If you share your Mac with someone else on a regular basis, then you’ll typically want to create an account for that person. This gives them the freedom to customize their settings and preferences, and gives you more privacy and security, compared to both of you sharing the same account.
But what if someone only requires temporary access to your Mac? Or only needs to use it from time to time? For example maybe a family member has a computer of their own, but it’s an older model and they only occasionally require access to apps and features that are only available on your shiny new computer.
In scenarios where creating a dedicated user account feels like overkill, you can use macOS’ guest account feature.
Letting someone access your Mac via a guest account means you don’t have to go to the trouble of creating a new account. And since a guest account isn’t password-protected, that person won’t find themselves struggling to remember a password that they may go weeks, possibly even months between using.
You can also customize your Mac’s guest account by placing restrictions on the tasks that a guest can perform, right down to the specific applications they can launch, the websites they can visit, and the settings they can modify.
Even if you don’t share your Mac with another user, you may still want to setup a guest account so that you’re prepared for scenarios where a friend, family or co-worker unexpectedly needs to borrow your Mac. You’re going to feel a lot more comfortable letting someone use your computer, if you already have a guest account setup with all the necessary restrictions in place.
Create a guest account
- Select ‘Apple’ from your Mac’s toolbar, followed by ‘System preferences…’
- Select ‘Users & Groups.’
- Click the little padlock icon in the bottom-left corner, and enter your username and password when prompted.
- Make sure the ‘Automatic login’ dropdown is set to ‘Off.’
- Select ‘Guest user’ from the left-hand menu.
- Select the ‘Allow guests to log in to this computer’ checkbox.
You can then add some restrictions to this guest account, by selecting the ‘Enable parental controls’ checkbox and clicking the accompanying ‘Open Parental Controls’ button.
Make sure that ‘Guest user’ is selected in the left-hand menu, and you’ll have access to the following tabs:
- Apps. The ‘Apps’ tab contains a number of options that are geared towards helping keep children safe online, such as restricting access to your Mac’s built-in camera. However you can also use this section to specify the applications that a guest user can access, for example you may want to prevent guests from accessing the App Store, or using system utilities such as the Terminal. Select ‘Limit applications on this Mac,’ then open the ‘Other Apps’ and ‘Utilities’ sections and select which items guests should, and shouldn’t be able to access.
- Web. This is where you’ll find checkboxes that you can use to restrict access to adult websites. If you have a specific website that you don’t want guests to be able to visit on your Mac, then click the ‘Customize…’ button and enter the website’s URL.
- Stores. Here, you can prevent the user from accessing the iTunes and iBooks stores, and also block them from using your Mac to purchase movies, TV shows, apps or music featuring explicit or adult content.
- Time. In this section you can limit the days of the week and the times when a guest account can be accessed, and place a limit on the total number of hours this guest account can be used, on any given day.
- Privacy. By default, guests will be able to modify the contents of system applications such as Contacts, Calendars and Reminders. You can prevent guests from accessing and editing this information, by deselecting the various ‘Privacy’ checkboxes.
- Other. Many of the settings in this tab are geared towards protecting younger users, but it does contain a few options that you may want to use for guest accounts, including preventing guests from being able to modify your Dock.
Disabling the Guest Account
Since guest accounts give people a way to access your Mac without having to enter a password, you may want to disable this feature from time to time, for example if you suspect that someone is using your Mac without your permission.
To disable a guest account:
- Navigate to ‘System preferences > Users & Groups.’
- Click the padlock icon and enter your admin details.
- Select ‘Guest user’ from the left-hand menu.
- Deselect the ‘Allow guest to log in to this computer’ checkbox.
Enable Fast User Switching Menu
If the person you’re sharing your Mac with needs to use their guest account at multiple time throughout the day, then you may find yourself regularly switching between your Mac’s guest account and your own user account. If this is the case, then you can make your life easier by enabling ‘Fast User Switching.’ This adds an icon to your Mac’s toolbar that, when clicked, displays a dropdown containing all the user accounts registered on your Mac.
If you select the guest account from this dropdown, then your Mac will immediately switch to this account, without closing any of the apps or programs you’re currently running. Then, as soon as the guest hands your Mac back to you, simply select your account from the dropdown menu, enter your password, and you’ll be back in your normal account, which will be in exactly the same state you left it.
To add the fast switching menu:
- Navigate to ‘System preferences > Users & Groups.’
- Select ‘Login options.’
- Select the ‘Show fast user switching menu as’ checkbox, then open the accompanying dropdown and select either ‘Account Name’ or ‘Icon.’
It is a useful feature – for guests. But I do wish I could update the picture. I can find the default icon in the depths of the System Library, but it won’t let me change it. Any idea how? (First World Problems…)