Restart your computer - or log out of your account and back in - and the icon will be gone!.Select the entry in the list and then click the Disable button.Move to the Startup tab and locate the Windows Defender notification icon entry.If the tool starts in its shrunken mode, click the More Details button.Right click the taskbar and select Task Manager.It's worth noting that hiding the icon will not close Windows Defender itself it will still be running in the background, protecting your computer.Ī little strangely, the icon is controlled by a dedicated process, and you'll need to disable this to get rid of it: To hide the icon, you're going to have to delve a little deeper. In fact, the only option that presents itself is to open Windows Defender. You'll notice that if you left- or right-click on the little shield icon, there is no option to hide it.
