How to hide or show Windows Security icon on Taskbar via Settings, REGEDIT or GPEDIT

When it comes to security in Windows 10, there are two groups of users, one who thinks Windows Security is not secure and one who never wants to use any third-party Antivirus to secure their PC.

Depending on the camp you are in, you either want to hide or show the Windows Security icon on Taskbar. In this article, we are going to see how to hide or show the Windows Security icon on Taskbar via Settings, REGEDIT or GPEDIT.

Hide or show Windows Security icon on Taskbar

These are the ways by which we are going to hide or show the Windows Security icon on Taskbar.

1. Via Settings

2. Via Registry Editor

3. Via GroupPolicy Editor.

Let us talk about them in detail.

1] Hide or show Windows Security icon on Taskbar Via Settings

One of the simplest ways to manage the Windows Security icon is via Settings. To do that, you need to follow these steps:

1. Launch Settings by Win + X > Settings.

2. Click Personalization > Taskbar > Select which icons appear on the taskbar.

3. Now, use the toggle in front of the Windows Security notification icon to hide or show its icon.

2] Via Registry Editor

If you don’t want to do it from Settings, try doing the same from the Registry Editor. The only caveat is that it only works if your Windows 10 Build version is 1803 or older.

If you have that version, launch Registry Editor from the Start Menu and go to the following location.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows Defender Security Center\Systray

Double-click on HideSystray and set its value to 1 to hide and 0 to show the Windows Security icon.

Note: If you are not seeing this key, right-click on the right window, and select New > Dword 32-bit, and name it “HideSystray”.

3] Via Group Policy Editor

If your Windows 10 Build version is above 1803, you should use Group Policy Editor instead of Registry Editor to hide or show the Windows Security icon.

To do that, launch Group Policy Editor from the Start Menu and navigate to the following location.

Computer Configuration \ Administrative Templates \ Windows Components \ Windows Security \ Systray

Click Systray, double-click “Hide Windows Security Systray”, select Enabled to hide, and Disabled to show the Windows Security icon on the Taskbar.

Finally, click Apply > Ok.

Hopefully, we have helped you in managing your Windows Security icon in the Taskbar.

Source: WIndowsclub

The Tech Platform

www.thetechplatform.com