The default account type for any account created after installation is “Desktop user.” To view the other account types, click on the Change button as shown below.

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View new user

This image shows the three account types available.

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User account types

To view the privileges assigned to the account, click on the Advanced Settings button on the main Users and Groups window. If you make any changes to the default privileges, the account type will be changed from “Desktop user” to “Custom.”

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User account privileges

If for any reason you no longer wish to keep the account, the Users and Groups tool gives you two options: Delete or disable it. Disabling the account will render the password unusable. The system accomplishes that by appending a “!” in front of the hashed password in the shadow file.

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Account management

If an account is disabled (in the Advanced Settings window), the status will be reflected in the main Users and Groups window.

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Disabled account

If you opt to delete the account, you will have the option to either delete the home directory associated with the account, or keep them.

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Account delete options

That is all there is to using the Guest Session and creating a guest account in Ubuntu (10.10).