What is Guest Mode Browsing?
Google Chrome includes a built-in “Guest Mode” profile. If you click your profile picture in the top-right corner of the browser, you will see an option to open a Guest window. This acts similarly to Incognito mode—it allows someone to use your computer to browse the web without seeing your bookmarks, history, or saved passwords, and it deletes their browsing data when they close the window.
However, for parents or IT administrators, Guest Mode represents a massive loophole. If you have installed parental control extensions, website blockers, or strict company policies on the primary Chrome profile, a user can simply open a Guest window to completely bypass all of those restrictions. To enforce your extensions and filters, you must disable Guest Mode.
How to Disable Guest Mode in Chrome (Windows)
You can force Chrome to disable the Guest profile option using the Windows Registry.
- Press the Windows Key + R to open the Run dialogue box.
- Type
regeditand press Enter. - Navigate to the following path:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Google\Chrome(If the “Google” or “Chrome” folders do not exist, right-click and create them as New > Key).
- Click on the Chrome folder to select it.
- Right-click in the empty space on the right, select New, and choose DWORD (32-bit) Value.
- Name the new value exactly:
BrowserGuestModeEnabled - Double-click the value and ensure the Value data is set to
0. - Click OK and restart Google Chrome.
How to Disable Guest Mode in Chrome (Mac)
On macOS, you enforce this policy using a simple Terminal command.
- Open your Mac’s Terminal application.
- Paste the following command and press Enter:
defaults write com.google.Chrome BrowserGuestModeEnabled -bool false- Completely quit and restart Google Chrome.
Once applied, the “Guest” option will completely disappear from the Chrome profile switcher, forcing all users to browse under the primary, restricted profile.