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For a one-off guest session, open Chrome’s profile menu in the upper-right corner and choose Guest profile. Chrome opens a separate guest window; close that window when finished, or choose Close guest from the profile menu. Chrome says the guest session’s browsing history, cookies and site data are deleted when it ends.
If you need every user on a managed computer to use Guest mode, the supported control is the enterprise policy BrowserGuestModeEnforced. Set it to enabled to enforce guest sessions and prevent profile logins. To remove Guest mode instead, set BrowserGuestModeEnabled to false.
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What “force Guest mode” means in Chrome
Chrome has two different tasks that are often described as forcing Guest mode:
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- Start a guest session yourself: use the profile menu and select Guest profile. This is a normal desktop action and does not change Chrome for anyone else.
- Require guest sessions on managed devices: an administrator applies Chrome’s
BrowserGuestModeEnforcedpolicy. When enabled, Chrome enforces guest sessions and prevents profile logins.
There is no ordinary Chrome preference in the supplied desktop instructions that makes a personal, unmanaged installation permanently open as Guest for every launch. The always-guest behavior is an administrative policy decision. If you administer the device, deploy the policy through your organization’s Chrome management system; the exact console or operating-system deployment path depends on how that installation is managed.
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Guest mode is designed for lending or borrowing a computer. It starts a session separate from the owner’s profiles and removes the session’s local browsing history, cookies and site data when the guest window is closed. It is not an anonymity service: websites, signed-in services, employers or schools, network operators, internet service providers and search engines can still observe activity in the ways available to them.
Open and close Guest mode on a desktop
Start Guest mode
- Open Google Chrome.
- Select the profile button in the upper-right corner of the browser window. The button may show a profile picture, initials or a generic person icon.
- Choose Guest profile.
- Use the new guest window for the person borrowing the computer. The owner’s open windows and profile data remain in their own profile.
Guest mode is a separate session, not a second tab inside the owner’s profile. That separation is why the guest’s pages do not appear in the owner profile’s normal history.
End Guest mode
On Windows and Linux, select the window’s Close button in the upper-right corner. On macOS, select the Close button in the upper-left corner. You can also open the guest window’s profile menu and choose Close guest.
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Force guest-only sessions on managed Chrome installations
Use this approach when a school, business or other administrator must prevent people from opening an existing Chrome profile. Chrome’s policy documentation defines two separate controls.
| Policy | Setting | Effect |
|---|---|---|
BrowserGuestModeEnforced |
Enabled | Chrome enforces guest sessions and prevents profile logins. |
BrowserGuestModeEnabled |
False | Chrome does not allow guest profiles to be started. |
BrowserSignin |
Forced browser sign-in | Requires users to sign in to a browser profile; Chromium notes that forced browser sign-in disables the default guest-mode behavior. |
Apply an always-guest policy
- Confirm that the Chrome installation is managed by your organization. Consumer Chrome settings do not provide the same enforcement controls.
- In the management system used for that installation, locate the Chrome policy named
BrowserGuestModeEnforced. - Set the policy to enabled and deploy it to the target devices or users.
- Have Chrome refresh its policies or restart it according to your organization’s normal management process.
- Verify the result on a test device. A user should be able to start a guest session, while attempts to use a signed-in Chrome profile are blocked.
The policy name and value are the important parts; the administrative interface used to deliver them varies by operating system and management product. Do not substitute BrowserGuestModeEnabled=false for enforcement: that value blocks Guest mode rather than requiring it.
Remove Guest mode instead
If the goal is to stop people from using Guest mode, set BrowserGuestModeEnabled to false. Chromium’s policy description is explicit: “If this policy is set to false, Google Chrome will not allow guest profiles to be started.” After the policy is deployed and Chrome refreshes its settings, the Guest profile option should no longer be available to users covered by the policy.
Use forced browser sign-in only when that is the real requirement
BrowserSignin addresses a different security model. Forced browser sign-in requires a user profile sign-in; it is not a guest-only setting. Chromium notes that forced browser sign-in causes the default guest-mode behavior to be disabled. Choose it when users must work in authenticated, managed profiles, not when you want an unprofiled lending session.
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Why Guest profile may be missing
The device is a Chromebook
Google’s desktop Guest-mode procedure is unavailable on Chromebooks. Chromebook sign-in and guest access are governed by ChromeOS’s own account and device controls, so the desktop profile-menu steps above do not apply to a Chromebook.
A supervised-user condition is active
Google also says Guest mode is unavailable when a supervised user is on the computer and all non-supervised profiles are locked. Unlocking an eligible non-supervised profile or changing the supervision arrangement is an administrative decision; do not assume the browser is malfunctioning when the option is intentionally removed.
An administrator disabled Guest mode
If BrowserGuestModeEnabled is false, users cannot start guest profiles. On an organization-owned computer, ask the administrator to check the effective Chrome policies rather than trying to repair the local profile menu.
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Chrome did not refresh policy changes
Policy changes are not always visible immediately. Follow the organization’s normal policy-refresh or restart procedure, then test again. Use a test device before applying a change broadly, especially when switching between guest enforcement and forced sign-in.
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Guest mode versus Incognito
Both modes reduce what is left in the local browser after a private session, but they solve different problems. Google’s guidance recommends Incognito for private browsing on your own computer and Guest mode when lending or borrowing a computer.
| Question | Guest mode | Incognito |
|---|---|---|
| Whose profile is used? | A separate guest session, isolated from the owner’s profile. | A private window opened from a selected Chrome profile. |
| What happens when it ends? | Chrome says the guest session’s browsing history, cookies and site data are deleted when the guest window closes. | It is intended for private browsing on your own computer; its behavior follows Chrome’s Incognito rules rather than the guest-session workflow. |
| Owner’s profile data | The owner’s profile data is not the guest session’s working profile. | The window is associated with the profile from which it was opened, so it is not a separate lending profile. |
| Administrative control covered here | BrowserGuestModeEnforced can require guest sessions; BrowserGuestModeEnabled can disable them. |
The policies listed for this article do not turn Incognito into an always-open replacement for Guest mode. |
| What network and website observers can see | Guest mode does not hide activity from websites, signed-in services, employers or schools, network operators, ISPs or search engines. | Incognito should not be treated as a way to hide activity from those observers either. |
Use Guest mode when another person needs a temporary session on your computer. Use Incognito when you are the owner and want a private browsing window without changing your normal profile workflow. Google’s own warning is practical: “Only log into sensitive websites on trusted devices.”
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Startup behavior and the profile picker
Chrome’s profile picker is not guaranteed to appear every time Chrome starts. Chrome Enterprise documents several cases in which it is not shown:
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- A profile directory or URL is supplied on the command line.
- An application explicitly requests the launch.
- Only one profile is available.
- Forced browser sign-in is configured.
This matters when testing an enforcement policy. The absence of a profile-picker screen alone does not prove that Guest mode is enforced. Open the profile menu and test whether a profile login is possible, then confirm the effective policy on the managed device.
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Privacy boundaries you should explain to guests
Guest mode removes local browser artifacts when the session ends, but it does not make a person invisible online. A website can still record requests and account activity. A service where the guest signs in can associate activity with that account. An employer or school, network operator, ISP or search engine may have visibility through its own systems.
- Do not promise anonymity simply because the local history is deleted.
- Use a trusted device for banking, password changes and other sensitive accounts.
- Close the guest window rather than leaving it open for the next person.
- On a shared or public computer, avoid saving credentials or signing in to accounts that the owner or administrator should not access.
Administrator decision guide
| Requirement | Policy choice | Expected user experience |
|---|---|---|
| Anyone may start a temporary, separate session. | Leave Guest mode available. | The user selects Guest profile from the profile menu. |
| Every covered session must be Guest. | Enable BrowserGuestModeEnforced. |
Chrome enforces guest sessions and blocks profile logins. |
| No one may use Guest mode. | Set BrowserGuestModeEnabled to false. |
Guest profiles cannot be started. |
| Every user must work in an authenticated browser profile. | Configure forced BrowserSignin. |
Users must sign in; the default guest behavior is disabled. |
These choices are mutually different controls. Decide whether the computer is meant for anonymous-on-the-device lending, authenticated managed work, or neither before deploying a policy.
Troubleshooting checklist
- Check the platform. If it is a Chromebook, the desktop instructions do not apply.
- Look for supervision or locked profiles. A supervised-user setup with all non-supervised profiles locked can remove Guest mode.
- Check policy intent.
BrowserGuestModeEnforced=truerequires Guest;BrowserGuestModeEnabled=falseremoves Guest. They are not interchangeable. - Allow for policy refresh. Restart or refresh Chrome using your organization’s standard procedure.
- Test the actual outcome. Confirm whether the profile menu offers Guest profile, whether a profile login is blocked, and whether forced sign-in is present.
- Separate startup symptoms from policy results. The profile picker can be absent for several documented reasons, including a command-line launch, a single available profile or forced browser sign-in.
For personal desktop use, the complete procedure remains simple: choose Guest profile, browse, then close the guest window. Enforcement, disabling Guest mode and requiring sign-in are administrator controls that should be selected according to the access model you actually need.
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