By default, the Windows Security icon appears on the taskbar. If it is missing for any reason, this article teaches you how to show the missing Windows security icon on the taskbar.
The Windows Security icon on the taskbar acts as a quick and easy way to assess the security status of your computer. For example, you will see a green checkmark if everything is okay in your system. If there is a problem, like out-of-date signatures, disabled features, or active threats, you will see a yellow caution mark or red cross mark.
Additionally, right-clicking on the icon gives you options to run a quick scan, manage Windows security notifications, view the security dashboard, and update antivirus signatures. All in all, the Windows Security icon is pretty helpful. This is especially true if Windows Security is your primary antivirus.
That being said, under certain circumstances, the Windows Security icon may be missing. There are any number of reasons, like it being disabled in the Task Manager, corrupted registry entry, etc. Whatever the reason, if the Windows Security icon is missing from your taskbar, follow the below steps to fix it and show it.
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Show Missing Windows Security Icon on Taskbar
The reason for the missing Windows Security icon on your taskbar is that the SecurityHealthSystray.exe file is not starting with Windows. To fix the problem, all you have to do is add SecurityHealthSystray.exe to Windows Startup. For that, follow any of the below methods, and the problem will be fixed in just a few steps.
1. Enable SecurityHealthSystray.exe in Task Manager
To show the Windows Security icon on the taskbar, you must enable the SecurityHealthSystray.exe startup item in the Task Manager. Here’s how.
- Right-click on the taskbar.
- Select “Task Manager” from the context menu to open the Task Manager.
- Go to the “Startup apps” tab on the sidebar of the task manager.
- Find and select the SecurityHealthSystray.exe file.
- Click the Enable button at the top of the window.
- Close the task manager and reboot the computer.
- After reboot, you will see the Windows Security icon on the taskbar.
2. Add Windows Security to the Windows startup folder
If the SecurityHealthSystray.exe item is not available in the Task Manager or if you are looking for another way, you can add the SecurityHealthSystray.exe shortcut to the Windows Startup folder. That way, it starts with Windows and fixes the problem. Here’s how to do it.
- Open the Run window with the Windows key + R keyboard shortcut.
- Type “shell:startup” in the blank field (without quotes) and click “Ok.”
- Right-click in the startup folder.
- Select the New and then Shortcut option from the context menu.
- Type the below path in the location field and click “Next.” C:\Windows\System32\SecurityHealthSystray.exe
- Set the name as “Windows Security icon“
- Close the Startup folder and reboot the computer.
- With that, you fixed the problem, and the Windows Security icon will appear on the taskbar.
3. Enable SecurityHealthSystray.exe in Registry Editor
As an alternative, you can also make the Windows Security icon start with Windows by modifying the registry. Thankfully, you don’t have to create and modify the registry value manually. We can use the single-line command that does the job. Here’s how.
- Press the Windows key on your keyboard to open the Start menu.
- Search for Command Prompt in the Start menu.
- Next, right-click on the Command Prompt result and select “Run as administrator.”
- Run the below command to create and modify the registry value appropriately.
REG ADD “HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run” /v SecurityHealth /d “%windir%\system32\SecurityHealthSystray.exe” /t REG_SZ /f - Type “Yes” if you see a confirmation prompt.
- Close the Command Prompt window.
- Reboot the computer.
- With that, the Windows Security icon will appear on the taskbar.
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That is all. It is that simple to fix the missing Windows Security icon and show it back on the taskbar.
I hope this simple and easy Windows how-to guide helped you.
If you are stuck or need help, email me, and I will try to help as much as possible.
