How to let someone use your Mac safely with the Guest User

In short

Open System Settings, click Users & Groups and click the info button next to Guest User. Turn on Allow guests to log in to this computer, then click OK. An administrator must unlock the change.

3 of 6 steps show a real screenshot from our MacBook Neo.

Steps

1. 1

   Open System Settings

   Click the Apple menu and choose System Settings….

   Done
   
2. 2

   Click the info button next to Guest User

   Click Users & Groups in the sidebar. It is below Screen Time, the last row in the picture, so scroll down or type Users & Groups into the Search field at the top of the sidebar.

   Then click the small i at the right of the Guest User row. On our MacBook Neo, the Guest User row reads Off before guest access is turned on.

   Done
   
3. 3

   Turn on Allow guests to log in to this computer

   Click the switch. On our MacBook Neo, it was off. Apple says an administrator of the Mac can change these settings.

   The text under the switch warns that the guest account reduces the security of your Mac. It suggests FileVault 'to limit access to a Web Browser'.

   Done
   
4. 4

   Choose the extras and click OK

   Limit adult websites filters adult sites. Turn on Allow guest users to connect to shared folders only if the guest needs this Mac's shared folders from another computer.

   Click OK to save. On our MacBook Neo, both extras were off.

   Done
5. 5

   Switch to the guest

   Apple says to choose Apple menu, Log Out, then pick Guest User in the login window. Log Out is in the same Apple menu as in the step 1 picture, where the text after it is blurred.

   Done
6. 6

   When the guest is done

   Apple says that when the guest logs out, the Mac deletes the guest's files. Anything worth keeping must be saved elsewhere first, for example on a USB stick.

   Done

If you do not see this option

• You cannot find Users & Groups Apple says you may need to scroll down the sidebar. In our step 2 picture Screen Time is the last row in view, so scroll past it, or type Users & Groups into the Search field at the top of the sidebar. Sources: Change Guest User settings on Mac, How to log in automatically to a Mac user account
• You cannot select Guest User Apple says you can't select Guest User while a guest is logged in to the Mac. Sources: Change Guest User settings on Mac, How to log in automatically to a Mac user account
• The switch will not turn on Apple says you must be an administrator of the Mac to change Guest User settings. Sources: Change Guest User settings on Mac, How to log in automatically to a Mac user account

If this does not work

• The guest can only use Safari Apple says with FileVault on, a guest can use Safari but can't reach the encrypted disk or create files.
• You want to be sure a guest cannot log in from another computer Apple says guest users can't log in remotely when remote login is turned off in Sharing settings, so leave Remote Login off.
• The Mac starts straight into your account, so Guest User never shows Apple says that is automatic login. To use Guest User, choose Apple menu, Log Out, then pick Guest User in the login window. On our MacBook Neo, the Automatically log in as row on the Users & Groups page reads Off.
• The guest cannot change a setting Apple says guests can't change user or computer settings.

Good to know

With FileVault switched on, a guest can only use Safari and cannot reach the encrypted disk or create files. For a quick look at a website, that is all they need.

The guest account also helps to get a stolen Mac back. A finder who logs in as a guest and goes online with Safari lets the Mac report its position to Find My: how to turn on Find My Mac.

For someone who uses the Mac regularly, such as a family member, a normal account of their own is better: how to add a user account on a Mac.

What FileVault is: how to turn on FileVault on a Mac.

macOS 27 compared with macOS 26: We rewrote steps 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 to match the macOS 27 screens. The macOS 26 page keeps the steps and screenshots as they were.

Version history: the macOS 26 version of this guide, with its own screenshots.

About this guide

Device

Mac

Shown on

macOS 27.0.1 (MacBook Neo)

App

System Settings

Real screenshots

3 of 6 steps

Checked

October 2026

Sources

2 official, linked below

Sources

• Apple Support: Change Guest User settings on Mac
• Apple Support: How to log in automatically to a Mac user account

Links checked October 2026. Menus and features can change with updates.

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