verify Standard membership. Keep the administrator password private rather than typing it for the visitor.
Kermit Matthews is a freelance writer based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with more than a decade of experience writing technology guides. He has a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Computer Science and has spent much of his professional career in IT management.
He specializes in writing content about iPhones, Android devices, Microsoft Office, and many other popular applications and devices.