How to Disable the Guest User Account in Mountain Lion

Have you ever noticed a Guest User account on your Mac’s login screen? You may have noticed it if you ever logged out of your user account or if your Mac was locked. That account is not an actual user account, instead it’s there as a safety precaution in case you ever lose your Mac; it’s used in conjunction with “Find My Mac.”

If you log into this default Guest User account, you’ll notice that the Mac will restart to a secured version of Safari only; the account will also have access to the Internet. In case you ever lose your Mac and the person that finds it is a good Samaritan, this Guest User account will allow them to get online. This way, you’ll be able to find your Mac without giving them access to your files and folders (unless shared) or applications.

For this reason, I suggest that you keep this default Guest User account so that you can find your Mac if it’s ever lost or stolen. Unless the culprit happens to get into your personal account and goes online or you have another unlocked user account, you’re going to have a tough time finding your computer.

However, if you are still adamant about removing that Guest User account, here’s how to do so.

Disable Guest User in Mountain Lion

1. First you’ll need to go to System Preferences from the Apple menu.

2. Click on “Users & Groups”, under the “System” section of the System Preferences window.

3. From here, click on the lock at the bottom left of the screen and type in your user account password. This will allow you to make changes on this screen.

4. Click on the “Guest User” account under “Other Users” in the left column.

5. You’ll notice three options here: allow guest to log in, enable parental controls, and allow guests to connect to shared folders. Uncheck all options to disable the Guest User account.

Note: When you uncheck “allow guests to log in to this computer” it will automatically grey out the “enable parental controls” option, so there will be no need to uncheck it.

6. That account will be disabled and you will no longer see it on your login screen when your Mac is locked or when you log out.

Do You Have a Guest User?

As you can see, it’s really easy to enable and disable the Guest User account whenever you like. Just a few clicks here and there and it will be out of your way. However, I want to reiterate that it’s not really safe to disable this account. It’s a security measure that could really save your life.

As you’re already aware, Mac computers are extremely expensive and I’m sure that you can’t afford to lose it – I know that I can’t. If you’re ok with this, then go ahead and disable it.

Have you disabled the Guest User account on your Mac? If so, why have you decided to do so? If not, do you plan on doing it now? Were you aware of the Guest User account and the reason for it?

Feel free to share in the comments.

Charnita Fance

Charnita has been a Freelance Writer & Professional Blogger since 2008. As an early adopter she loves trying out new apps and services. As a Windows, Mac, Linux and iOS user, she has a great love for bleeding edge technology. You can connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and LinkedIn.