

Or if you installed another antivirus and didn’t enable “limited periodic scanning”, Windows Defender won’t do anything unless you uninstall the other antivirus. The only difference is that the icon is out of the way and Windows Defender is running silently in the background again. If it detects malware, you’ll also see a notification. Windows Defender will continue to run in the background and you can continue to access it normally from Settings > System and Security > Windows Defender > Turn on Windows Defender or by launching the “Windows Defender” application from the Start menu. Getting rid of the icon does not prevent Windows Defender from working.

Hide or show windows security notification area icon for the current user in Task Manager Click on the Startup tab and locate Windows Defender notification icon. Hide or Show Windows Security Notifications Icon for Users in Startup Settings Right-click anywhere on your taskbar where there are no icons and select Task Manager. Hide or Show Windows Security Notification Area Icon for Current User in Taskbar Settings
