Windows Defender: Icon Disappeared from the Taskbar

The Windows Defender icon no longer appears or cannot be opened on the taskbar or in the notification area due to, for example, an update or the uninstallation of a third-party antivirus.



Try the procedures below to restore the Windows Defender icon on the taskbar or in the notification area.

• Show Windows Defender from Settings
• Reg file Enable Windows Security
• SecurityHealthSystray.exe at startup
• Task Manager
• Reset Defender with Powershell
• Reinstall Windows Security with the Command Prompt
• Reactivate Windows Defender
  • Manual method in the Windows registry

Show Windows Defender from Settings

Open Settings ► Personalization ► Taskbar
Section -► Notification area.
Click on the line -► Select which icons appear on the taskbar
Highlight the line --►Windows Security notification icon

Restart the PC

Reg file Enable Windows Security

Save Enable_Windows_Security_notification_icon_for_all_users
Double-click the downloaded .reg file to merge it.
Click on Run, OK (UAC), Yes and OK to approve the merge.
Or right-click on the reg file and then Merge

Restart the PC

SecurityHealthSystray.exe at startup

Open and go to ► This PC -► Windows -► System32
Scroll down to the letter H and right-click on -►SecurityHealthSystray
Then -►Send to -►Desktop (Create shortcut)

Keyboard shortcut Windows + R to open the Startup folder.
Type -► shell:startup
Then OK
Or right-click on the Start button and then click on -►Run

Copy/paste or drag the shortcut SecurityHealthSystray into the Startup folder.
Restart the PC

Task Manager

Right-click on the taskbar -►Task Manager
Tab -► Startup
Enable -► Windows Security notification icon
Restart the PC.

Reset Defender with Powershell

Reset Windows Security application from Powershell.
In the search box on the taskbar type -►powershell
Right-click on Windows Powershell -►Run as administrator


In the PowerShell console, copy and paste the command below and press Enter on the keyboard.

Get-AppxPackage *Microsoft.Windows.SecHealthUI* | Reset-AppxPackage


Once the command is executed, exit the PowerShell console.
Restart the PC.

Reinstall Windows Security with the Command Prompt

In the search box on the taskbar type -►cmd
Right-click on cmd ►Run as administrator
In the Command Prompt console copy and paste the command below and press Enter on the keyboard.

PowerShell -ExecutionPolicy Unrestricted -Command "& {$manifest = (Get-AppxPackage *Microsoft.Windows.SecHealthUI*).InstallLocation + '\AppxManifest.xml' ; Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register $manifest}"



Restart the PC

Reactivate Windows Defender

Save the reg file ==► activate_windows_defender
Run the file.
Restart the PC.

Manual method in the Windows registry

Keyboard shortcut Windows + R then type -► regedit
Then click on OK
Go to this registry key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows Defender

On the right, modify the values DisableAntiSpyware and DisableAntiVirus
In Value data set the number -►0
(In hexadecimal)


Close the Windows registry.
Restart the PC.