how to delete Malwarebytes icon

[Valerio]

Hello. Does anybody know how to delete Malwarebytes icon in the traybar? It is not activated in traybar settings.

I have Windows 10.

[Malwarebytes]

***This is an automated reply***

Hi,

Thanks for posting in the Malwarebytes 3 Help forum.

 

If you are having technical issues with our Windows product, please do the following: 

Spoiler

If you haven’t already done so, please run the Malwarebytes Support Tool and then attach the logs in your next reply:

NOTE: The tools and the information obtained is safe and not harmful to your privacy or your computer, please allow the programs to run if blocked by your system.

1. Download Malwarebytes Support Tool
2. Once the file is downloaded, open your Downloads folder/location of the downloaded file
3. Double-click mb-support-X.X.X.XXXX.exe to run the program
   • You may be prompted by User Account Control (UAC) to allow changes to be made to your computer. Click Yes to consent.
4. Place a checkmark next to Accept License Agreement and click Next
5. You will be presented with a page stating, "Get Started!"
6. Click the Advanced tab on the left column
   
7. Click the Gather Logs button
   
8. A progress bar will appear and the program will proceed with getting logs from your computer
   
9. Upon completion, click a file named mbst-grab-results.zip will be saved to your Desktop. Click OK
10. Please attach the file in your next reply. Before submitting your reply, be sure to enable "Notify me of replies" like so:
       

Click "Reveal Hidden Contents" below for details on how to attach a file:
 

Spoiler

To save attachments, please click the link as shown below. You can click and drag the files to this bar or you can click the choose files, then browse to where your files are located, select them and click the Open button.

 

One of our experts will be able to assist you shortly.

 

If you are having licensing issues, please do the following: 

Spoiler

For any of these issues:

• Renewals
• Refunds (including double billing)
• Cancellations
• Update Billing Info
• Multiple Transactions
• Consumer Purchases
• Transaction Receipt

Please contact our support team at https://support.malwarebytes.com/community/consumer/pages/contact-us to get help

If you need help looking up your license details, please head here: https://support.malwarebytes.com/docs/DOC-1264 

 

Thanks in advance for your patience.

-The Malwarebytes Forum Team

 

[exile360]

Greetings,

If you wish to exit Malwarebytes completely, right-click on the Malwarebytes tray icon and select Quit Malwarebytes and then click Yes if prompted by User Account Control.  That will terminate Malwarebytes completely from memory, including the tray icon.

If you wish to prevent Malwarebytes from running on system startup then open Malwarebytes and navigate to Settings>Protection and under the Startup Options section, toggle the option Start Malwarebytes at Windows startup to Off by clicking on the switch (don't click and drag the switch, just click on it once to switch it off) and that should prevent Malwarebytes from running in the system tray when the computer starts.

I hope this helps, and if there is anything else we might assist you with please let us know.

Thanks

[Valerio]

Thank you very mauch, but the option Start Malwarebytes at Windows startup is already set to Off.

[nukecad]

I've noticed similar with MB3 free version (So no real time protection running).

The tray icon does not appear up at a normal startup, but it does seem to appear following a Windows 10 Cumulative Update, and occasionally if a programme installer is downloaded from the web.
(But not for document downloads which indicates that it's probably happening on purpose when you download an executable).
I've not yet done any testing or pinned it down enough to give any meaningful information to the devs, but will be keeping an eye on it.

As exile360 has said you can simply click on the tray icon and Quit Malwarebytes to stop the service and remove the icon.

Edited May 25, 2019 by nukecad

[Maurice Naggar]

@Valerio

If you are running Malwarebytes in Trial mode:

Start Malwarebytes.

Click Settings button ( on left).

Click the tab marked "Account Details" ( it is the 5th tab in the settings screen )

You should then see a button marked "Deactivate Premium Trial".

 

Next, click the button on the left marked "Settings".

Scroll down to the section marked "Startup Options".

Look at the line marked "Start Malwarebytes at Windows startup" and click that to OFF.

( You have said the latter is already off.)

[Valerio]

There is no button "Deactivate Premium Trial".

[exile360]

5 hours ago, Valerio said:

There is no button "Deactivate Premium Trial".

Then you must not be using the trial at the moment.  You can see the full details on deactivating the free trial for future reference in this support article.

You can also verify what version you're using based on the window title.  If it shows 'Malwarebytes Premium Trial' then you're using the free trial, if it shows 'Malwarebytes Free' then you're running the free version without the trial, if it shows 'Malwarebytes Premium' then you're using the licensed Premium version.

I would also suggest doing the following so that we may attempt to diagnose why the software is running at startup:

1. Download and run the Malwarebytes Support Tool
2. Accept the EULA and click Advanced tab on the left (not Start Repair)
3. Click the Gather Logs button, and once it completes, attach the zip file it creates on your desktop to your next reply
   

[nukecad]

On 5/25/2019 at 4:42 PM, nukecad said:

I've noticed similar with MB3 free version (So no real time protection running).

The tray icon does not appear up at a normal startup, but it does seem to appear following a Windows 10 Cumulative Update, and occasionally if a programme installer is downloaded from the web.
(But not for document downloads which indicates that it's probably happening on purpose when you download an executable).
I've not yet done any testing or pinned it down enough to give any meaningful information to the devs, but will be keeping an eye on it.

As exile360 has said you can simply click on the tray icon and Quit Malwarebytes to stop the service and remove the icon.

I've had time to do a bit of testing today and found that the difference was between Shutdown and Restart.
(Which explains the Cumulative Updates and installers - They need a Restart).

Malwarebytes Free, (no real time, no scheduling, no automatic update check, no 'run at startup').
MB Version 3.7.1.2839, Comp Package 1.0538, Update package 1.0.10774.
Windows 10 Home 1903 build 18362.116 (64-bit)

Here is what I did:

1. Launch Malwarbytes to get the tray icon up, close the Malwarebytes UI.
2. Remove the Malwarbytes tray icon by clicking it and selecting 'Quit Malwarebytes'.
3. Shut down and reboot as many time as you like and the tray icon does not come back.
4. Now instead of shutting down use 'Restart' and the Malwarebytes tray icon will reappear every time.

I could repeat the above consistently, remove the tray icon and a 'Restart' will bring it back every time. Even if there has been a Shut down and boot in between.

I suspected that it was to do with the different way that Windows 10 handles Re-boot and Restart if 'Fast Start-up' is enabled.
A shutdown with Fast Start-up hibernates the system kernel; a Restart doesn't hibernate the kernel and does a full cold start.

So the next check was to see if Fast start-up was enabled (it was).

1. Disable Fast start-up.
2. Shut down.
3. Reboot - and the MB tray icon appears.

So whatever setting is preventing the tray icon from reappearing is being removed/reset if the kernel is not hiberated by Fast start-up

I don't know if that's of any help to those devs trying to track the issue down, but it does seem to point to where the issue may be.

[exile360]

That makes a lot of sense given the known issues with Fast Startup, not only for Malwarebytes, but for many other programs as well as some hardware drivers.  Info on how to check to see if Fast Startup is active as well as how to disable it can be found here as well as here.

[digmorcrusher]

My experience with this is that ever since version 3 came out the icon in the task bar has disappeared occasionally, a restart has always brought it back. Shutting down brings it back sometimes, I shut my computer down every night, the icon can be missing for 4 or 5 days in a row then all of a sudden reappears. No rhyme or  reason why this occurs. I have fast start enabled.

[nukecad]

An update to my above post regarding shutdown vs restart.

I've noticed that since the June Patch Tuesday updates the MB tray icon is now appearing everytime regardless of whether it's a shutdown/reboot with fast startup enabled, or a restart.

I'm not sure if it's Windows fast startup or Malwarebytes that has changed?

Edited June 14, 2019 by nukecad

[Maurice Naggar]

Hi Nukecad,

Please try uninstalling and reinstalling Malwarebytes for Windows using our Support tool. Let me know if that clears up the issue or not.

Uninstall and reinstall using the Malwarebytes Support Tool
https://support.malwarebytes.com/docs/DOC-2674

Cheers,

[exile360]

10 hours ago, nukecad said:

An update to my above post regarding shutdown vs restart.

I've noticed that since the June Patch Tuesday updates the MB tray icon is now appearing everytime regardless of whether it's a shutdown/reboot with fast startup enabled, or a restart.

I'm not sure if it's Windows fast startup or Malwarebytes that has changed?

It is likely simply that the patch changed the startup routine's timing which has been known to impact this issue.  It's very finicky and any change to the startup routine can alleviate it or cause it to return again, at least based on my observations (this is one reason I really don't like the Fast Startup feature as it is very inconsistent and I want to know for a fact that all of my system components, drivers, and especially security components and security software (including built-in security components of the OS itself, not just third party tools like Malwarebytes) are starting up and launching on boot normally and correctly as they should).

[nukecad]

Well I booted today and no MB tray icon.

TBH it doesn't bother me personally at all if it's there or not, (and it's easy enough to dismiss if it did bother me).
I was just reporting what it was doing.

@Maurice Naggar I may try the uninstall/reinstall tomorrow while I'm doing my weekly maintenance tasks.

[Valerio]

Hi everyone, this is my solution:

click the right button on the icon and remove the tick at the words 'Start up with Windows” clicking on it. If it is not there put it clicking on it, switch off and switch on the PC, remove it and switch off and switch on the PC again.