When it comes to sharing your Windows 10 PC with friends or family, creating a guest account is kinda handy — it allows them to use your machine without poking around your personal stuff. But sometimes, despite following the usual steps, things don’t go smoothly. Maybe the account doesn’t show up correctly, or it feels like the permissions aren’t quite right. Honestly, Windows can be a bit quirky about this, especially since they’ve phased out the old “Guest” account in newer versions. So, this guide is about what actually works (at least how I got it working) and some tips on making a proper limited account that guests can use safely, without knocking over your files.
How to Create a Guest-like Account in Windows 10
Getting started: why bother? Because of course, Windows kind of made it more complicated to do an old-school guest account. If you just want someone to log in and browse without screwing around with your files, setting up a local account with limited permissions is the way to go. Expect a lightweight, safer guest experience—without the fancy “guest mode” that Windows technically doesn’t support anymore. This works on Windows 10 and 11 pretty much the same.
Method 1: Using Settings & Local Users
- Open Settings by pressing Windows + I.
- Navigate to Accounts > Family & other users.
- Click on Add someone else to this PC.
- Choose “I don’t have this person’s sign-in info, ” then “Add a user without a Microsoft account.”
- Type a username like “Guest” or whatever you want — no need for an email here.
- Leave the password blank if you prefer no password, but honestly, it’s smarter to set a simple password for extra security.
- Once that’s done, go back to Manage other users.
- Click on the new account, then select Change account type.
- Switch it to Standard User — this limits what it can do, which is perfect for a guest.
If you want to be extra thorough, you can also tweak local security policies or use the netplwiz command to tweak accounts further, but honestly, this setup should work on a default Windows 10 install. Just remember, it’s not the same as the old Guest account, but it gets the job done for casual visitors.
Why this works & when to use it
This approach locks down the guest to basic permissions, so they can’t change system settings or access your main files. It’s good for quick visits, small kids, or anyone who needs a limited environment. Just don’t expect the same features from the classic Guest account — Windows moved away from that for security and policy reasons.
Method 2: Creating a dedicated Standard User via Command Line
- Open PowerShell as administrator (Windows + X > Windows PowerShell (Admin)).
- Type this command to create a new user (replace “guestuser” and “password” as you see fit):
New-LocalUser "guestuser" -Password (ConvertTo-SecureString "password" -AsPlainText -Force) -FullName "Guest User" -Description "Limited access guest account"Add-LocalGroupMember -Group "Users" -Member "guestuser"This method is faster if you’re comfortable with command line. It’s kind of weird, but it works really well if you want a consistent setup. Just keep in mind, on some setups, you might need to tweak permissions or disable account lockout policies.
Additional Tips & Tweaks
- Once the account is created, consider setting specific restrictions via Local Group Policy Editor (gpedit.msc) for things like internet access or app restrictions.
- If you’re worried about someone snooping around, disable the account when not in use by going into Settings > Accounts > Family & other users and turning it off.
- On some setups, the guest account might still seem weird or not show up in the login screen until you log out and back in. It’s kinda weird, but it’s Windows.
Well, that’s about it. Honestly, creating a guest experience in Windows 10 isn’t as simple as it used to be, but with these methods, you should be able to pull off a decent, limited account for your visitors. Just remember, because of how Windows configured things post-Windows 8/10, your best bet is to create a standard user and maybe put some restrictions on apps or internet if needed.
Summary
- Use Settings > Accounts to add a new local user.
- Set the new account as Standard User to limit permissions.
- Optionally, use PowerShell to create and configure a user quickly.
- Disable the account when not used, for extra security.
- Adjust restrictions via Local Group Policy if needed.
Wrap-up
This whole process isn’t as straightforward as the old “Guest” account, but honestly, a standard user with limited permissions works fine in most cases. It’s kind of a pain that Windows moved away from the original guest account, but with a little fuss, you can still set up a pretty safe environment for the occasional visitor. On one machine it might be super easy, on another, a little tinkering is needed. Anyway, just hope this gets you in the right direction without too much hassle. Fingers crossed this helps someone save a few headaches — works for me, at least.