Linux Mint: How to Enable Guest Sessions
Most of the time, the people using your computer will do this multiple times, so creating an account for them is a wise use of their time. Creating an account for a user gives them their own user directory and password, and allows you to configure whether or not they can run administrative commands.
If many people access your computer, you can choose to create a shared account with a known password or no password. Another alternative in Linux Mint is to enable guest sessions. A guest session is allowed to access the computer, but has even more limited permissions than a shared account.
First, the guest session cannot read the home directory of any other user. By default, regular user accounts can read files in any other user’s home directory, but cannot edit them or add new files except to their own home directory. The guest session cannot even read the home directory of other users, giving you privacy. Second, guest sessions cannot permanently store data on your hard drive, meaning you don’t have to worry about them downloading large amounts of data and filling up your storage.
Guest sessions are designed for scenarios where a user needs to access the Internet through a computer or needs to edit a document on removable media. They work well for this kind of use and keep your personal information on your computer private.
To enable the option to use a guest session, press the Super key, type “Login Window” and press Enter.
Tip: The “Super” key is the name many Linux distributions use to refer to the Windows key or the Apple “Command” key, avoiding any risk of trademark issues.
Press the Super key, type “Login Window” and press Enter.
In the settings of the login window, switch to the “Users” tab and click the “Allow guest sessions” slider to the “On” position. You will need to restart your computer for the settings to take effect. Once you’ve done so, you’ll be able to select “Guest Session” on the account selection screen.
Go to the “Users” tab, enable “Enable guest sessions” and restart your computer.