About the Admin and Guest accounts

Each database file initially contains two FileMaker file accounts: Admin and Guest.

Admin account

The Admin account is assigned the Full Access privilege set, which permits access to everything in a file. By default, the Admin account has a blank password. In files for which privileges are not set up, the file options are set up to automatically log in to the file using the Admin account.

The Admin account is fully editable. You can rename it, assign it a password, make the account inactive, or even delete the Admin account. See Creating and editing account access.

Warning  Passwords cannot be recovered. Don't forget the account name and password that is assigned to the Full Access privilege set. If necessary, write it down and store it in a secure place. If you lose or forget this account name and password, you may not be able to access or change the file.

Guest account

You can permit users to open a file as a guest, which means they do not have to specify any account information. The Guest account determines the privileges for users who open a file as a guest. By default, the Guest account is assigned the Read-Only Access privilege set, but you can assign any privilege set you want to the Guest account.

Note  FileMaker Server (if configured to require password-protected files) doesn't allow hosted files with an active Guest account that uses the Full Access privilege set to open. FileMaker Cloud doesn't allow Guest account access at all.

By default, the Guest account is inactive, which disables the guest option in the Open dialog box and prohibits users from opening files as a guest. You can enable the Guest account to permit guest access. For more information about opening files as a guest, see Opening files protected with passwords.

The Guest account is not fully editable. You cannot delete the Guest account, change the Guest account name, or assign it a password. See Creating and editing account access.