Guest Account - Turn On or Off in Windows 8. A guest account is a local account for users who don't have a permanent account on your PC or domain. It allows people (guest) to use your PC without having access to your personal files. Users signed in to the guest account can't install apps, install hardware, and change PC settings. This tutorial will show you various options for how to turn on or off the guest account in Windows 8, Windows RT, Windows 8.1, and Windows RT 8.1.