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Windows Defender

Toggle Displaying the Tray Icon

SUMMARY: Force the Windows Defender tray icon to appear on your taskbar or hide it when no actions are being taken.

Note that this tip is for a BETA version of Windows Defender, and was written when Beta 2 was released. This information is subject to change based on new beta releases and/or the final version of the product.

By default, Windows Defender will only display an icon on the taskbar if it determines something important is occurring such as an action needs to be taken. You can change this behavior to keep the icon always on the taskbar by doing the following:

1. Access "Windows Defender" from the "Start" - "All Programs" menu if it is not currently visible.

2. When the "Windows Defender" window appears, click the "Tools" button.

3. Select "Options".

4. Scroll down to "Choose when the Windows Defender icon appears in the notification area" and select either the radio button "Only if Windows Defender detects an action to take" or "Always" as desired.

5. Click "Save" to store your settings.

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