Creating a guest account in Windows used to be simple, but it’s changed. Yet, you can still create one in newer versions like Windows 11. Here, we explain creating a Windows 11 guest account through Settings, Command Prompt, and PowerShell. Let’s get started.
Create Guest Account in Windows 11 (2022)
Add Guest Account via Windows 11 Settings
1. Open the Settings app with the Windows 11 shortcut ‘Win+I’ and navigate to the “Accounts” section. Click “Other users” to set up a guest account. On older Windows 11 builds, this option is labeled “Family & other users”.
2. Click “Add account” to create a new user.
3. On Microsoft’s account creation screen, select “I don’t have this person’s sign-in information”.
4. On the following page, choose “Add a user without a Microsoft account” to create the guest account independently.
5. Set the username, password, and three security questions for the guest account. Remember, “Guest” cannot be used as the username as it’s reserved in the OS. Click “Next”, and you’ll have a second Windows 11 account.
Add Account to Guest User Group
1. After creating an account, add it to the guest user group to limit access to your PC. Open Windows Search, then access “Computer Management” as an administrator.
2. When Computer Management appears, go to System Tools -> Local Users and Groups -> Users to add the account. Notably, you won’t find the “Local Users and Groups” option on Windows 11 Home edition. Alternatively, install and use the Local User and Group Management tool from GitHub. To begin, double-click on the user you just created.
2. Switch to the “Group membership” tab and select “Add membership” to choose the guest user group.
3. Pick “Guests” from the groups list and click “Select” to confirm.
4. After adding the guest user group, click “Users” and press “Remove membership.” You have successfully created a guest account in Windows 11.
Use Command Prompt to Create Guest Account
1. Search for “Command Prompt” in Windows, then run it as administrator.
2. Type the following command to create a new guest user. Note that you can replace “Guestuser” with a name of your choice.
net user Guestuser /add /active:yes
3. Use the command below to set a password for the guest account. That’s it. You have created a guest account in Windows 11 via Command Prompt.
net user Guestuser *
Create Windows 11 Guest Account Using PowerShell
1. Another method to create a Windows 11 guest account is using PowerShell. Search for “Powershell” in Windows, then run it as administrator to open an elevated PowerShell window.
2. Use the following command to set up a password for your guest account.
$GuestPassword = Read-Host -AsSecureString
Efficient Guest Account Setup for Windows 11
Next, execute the command below to name the guest account:
New-LocalUser "TheGuest" -Password $GuestPassword
Finally, add the account to the guest user group with the following command. Now, your PC can be shared with others via the guest account:
Add-LocalGroupMember -Group "Guests" -Member "TheGuest"
Optimizing PC Sharing with Guest Account
These steps outline three methods to establish a guest account in Windows 11. Creating a guest account proves beneficial, especially for frequent sharing scenarios. Alternatively, for an offline account unlinked to your Microsoft account, refer to our guides on creating a local account in Windows 11 and detaching your Microsoft account from the system.
Pritam Chopra is a seasoned IT professional and a passionate blogger hailing from the dynamic realm of technology. With an insatiable curiosity for all things tech-related, Pritam has dedicated himself to exploring and unraveling the intricacies of the digital world.
