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3 Ways to Disable Guest Browsing Mode in Chrome

Google Chrome has a guest mode feature that allows users to use Google without signing into an account. While it’s very useful as it safeguards your personal information when it’s necessary for another person to access your computer, many users want to turn off the feature as it also comes with safety issues. Today, you will learn how to disable guest browsing mode in the Chrome browser.

3 Ways to Disable Guest Browsing Mode in Chrome

How to Disable Guest Browsing Mode in Chrome?

Guest browsing mode is a feature in the Google Chrome browser that allows users to browse the web privately without signing into a Google account. When using the guest mode, Chrome does not save any user’s data, including browsing history, download history, cookies, etc.

The feature is handy when a user wants to use Chrome on a public or shared computer without leaving any trace of their activity. However, the guest browsing mode also has security problems, so many people wish to turn it off. This guide will surely help you do so.


Method 1- Permanently Disable Guest Mode Using Command Prompt (Windows)

You can quickly turn off the guest browsing mode in the Chrome browser using the command prompt. Below are the steps to do so.

Step 1: Press the Windows key and search for cmd.

Step 2: Click on Run as administrator to open the command prompt with administrative privileges.

Disable Guest Browsing Mode in Chrome Using Command Prompt (Windows)

Step 3: On the command prompt, type the following command and hit enter: REG ADD HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Google\Chrome /v BrowserGuestModeEnabled /t REG_DWORD /d 0

Disable Guest Browsing Mode in Chrome Using Command Prompt (Windows)

Step 4: Finally, restart your system.

Next time, you will not see the guest browsing mode option on the Google Chrome. To re-enable the feature, you need to enter the following command on the command prompt: REG DELETE HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Google\Chrome /v BrowserGuestModeEnabled /f, then restart your computer.

Disable Guest Browsing Mode in Chrome Using Command Prompt (Windows)

Method 2- Disable Chrome Guest Mode Using Registry Editor (Windows)

You can also turn off guest browsing mode using the registry editor on your system. Follow the below steps to turn off guest mode in Chrome.

Step 1: Press the Windows+R key to open the Run window.

Step 2: Enter regedit in the Open location and tap OK.

Using Registry Editor (Windows)

Step 3: Type the following path and hit enter: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Google\Chrome

Using Registry Editor (Windows)

Step 4: Right-click on Chrome and select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value.

Using Registry Editor (Windows)

Step 5: Name the file as BrowserGuestModeEnabled.

Using Registry Editor (Windows)

Step 6: Now, double-click on the file, enter “0” in the Value data, and tap OK.

Using Registry Editor (Windows)

Step 7: After following all the steps, restart your system.

Now, the guest browsing mode on Chrome will be turned off, and you will not see it. To re-enable it, follow the same process and enter “1” in the value data for the BrowserGuestModeEnabled file, or delete the file you have created.

Method 3- Turn Off Chrome Guest Mode Using Terminal (Mac)

If you use a Mac computer and wish to turn off the guest mode in Chrome, you can easily archive it using the Terminal. Below are the steps to do so.

Step 1: Press the Shift+Cmd+U key once to open the Utilities folder.

Step 2: Double-click on Terminal to launch the application. Alternatively, right-click on Terminal and select Launch.

Using Terminal (Mac)

Step 3: Enter the following command and hit enter: defaults write com.google.Chrome BrowserGuestModeEnabled -bool false

Using Terminal (Mac)

Step 4: Close all the programs and restart your system.

Once you do, the feature will be disabled in the browser. To turn on the guest browsing mode, you need to type the following code and hit enter: defaults write com.google.Chrome BrowserGuestModeEnabled -bool true, then restart your computer.

Using Terminal (Mac)

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Why Would a User Want to Disable Guest Browsing Mode in Chrome?

A user might want to disable guest browsing mode if they are concerned about someone else using their computer and accessing sensitive information or if they want to prevent others from using their computer without their permission.

Q. Will Turning off Guest Mode Affect My Browsing Experience?

Disabling guest browsing mode in the browser should not affect your browsing experience in any significant way. You can still use the browser generally without facing any issues.

Wrapping Up

This is how you can turn on or off Guest Browsing mode in Chrome. I hope the above article helps you permanently disable the guest browsing feature in Google Chrome browser. If you have any queries related to the article, let us know, and stay tuned to BrowserToUse for more such articles and how-tos.

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