How to Enable or Disable Browse as Guest in Microsoft Edge
This tutorial shows you how to turn the guest browsing feature on or off in Microsoft Edge. This works for all users on Windows 10 and Windows 11.
What is Guest Mode?
Guest mode is a temporary, fresh profile. It lets you browse on someone else’s computer without changing their signed-in profile. When you close all guest windows, the browser forgets everything. Your favorites, history, passwords, and saved form information all disappear. Downloaded files stay on the device, but the download history is deleted.
Why Use Guest Mode?
Guest mode lets you browse the web without automatically signing into websites. Microsoft Edge does not tell websites that you are using guest mode. The browser only collects diagnostic data based on the profile that started the guest session. Once you close all guest windows, all browsing information for that session is erased.
What Policies Control Guest Mode?
You can use the BrowserGuestModeEnabled policy to let users choose whether to browse in guest profiles in Microsoft Edge.
You can use the BrowserGuestModeEnforced policy starting with Microsoft Edge 147 to force guest-only browsing.
For more information about Microsoft Edge privacy, visit User data and privacy in Microsoft Edge.
How to Enable or Disable Browse as Guest
🔒 You must be an administrator to change these settings.
- Open Windows Terminal as an administrator.
- Copy and paste one of the command sets below, depending on what you want to do.
- Press Enter to run the command.
Option 1: Let Users Choose to Browse as Guest (Default)
reg delete "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Edge" /v BrowserGuestModeEnabled /f
reg delete "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Edge" /v BrowserGuestModeEnforced /f
Option 2: Always Browse as Guest for All Users
reg delete "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Edge" /v BrowserGuestModeEnabled /f
reg add "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Edge" /v BrowserGuestModeEnforced /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f
Option 3: Turn Off Browse as Guest for All Users
reg add "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Edge" /v BrowserGuestModeEnabled /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f
reg delete "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Edge" /v BrowserGuestModeEnforced /f
Summary
Guest mode in Microsoft Edge is a quick way to browse without affecting someone’s main profile. All your browsing data is erased when you close guest windows. You can use Windows Terminal commands to control whether users can access guest mode, must use it, or cannot use it at all. Remember that you need administrator rights to make these changes.
How do I turn off guest mode in edge?
To turn off guest mode in Microsoft Edge, simply close all open guest windows. Once every guest window is closed, the browser automatically ends the session and deletes all browsing history, cookies, and site data. No manual settings changes are required to end a single guest browsing session.
How to permanently disable guest mode?
To permanently disable guest mode, you must use the Group Policy Editor or Registry Editor to configure the 'BrowserGuestModeEnabled' policy. By setting this policy to 'Disabled,' you prevent the guest profile option from appearing in the Microsoft Edge profile menu, effectively removing the feature for all users on the device.
How do I turn guest mode off?
You can turn off guest mode by closing all active guest windows. When you exit the guest session, Microsoft Edge immediately clears your browsing history, cookies, and site data. If you want to prevent guest mode from being used entirely, you must configure the browser's administrative policies via Windows settings.
How do I disable guest mode on Windows?
To disable guest mode on Windows, use the Group Policy Editor to manage Microsoft Edge settings. Navigate to the 'BrowserGuestModeEnabled' policy and set it to 'Disabled.' This action removes the guest browsing option from the profile menu, ensuring that no users can initiate a guest session on your Windows computer.
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