Set up a Guest Share in Windows 7
Windows 7 includes a type of account, called a guest account, that sharply limits the types of activity the user may execute. For example, a guest user cannot change the account password, modify computer settings or install software. Guest users also cannot access password-protected files and directories, but using the native sharing tools in Windows 7, you can explicitly share files with this limited user type.
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Instructions
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Share from Any Folder
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1
Enable the guest account. By default, the guest account is disabled to protect your computer against unauthorized access. To enable the account, press the Windows key on your keyboard to expand the Start menu, click "Control Panel" in the right column and type "guest" in the search box in the upper right corner of the Control Panel window. Click "Guest" and "Turn On" if it is disabled.
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2
Select a file or folder to share with the guest account. Press "Windows-E" to open an Explorer window. Navigate to the asset you wish to share. Right click on the file or folder, select "Share with" from the context menu and then click "Specific people...."
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3
Review the user accounts that currently have access rights to the asset. If the guest account is already authorized to access the file or folder, the account name and permission level will display in the dialog box.
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4
Add the guest account as an authorized user. From the drop-down menu at the top of the dialog box, select "Guest," then click "Add."
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5
Customize the guest user's access rights. From the "Share with" dialog box, click the drop-down next to the guest user's access level. Select either "read" (to only allow the guest account to view the file or folder) or "read/write" to let the user edit the asset. Select "remove" to strip all rights to the asset.
Click "OK" when you're finished to set the guest account's permissions.
Share Using Public Folders
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6
Enable the guest account. By default, the guest account is disabled to protect your computer against unauthorized access. To enable the account, go to "User Accounts" within the Control Panel and select "Manage Accounts." Click on the guest account and enable it if it's disabled.
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Put the file you want to share with the guest user in the computer's Public folder (usually found at C:\Users\Public).
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Log in using the guest account to verify that you can see the shared asset in the Public folder.
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Tips & Warnings
In the Network and Sharing Center, you can enable or disable Public folder sharing. When Public folder sharing is disabled, only people logged directly into the computer can access the folder; users on the local network cannot access the folder unless they have an account on the computer with a password on the computer.
The guest account is not available in the Starter edition of Windows 7.
Microsoft recommends that you keep the guest account disabled unless there's a need for it. Because the guest account doesn't require a password, someone could log in to a computer using it. Although the account is limited, there's still some privacy risk associated with tampering under the guest login.
References
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