Guest User Missing from Login Screen

[Morningside]

I am using a Login Window Config Profile to enable the Guest User. I can see that the test computer has the Config Profile downloaded and verified but the Guest User is missing from the Login Screen as well as from the Fast Switching Menu. Is this a known issue with Jamf Pro, or am I doing something wrong?

[wesleya]

I started experimenting with this yesterday, and I found the same problem myself. I'm curious to hear what is going on with this.

[Morningside]

I found another post from four years ago that asserted that if your jamfadmin account is hidden then this also hides the Guest User. I do not see how that could possibly be true since the two accounts are completely unrelated to one another, and even if it were true four years go I don't see how it could possibly be true now. How many sprints are there in 4 years? 100 2 week sprints? Seems like they might have squeezed that one in :) . (just being cheeky)

I m hoping this thread get some traction or some attention from the Jamf crew since the Guest Account is the first one I need to manage with CP's.

[sdagley]

@Morningside Any chance you have enabled FileVault 2? That should preclude Guest User from being an option on the login screen after a re-boot

[Morningside]

Nope, no FileVault! Thank you for the response tho.

[wesleya]

I was wondering if NOT enabling FileVault was actually the cause, as we aren't using that either. I will see what I can do about not hiding the management account.

[sdagley]

@Morningside Unfortunately that was my only idea (none of the environments I've dealt with have allowed Guest user access), but hopefully someone on Jamf Nation will have a clue.

[Morningside]

@sdagley Thanks for the response, even if it wasn't the solution!

[Morningside]

Through experimenting today I was able to confirm what was suggested four years ago in a different thread: Using a hidden jamf management account for user-initiated enrollings will cause the guest user to also be hidden. While I suspected that this was a bug with jamf, I am now thinking it is a limitation with macOS. I say this because within /Library/Preferences/com.apple.LoginWindow I saw the line: "500LevelAcountsHidden=True" (or something to that effect). Which leads me to believe that either you hide all special accounts, or none.

But I am not completely sure about that.

The bottom line is that if you want to make use of the Guest User in your school you must use a non-hidden jamf management account for your user-initiated enrollings. Sucks, but there it is. So in order to not have two admin accounts showing on the login screen, I am using my regular admin account as the jamf management account as well.

[wesleya]

@Morningside, forgive my ignorance, but how do you go about not hiding the management account? I dug around in Jamf Pro for a bit and couldn't find anything.

From what I understand about the management account, it isn't completely necessary, but I could be mistaken there too. Anyway, if you could show me what you did to unhide the account, I'd really appreciate it.

[Morningside]

Hi there, sorry I did not see you question until just now. Here is how I id it, step by step:

1. Open Jamf Pro web dashboard
2. Click on Management Settings (bottom of left nav pane)
3. Click on Global Management
4. Click on User-Initiated Enrollings
5. Click on Platforms
6. Click on Edit
7. Uncheck Hide Management Account

That was it for me. Hope this helps!

[clarkep]

Just bringing this topic back. I still have Mac mini's in classroom where we use Guest account for substitute teachers. Every so often Guest will not work despite the Mac mini showing having received the Configuration Profile that enables the Guest account. Each Mac mini was set up with the same Pre-Stage enrollment. I can't seem to crack this one. Hiding or showing the User Initiated account or management account doesn't make a difference since some of them work and some don't.

[niklasharju]

I also stumbled upon this issue today. I set up a guest account, but it won't show up at the login screen. It works if I log in as 'other' and know to type Guest as user, but I can't expect others to just know that. I also wouldn't want to make the management account visible. Has anyone come across a solution yet, or is it just not possible?

[jose_torres3]

Found this from another thread with @Nick1403 

is there a hidden Management Account? That was the problem why the guest user was not displayed on my devices.

my script:

!/bin/bash

Enable Guest Account

defaults write /Library/Preferences/com.apple.loginwindow GuestEnabled -bool TRUE

show Guest Account in the Login Window

defaults write /Library/Preferences/com.apple.loginwindow Hide500Users -bool FALSE

Hide Management Account from the Login Window

dscl . create /Users/MANAGEMENTACCOUNTNAME IsHidden 1

Fixed the problem for me