Skip to content
  • PC & Mobile
    • Windows
    • Mac
    • Linux
    • Mobile
    • Android
    • iOS
    • Chrome OS
  • Hardware
    • PC Hardware
    • Product Review
    • Smart Home
  • Lifestyle
    • Internet
    • Gaming
    • Productivity
    • How Things Work
    • Glossary
    • News
  • Cheatsheets
  • Deals

Dark mode:

Home > Internet

3 Ways to Allow Guest Users on Google Chrome

Miguel Leiva-Gomez
Miguel Leiva-Gomez
Aug 30, 2013

Once in awhile, people who visit your house might need to use your computer’s browser for a bit. This gets especially annoying for two reasons: It feels a little invasive when people take control of your computer, and their browsing history and other details get mixed in with yours. Your guest might also have reservations about logging into a website, creating a session on your browser. If you’re using Chrome, there are a few ways around this – some that may take some effort, and others that are nearly effortless. Each method is ideal for its own uses. Let’s explore them!

1: Set Up a New User Account

This one’s practically a no-brainer. If you’re going to have another user, you might as well give them an account. Of course, this isn’t exactly the kind of effort you should put in for someone who’s just using your computer this one time. A new user account is ideal for when you have someone living with you who uses your computer regularly.

To add a new user, first go to Chrome’s settings, then scroll down to “Users.” Once you’re there, click on “Add new user.”

chromeguest-adduser

Once you’re in the dialog, you’ll get to name the user and even create a desktop shortcut for this person. This new user will have their own browsing history, cache, cookies, download history, and all the other goodies you have. Nothing says “I care about you enough to give you your own environment on my computer” like setting up a new Chrome just for that special someone.

2: Enter Kiosk Mode

Maybe you’re not intent of letting people use the rest of the computer. Instead, you’d like to restrict access only to the browser. Chrome includes a feature that allows you to do exactly this, displaying the browser in full screen. To start up Chrome in kiosk mode, right-click the shortcut you normally use to launch the application and click “Properties.” Once you’re in the dialog, add “--kiosk” to the end of the path within the “Target” field and click “OK.”

chromeguest-add-kiosk-to-shortcut

To add to this, you can also put a URL right after the “--kiosk” string. It will open Chrome with whatever URL you have there loaded. This is especially ideal for small businesses that give the public access to some of their computers.

Unfortunately, using kiosk mode doesn’t create a separate set of data. It’ll be using the browser’s cumulative history, cookies, and cache. To get around this, use what you learned in the first section (creating a new user) and modify the desktop shortcut for that user to start up in kiosk mode. Also, to exit Chrome, press “Alt+F4.”

3: Incognito Mode

You might already be aware of this, but I’m still going to talk about it: Chrome has a mode that doesn’t save any history, any cookies, or any other related data within the active window. Known as “incognito” mode, this allows you to quickly set up the browser for someone who doesn’t want to save any login sessions or history of what they were doing on your computer. Let’s say a friend comes to visit but he’s afraid to leave his Facebook account logged in after he’s done. Incognito mode is awesome for these situations.

To set up incognito mode, all you have to do is press “Ctrl+Shift+N” while Chrome is open. It will automatically open a new incognito window. To open Chrome in incognito mode, you need to pin its shortcut to your taskbar. This works only in Windows 7 and above. Right-click the pinned shortcut and click “New incognito window.”

You’ll know you’re in incognito mode when you see a shady looking guy on the top left-hand corner of the window, like this:

chromeguest-incognito

Happy Browsing!

Once you’ve figured out what you’re going to do, make sure you teach these techniques to your friends. It’s a sign of respect to give each person a unique private browsing experience as much as it is important to keep your own data private. Have a question about this? Post a comment!

Is this article useful?
Subscribe to our newsletter!

Our latest tutorials delivered straight to your inbox

  • Facebook
  • Tweet

Popular Posts

15 Safe Websites for Downloading Windows Software

How to Easily Download Streaming Video on Any Platform

The 11 Best Deep Web Search Engines to Find What Google Can't

How to Delete One Photo from a Carousel Post or Stories on Instagram

13 of the Best People Finder and Phone Number Lookup Websites

4 Things to Do Immediately if You Have Been Scammed

How to See a Password in Your Browser Instead of Dots

How to Use Facebook’s Restricted List to Maintain Your Privacy

What Is Reddiquette? 6 Things You Shouldn't Do on Reddit

5 of the Best Sites to Rate your Teachers Online

Affiliate Disclosure: Make Tech Easier may earn commission on products purchased through our links, which supports the work we do for our readers.

Read Next

How to Create Stories on TikTok
How to Easily Download Streaming Video on Any Platform
How to Secure Your Chromebook
15 Safe Websites for Downloading Windows Software
6 Things You Didn’t Know Telegram for PC Could Do
How to Efficiently Share or Send Google Docs via Email
How to Change Your Username and Nickname on Discord
How to View Blurred Text on Websites

© 2022 Uqnic Network Pte Ltd.
All rights reserved.

  • About
  • Contact
  • Advertise
  • Write For Us
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • RSS Feed Terms
Do not share my Personal Information.