Quick Answer
Kiosk Mode locks a Chromebook to a single app or website, useful for digital signage or a single-purpose terminal. Managed Guest Sessions let anyone use a shared, policy-controlled device without signing into a personal account. Both require enrolling the device in Google Admin console, meaning they’re built for organizations, not individual home users.
What These Modes Are For
Kiosk Mode and Managed Guest Sessions solve a different problem than the built-in Guest Mode. Guest Mode is a quick, unmanaged, temporary session anyone can start from the sign-in screen. Kiosk Mode and Managed Guest Sessions, by contrast, are set up by an IT administrator through Google Admin console and apply consistent policies, restrictions, and branding across every device and every session, which is why libraries, schools, retail displays, and shared front-desk devices use them.
Fix Steps
Step 1: Confirm you have a Google Admin console account
Both features require a Google Workspace or Chrome Education/Enterprise Upgrade license tied to an Admin console domain. Personal Gmail accounts can’t configure either mode.
Step 2: Enroll the Chromebook into the domain
At the ChromeOS out-of-box setup screen, press Ctrl+Alt+E to start enterprise enrollment, then sign in with an admin account. This links the device to your organization’s Admin console policies.
Step 3: Set up a Kiosk app
In Admin console, go to Devices > Chrome > Apps & extensions > Kiosks, and add the web app or Chrome app you want the device locked to. Assign it to the correct organizational unit.
Step 4: Set up a Managed Guest Session
In Admin console, go to Devices > Chrome > Settings > Device, find “Public session kiosk,” enable it, and configure the allowed apps, extensions, and network settings that every guest session will inherit.
Step 5: Test the session on the device
Restart the enrolled Chromebook. It should show the configured kiosk app automatically, or list the Managed Guest Session as a sign-in option alongside any other user profiles on the device.
Still Not Fixed?
If the device won’t show the kiosk or guest session option after enrollment, double-check that it’s assigned to the correct organizational unit in Admin console, since policies only apply to the OU (or child OUs) they’re set on. If the Chromebook shows “This device is locked by its administrator” unexpectedly, that’s a separate enrollment restriction issue, not a kiosk configuration problem.
FAQ
Can I set up Kiosk Mode without Google Admin console?
No. Kiosk Mode and Managed Guest Sessions are enterprise features tied to device enrollment; there’s no way to configure them from a personal, unmanaged account.
Is a Managed Guest Session the same as regular Guest Mode?
No. Regular Guest Mode is unmanaged and available on any Chromebook by default. A Managed Guest Session runs under an administrator’s policies and is only available on enrolled devices.
Can a kiosk device still be used for anything besides the locked app?
Not from the standard sign-in flow. That’s the point of Kiosk Mode: it prevents access to anything outside the assigned app unless an admin changes the configuration.
