---
title: "Enabling a Guest Account"
slug: "enabling-a-guest-account"
description: "This document shows how to enable a Guest account . Guest accounts are accounts that can be used by non portal users, to engage with a flow or other entity in Decisions."
tags: ["guest account", "admin topics", "account", "user management", "creating account", "adding account", "portal settings"]
updated: 2025-05-16T12:56:25Z
published: 2025-05-16T12:56:25Z
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://documentation.decisions.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Enabling a Guest Account

## Overview

In the event that an Admin wishes to provide Portal****access to non-Portal end users so they may work with a **Flow**, **Form**, or other Designer Entity, the Admin may enable a guest account.

This is accomplished through a series of three steps:

- Activation of the Guest Account
- Applying the **Can Use Portal Permission**
- Enabling the Guest Account

Once the Guest account is active, a GUEST user will be seen in the **Accounts**list, and Forms will be provided with the "Assign to Guest" option available for doing the assignment. The following document demonstrates how to follow the three-step Guest Account Process.

Guest accounts have unique access that will be described below.

---

## Activate Guest Account

1. Navigate to the **System** folder then open **Security > Accounts**.
2. Locate and access the GUEST **Account's**action menu.
3. Select **Manage > Activate GUEST**.  
![](https://cdn.document360.io/6ef8bcc1-6489-4486-9ad1-83acff7e5df0/Images/Documentation/2024-07-31_11h24_39(1).png)

---

## Can Use Portal

Once the GUEST Account has been activated, the Can Use Portal property must be enabled.

1. From**System > Security > Accounts**, right-click the GUEST Account and select **Edit****Account**.
2. From the **Edit****Entity**window, under PERSONAL INFORMATION, enable **Is****Active**, **Is****Confirmed**, and **Can****Use****Portal**. Then, click SAVE.  
![](https://cdn.document360.io/6ef8bcc1-6489-4486-9ad1-83acff7e5df0/Images/Documentation/2024-07-31_11h26_20.png)

---

## Enable Guest Account

The final step in setting up a Guest Account is to toggle the Enable Guest Account Setting.

1. Navigate to **System > Settings**. Then, right-click **Portal****Settings**, and select **Edit**.
2. From the **Edit Portal Settings**dialog, search for and enable **Enable****Guest****Account**under the PORTAL SETTINGS category. Then click SAVE. ![](https://cdn.document360.io/6ef8bcc1-6489-4486-9ad1-83acff7e5df0/Images/Documentation/2024-07-31_11h27_05.png)
3. Once the **Setting**has been enabled, log out of the **Decisions****Portal**via the **Logout** action from the **Account**(person icon in the top right corner) **Action****Menu**.
4. From the **Login**screen, select **Login as Guest**.
5. Verify that the **Guest****Account**has successfully logged into the **User****Portal**. ![](https://cdn.document360.io/6ef8bcc1-6489-4486-9ad1-83acff7e5df0/Images/Documentation/2024-07-31_11h29_51.png)

---

## Guest Account Permissions

The Guest Account has special restrictions that normal accounts do not have. By default the Guest Account does not have permission to view anything other than the Portal Inbox. The Guest Account can only access designer elements located inside of [Public Folders](https://documentation.decisions.com/docs/public-folders). And they will only see elements inside of Public Folders if they have been given permissions.

However, the Guest Account cannot be given permissions directly. The permissions menu on any Project, Folder, or entity will never display the Guest Account. The best practice is to add the Guest Account to a Group, and then assign Group Permissions.

![](https://cdn.document360.io/6ef8bcc1-6489-4486-9ad1-83acff7e5df0/Images/Documentation/image-1747344498390.png)Be sure to give CanUse, CanOpen, and CanView permissions for the Guest Group.

![](https://cdn.document360.io/6ef8bcc1-6489-4486-9ad1-83acff7e5df0/Images/Documentation/image-1747344574052.png)

The Guest Group will now appear when assigning Group Permissions and the Guest Account will have access. This technique does not allow Guest Accounts to access Designer Folders. They will only have access to Public Folders and their contents.

Another restriction that the Guest Account has is that it cannot access all of the user actions in the top right corner. The Guest account cannot use About, Account Impersonation, or Submit Feedback.