Guest session asks for a password after switching users

[Amr Ibrahim]

When I switch back to an already open guest session from my user account, I find that the guest session is locked and it asks for the Guest password (which obviously there isn't because it's a guest session!).

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 12.04
Package: gnome-session-bin 3.2.1-0ubuntu8
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.2.0-26.41-generic 3.2.19
Uname: Linux 3.2.0-26-generic x86_64
ApportVersion: 2.0.1-0ubuntu8
Architecture: amd64
Date: Tue Jul 10 09:54:55 2012
ExecutablePath: /usr/bin/gnome-session
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 12.04 LTS "Precise Pangolin" - Release amd64 (20120425)
ProcEnviron:
 LANGUAGE=en_GB:en
 PATH=(custom, no user)
 LANG=en_GB.UTF-8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
SourcePackage: gnome-session
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)
XsessionErrors: (compiz:1719): GConf-CRITICAL **: gconf_client_add_dir: assertion `gconf_valid_key (dirname, NULL)' failed
---
ApportVersion: 2.0.1-0ubuntu17.1
Architecture: amd64
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 12.04
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 12.04.1 LTS "Precise Pangolin" - Release amd64 (20120823.1)
MarkForUpload: True
Package: lightdm 1.2.1-0ubuntu1.1
PackageArchitecture: amd64
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.2.0-36.57-generic 3.2.35
Tags: precise running-unity
Uname: Linux 3.2.0-36-generic x86_64
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)
UserGroups: adm cdrom dialout dip lpadmin plugdev sambashare sudo

[Sebastien Bacher (seb128)]

Thank you for your bug report, could you log into a guess session and add your .xsession-errors from that session to the bug?

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

[Amr Ibrahim (amribrahim1987)]

apport information

[Amr Ibrahim (amribrahim1987)]

apport information

[Amr Ibrahim (amribrahim1987)]

Is this bug going to be fixed? It's very annoying. Here is another .xsession-errors file.

[Micha B (micha-ubuntu)]

Workaround (if you're root, not suitable for the guest):

Switch to console (Ctrl-Alt-F1), login as user, su -, passwd guest -> choose a valid password, exit console, switch back to X (Ctrl-Alt-F7).

[Givrix (geoffrey-mosini)]

It still affects Trusty 14.04
I ran into this bug while switching to the guest session, back to the user and again back to the guest.
I thought I was stuck on this guest login screen as all functions are inactive on this screen, it only lets you type a password.
But it's possible to switch back to the user login screen using (ctrl-alt-f7) as the guest session is opened in a secondary X server (ctrl-alt-f8).

[Givrix (geoffrey-mosini)]

The user is no more guest as said by Micha B. So to unlock the guest session go to a terminal, use the command "users" to get the name of guest in the shape guest-######. Then "sudo passwd guest-######" to affect a password.

[Serhiy (xintx-ua)]

Affects Kubuntu 14.10

[slowtrain (pmuhl830)]

Same problem in Xenial 16.04, running kernel 4.4.0-47 and also upstream kernel 4.7.10. I can get back into the guest session once without problems, but when I suspend and restart, the guest session demands a password. Trying to switch users back into guest opens a new instance of guest.

[Jarno Suni (jarnos)]

Guess what? Affects Xubuntu 19.10. What is so difficult in not asking password when guest session is concerned?

[Jarno Suni (jarnos)]

Does one need to switch from guest session? Maybe it should be disabled.

[Gunnar Hjalmarsson (gunnarhj)]

On 2020-01-16 13:03, Jarno Suni wrote:
> What is so difficult in not asking password when guest session
> is concerned?

Maybe low priority since guest session is disabled by default.

https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/lightdm/+bug/1775088/comments/2

> Does one need to switch from guest session? Maybe it should be
> disabled.

Also such a change would need work.

[Sushenjit Bandyopadhyay (s-bandyo1)]

Jarno Suni wrote:
> Does one need to switch from guest session? Maybe it should be disabled.

One needed to switch from the guest session to the primary (sudoer) user session to make permanent customization to the guest session. See

https://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2152804&p=12687863#post12687863

for instructions.

This allowed one to do some house cleaning such as disabling the **backup reminder popup** (which one can't setup in a guest session anyways, as all changes are lost on logout), and add Chrome on the Guest's top panel for example.

[Jarno Suni (jarnos)]

You do not need to switch from guest session to do those nowadays: https://help.ubuntu.com/community/CustomizeGuestSession

[martinr (martinr1111)]

I'm still experiencing this problem in 22.04. Are there any updates on when it gets fixed?
Guest accounts are very useful.