How to Disable Guest Mode Browsing in Google Chrome

Key Takeaways

• Disabling Guest mode on Windows entails making certain changes to some registry keys.
• In most cases, you may effect this change on a Windows Command Prompt or the Mac Terminal.

Method 1: Disable Chrome Guest Mode Browsing in Windows via Command Prompt

If you use Chrome on Windows, you must create a registry entry from scratch to disable Guest mode. But rather than diving into the Registry Editor and doing that manually, there’s a much faster way: instructing the operating system to create the key using the Command Prompt console.

Step 1: Press Windows + S to bring up Windows Search.

Step 2: Type command prompt into the search box and click Run As Administrator to launch the Command Prompt console with administrative privileges.

Step 3: Type (or copy and paste) the following command and press Enter:

REG ADD HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Google\Chrome /v BrowserGuestModeEnabled /t REG_DWORD /d 0

Step 4: Exit Chrome, and then restart your computer. Then, relaunch Chrome and click your profile — you won’t find the option to open the Guest mode window listed anymore.

Note: If you want to re-enable Guest mode browsing in Chrome later, you must delete the registry entry that you created earlier. To do that, type (or copy and paste) the following command into a Command Prompt console with administrative privileges and press Enter:

REG DELETE HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Google\Chrome /v BrowserGuestModeEnabled /f 

Remember to restart your computer afterward. Otherwise, you will not see the change reflected in the browser.

Method 2: Using the Registry Editor on Windows

This may be a longer method, but it is just as effective. If you want to use the Registry Editor to disable Guest Mode in Chrome, the following steps below should help you do that.

Step 1: Press Windows Key + R shortcut to open the Run box. Next, type regedit into the search box and click OK to launch the Registry Editor.

Step 2: Insert the following path into the Registry Editor address bar and press Enter:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Google\Chrome

Step 3: Select the folder labeled Chrome on the left of the Registry Editor window > right-click a vacant area on the right > select New > click DWORD (32-bit) Value.

Step 4: Name the newly created registry entry — BrowserGuestModeEnabled.

Step 5: Double-click the BrowserGuestModeEnabled registry entry. In the field underneath Value Data, insert 0 and click OK. Then, exit the Registry Editor.

Step 6: Restart your computer and launch Chrome. Guest mode should be disabled.

If you want to re-enable Guest mode, navigate to the same location within the Registry Editor and delete the BrowserGuestModeEnabled registry key. Restart your computer to apply changes.

Method 3: Disable Chrome Guest Mode Browsing on Mac

Disabling Guest mode within Chrome on a Mac is straightforward. A simple macOS Terminal command should help you complete the task quickly.

Step 1: Start by pressing Shift + Cmd + U shortcut to bring up the Utilities folder on your Mac.

Step 2: Double-click Terminal.

Step 3: Type the following command into the macOS Terminal and press Enter.

defaults write com.google.Chrome BrowserGuestModeEnabled -bool false 

Step 4: Force-quit Chrome, relaunch it, and click your profile. You will find Guest mode disabled.

If you want to re-enable Guest mode later, type the following command in Terminal and press Enter:

defaults write com.google.Chrome BrowserGuestModeEnabled -bool true

Ensure to exit and relaunch Chrome to apply the changes.