How-To Geek
What is the “Get Windows 10” Tray Item and How Do You Remove It?
Windows 7 and Windows 8 users might have noticed a new Windows icon in their system trays that when clicked, will open a dialog that introduces Windows 10 and determines if you’re eligible for a free upgrade. Here is how to remove that icon and dialog permanently.
We’re all aware of Windows 10 here at How-to Geek. We can’t go a day now without hearing about its pending arrival, which it turns out is July 29. In truth, we can’t wait for Windows 10 because we feel it finally fixes most of Windows 8’s ills and we believe it is going to be a must-have upgrade for all current Windows users.
Microsoft obviously believes this is true as well because they’re offering it as a free upgrade to most qualifying current Windows owners. They’re also pulling out the stops when it comes to making you, the average everyday Windows user, aware of its existence.
The Problem: An Icon You Can’t Get Rid Of
This includes adding a “Get Windows 10” icon and dialog to user’s system trays, which has alarmed quite a few people, who aren’t sure if it is some kind of trick or malware. Let us say with no uncertainty, it is not, but it is a little underhanded and annoying on Microsoft’s part.
The “Get Windows 10” icon opens a dialog that hypes the upcoming Windows upgrade and determines your availability to receive it for free.
When you click this icon, a dialog will appear, which will determine if your PC is Windows 10 ready, if you’re eligible to upgrade for free and, of course, regale you with all the wonderful things Windows 10 will mean to you.
This new icon and its resulting dialog are actually part of an application that appeared in late April 2015 as a recommended Windows update (KB3035583).
If you read Microsoft’s description on the update’s support page, it’s apparent that this is optional:
This update enables additional capabilities for Windows Update notifications when new updates are available to the user. It applies to a computer that is running Windows 8.1 or Windows 7 Service Pack 1 (SP1).
Basically, it simply lets Windows Update bug you about Windows 10’s impending arrival and will notify you when it is finally ready to download and install.
One of the biggest reasons many users, including us, are getting roped into installing this update is that the actual verbiage for the recommended update is a tad misleading.
This update doesn’t resolve any “issues” other than Microsoft’s own issue with getting the word out about Windows 10. Again, we don’t need help with this, and we’re pretty sure that on July 29 or shortly thereafter, we’ll upgrade one or more of our machines just as we’ve always done since Windows 9x and earlier.
What is KB3035583?
The worst thing about KB3035583 is that it is an executable that starts with your system.
The executable “GWX.exe” autostarts through the Task Scheduler. GWX.exe is the system tray icon. When you click the system tray icon, it spawns the application “GWXUX.exe”, which is the upgrade dialog discussed earlier.
To make this icon and its notifications go away, Microsoft unhelpfully recommends hiding them.
This works for the current session, but restart your system (which happens from time to time), and it reappears. In other words, it’s no simple feat to make it go away. You can’t right-click on the icon and tell it not to bug you anymore, and you could remove its entry from the Task Scheduler, but that doesn’t actually remove the GWX application from your system.
If you don’t want this item on your system, we recommend removing the update altogether because we don’t feel it is critical to upgrading to Windows 10, and even if it is, you can always go back on July 29 and reinstall it.
Hiding the Get Windows 10 Icon the Easy Way
If you want a really simple and easy way to get rid of this icon, you can download a little piece of freeware called GWX Control Panel from a developer that isn’t happy with the icon either.
Download it, run it, and then click the “Disable Get Windows 10 App (permanently remove icon)” button. And then click the “Disable Operating System Upgrades in Windows Update” button too for good measure.
You’ll have to reboot, but at the end, the icon will be gone and your computer shouldn’t get the upgrade. And luckily you can click those buttons again to put things back the way they were.
Removing KB3035583
To remove KB3035583, first open Windows Update and click “Installed Updates” in the bottom-left corner.
To quickly find KB3035583, you can sort by name. Once you’ve located it, right-click and choose “Uninstall”.
When you select to uninstall this update, you’ll be asked to confirm and then you will need to restart your computer.
Once your computer restarts, the “GWX.exe” and its associated “GWXUX.exe” applications will be removed and the system tray icon and resulting dialog will go away permanently.
If the Icon Returns
Some readers have noted that KB3035583 returns if you don’t hide it. If you have Windows updates set to download and install automatically, this means that if you uninstall this update, it will be reinstalled automatically a few days later.
To hide the KB3035583 update and prevent it from being reinstalled, right-click on it in the Windows Update application and select “Hide update”.
After, the update’s selection box will be grayed out and cannot be checked. From hereon, the update will be hidden whenever you reopen Windows Update unless you decide to restore it.
Icon Still Won’t Go Away?
There’s also a registry hack that you can use to prevent the icon from showing up.
Open up regedit.exe using the Start search or by hitting WIN + R and pasting it into the field. Then browse down to the following key, creating it if it doesn’t exist:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Gwx
Once you are there, create a new 32-bit DWORD value on the right-hand side named DisableGwx, and give it a value of 1.
Final Thoughts
Before we wind things up, we need to reiterate that we do believe that if you’re using any recent version of Windows (7 or 8.1), or you’ve held off and are still using Vista or even XP, that this is the time to finally take the plunge. Windows 10 should be a must-have upgrade and probably an unqualified success.
That said, installing a separate application as a recommended update is a sneaky way to go about ensuring user adoption. Add to that the fact that there’s no simple way to disable the GWX.exe application other than removing its autostart line from the Task Scheduler or uninstalling it through Windows Update, and we’re further puzzled at Microsoft’s reasoning and lack of transparency.
In the end, whether you feel this update process is helpful or whether you can make your way to upgrading to Windows 10 all by yourself will simply depend on how you’re used to doing things. If (and it looks like it will be) Windows 10 is available through Windows Update or the Windows Store, then we’re fairly certain most of us will upgrade that way.
Others may choose to do a clean install and for that, updating through Windows won’t even apply.
But now, we want to turn things over to you. Please tell us your thoughts on this matter. We encourage your questions and comments in our discussion forum.
- Published 06/2/15
Ugh. That thing wouldn't be so annoying if it didn't show up after every reboot. I'm not sure I see the purpose of running a task 24x7 just to advertise a free upgrade.
This is something that should run once, then remove itself from startup after it's done its thing.
Don't worry about the icon, but be more concerned about your computer's readiness to accept Windows 10. My 1 year old HP All-in-One desktop has a graphics driver that is apparently incompatible with the new OS, and an updated driver is not (yet) available, According to the Microsoft examination, I will have graphics problems with Windows 10.
Will Rogers wrote that he never met a man he didn't like. So this is true of people who review knives for knife magazines, guns for gun magazines, perfumes for the trade.
Operating System 10 is going to be the greatest thing since sliced bread, it will correct the errors of Windows 8 (strange that there are no reports of Microsoft people fired over Windows 8 and they are probably working on Windows 10!).
Oh, and by the way, there is this popup that they put in your windows 7 automatic update that you might want to get rid of because it is annoying. And, (starting a sentence with a preposition) the description of the popup is a bit inaccurate.
Go ahead and get Windows 10. I am not. This article helped. I am going to disable windows 7 updates.
"And" is a conjunction. A preposition would be "with," as in "a preposition is something with which you don't end a sentence."
Starting a sentence with "and" is grammatically incorrect, though. A more appropriate word would have been "also". Also (correct use of the focusing adjunct), we might want to work on your capitalization and correct use of tense.
As a courtesy, I present the relevant portion of your sarcastic diatribe, fixed for grammar:
Appreciate the HTG site, it's very useful, but in this case I reckon it's being just a tad too cynical. Whilst I appreciate that there will be some people that don't want anything to install without their prior permission, this is not a Lenovo SuperFish scenario. This is a helpful executable that has told me that my machine (7 years old!) is compatible with Windows 10 and the new OS will be downloaded and installed when it's released. Hoorah! Can't wait! Now, let's see, wasn't I doing something more important than this a moment ago?
How-To Geek keeps posting about how great this release is going to be.
They need to point out that Windows Media Center is not compatible with Windows 10.
Anyone who uses their PC as a HTPC would not be pleased with this free upgrade.
That's been discussed, and while it's disappointing to lose WMC, there are replacements, some of which are superior to WMC. Anyone using a CableCard tuner will definitely need to do their research and find a WMC alternative before upgrading to Windows 10.
Personally, I always thought that WMC was the worst of the options out there, and I only used it because it was the only one that supported CableCard. Once I got rid of my cable tuner, I dumped WMC altogether.
So, you are paying for cable.
I've got an Over The Air (OTA) tv tuner.
Companies like Hauppauge make tuner cards and PVR software to access and control the tuners, but none of them work as well as the built-in support offered by Windows Media Center.
Even Kodi/XBMC relies on Windows Media Center as the backend for its tuner support.
My favorite DVR software has to be Beyond TV, by Snapstream. Unfortunately, it's been discontinued, since Snapstream has moved on to corporate customers and ditched their consumer clients. (Don't think I'm bitter about that or anything.)
The loss of WMC is definitely a problem for people who use the PVR functions, and what's frustrating is that as I look around, everyone seems to be focusing on media playback, completely forgetting about recording.
One thing to keep an eye on is the new PVR project from the HD Homerun guys. It looks like this will record direct to NAS boxes, completely bypassing the computer for doing the actual recording.
As to Kodi, it apparently uses several different back ends for recording. http://kodi.wiki/view/PVR_backend
Also, as an interesting side note, the XBox One now supports using USB tuners directly. So while MS has killed Media Center, it's turned the X1 into a DVR. Go figure.
Yes, is is very sneaky on Microsoft's part. But, it is part of Microsoft's current philosophy of mimicking Apple. Apparently Microsoft has forgotten that many of its users preferred MS's operating philosophy over that of Apple. Now that MS is mimicking Apple, MS users are now going to have to go elsewhere. Linux and others are stepping up to welcome new users into their customer base.
How about How do i get it to show up? Personally looking forward to win10 with great anticipation! But The icon isn't there. the update was installed weeks ago, and there are no more to be installed. searching the C: drive found the .exe but it doesnt run. Also another question, if you uninstall the update, Do you lose your reservation?I think its kind of dumb to call it a "reservation" though. all your doing is telling it to download win10 sooner than later. which would take load off of the MS update servers on the 29th. Which I think is the whole point of it.
I just checked and I do have KB3035583 (installed on May 2, 2015). Interestingly, I have never seen the Windows 10 notification of which you speak/write and I have no new Windows icon. I've also checked Notification in the control panel and have no previously hidden icon for Windows 10. Guess I don't have to worry about it but at least now I'll know what to do if it ever does come up.
I always enjoy all the doomsayers and dire warnings. Face it, you will either be on Windows 10 soon, or you will switch to Linux or Apple, or you will be left behind as the world improves. All the weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth about Win8 has been a great source of entertainment, especially from those who should know better. Win 8.1 is patently better than all previous Windows incarnations - in every measurable way. Smaller, lighter, faster, more stable, better tools and controls... Yet there are STILL ostriches attempting to bury their heads in Win7 - or even XP. Some comments to that effect here already. LOL
Win10 promises to be even more entertaining, as all the Luddites try to justify their irrational fear of change. That will be harder this time. It will run well (better than 7) on older/slower hardware, so you can't accuse MS of forcing you to buy a new machine. It's everything good about Win 8, and none of the things (Metro UI) that irritated the reactionaries. Plus... it's free! Which in itself has provoked more dark suspicions than the NSA.![wink]( ":wink:")
All in all, good times ahead. /grin
Uninstalled kb3035583, restarted the comp and the icon came back a couple of hours later. thoughts?
I'm pretty sure you'll know when it happens, even without a desktop notification widget. That will,of course, be the day that the entire technosphere goes insane.
This should help answer many questions that people are having:Windows 10 FAQ & Tips - Microsoft
Regarding Windows Media Center:
That didn't work for me. When I booted my work PC this morning, the notification was in the tray again.
I think this particular helper is specifically designed to resist attempts to hide it. I don't know why, since it doesn't need to be visible to do its job.
[edit]
Just for fun, I did this again and rebooted. The icon reverted to the tray, and its entry on the customization menu is set back to "show icon and notifications".
Finally, able to hide "get windows 10" without it coming back after restart.
Go to Task Scheduler Library/Microsoft/Windows/Setup/gwxIn the middle pane of gwx, right click on the launchtrayprocess task, and click/tap on Disable.
I did a brute force approach that seemingly works on Win7 Home Premium.1. Open C:\windows\System32 and locate GWX folder. (The content of the folder is rather well protected therefore I couldn't rename or tamper the GWX.exe or other files.)2. Rename it as you pleased (I did an uderscore _ in front to be able to reactivate it on 28 July)3. Restart your computer.4. If you want to accept the free download provided, don't forget to undo the renaming on 28th July![wink]( ":wink:")
I just did this and rebooted my computer. The system tray icon went away so far. I did not check whether it affects other programs, have hidden dependencies, etc. so any observations are not only welcomed but expected![smile]( ":smile:")
I like things simple, especially on my pc. It's why my desktop and browser are simple, uncluttered, and straight forward. Anything I want is, literally, one click away. (all of my go-to daily links I made a .html page for all to myself or I can go into my bookmarks / favorites.)
(No they're not REALLY this small, but I didn't want to post super huge pics.)
So when something appears that I sure as hell don't want, I'll remove it. Kinda like a fly sitting on your tv screen when you're watching your favorite show.And when something gets itself onto my pc and I can't remove it easily, I get pissed as hell and find a way to remove it. (In my opinion, this GWX is nothing less than malware.)The guy over on Dedoimedo nicely sums how how I feel about the GWX.exe
Bassano_Collection_H, thank you so much for recommending the _ in front of the name. It wouldn't let me mess with any of the files but I put one little _ in front of the folder name, restarted my pc, and BAM! It's gone! It's only been an hour, and I'll be keeping my eyes open for any problems that may arise if this little piece of [explicit language censor] is dependant on anything. But, regardless, THANK YOU!
Also, a huge thank you to everyone else who's been posting ways to remove the GWX. All of you are saints in my opinion.
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There already is one. It's called Classic Shell.
A Metro app won't run at all on Windows 7, and pretty much all Windows 7 software runs on 8 (and 10.) So you're going to have to be more specific about what you're talking about. Since there are no apps that "go both ways" except for web browsers, that whole statement doesn't make a lot of sense.
No one is forcing you to use them, or even look at them. It's easy enough to unpin those items from the Start screen, and I'm sure there are group policies that can disable them entirely... but to call out Microsoft for having a store is kind of unfair, since every other desktop and mobile operating system also includes a store.
Apple has the app store on both desktop and mobile.Android has an official app store. Even Linux distros have software installers that with download and install most common software for you.
You have to buy your software from somewhere, what's wrong with the Microsoft store?
No one made you respond. I simply pointed out that there are real-world solutions to the problems you are complaining about.
The XBox ecosystem is not just for console users. Microsoft is rebranding their gaming ecosystem with the XBox label, and it will cover PC's, mobile, and consoles. Since you just said you're a gamer, you will appreciate the fact that Microsoft is working toward cross-platform gaming. In the future, you'll be able to play multiplayer games alongside console users, which will make things better for all gamers, not just the ones who use an XBox console.
If you install the Metro version of Skype, you get the Metro version of Skype. If you install the desktop version of Skype, you get the desktop version of Skype. It takes 10 seconds to get Skype for the desktop. Not bothering to look for it is definitely not an excuse for whining about it.
People didn't want a full screen Start menu. I don't see any hate for the tiles - just the fact that the tiles display took up the whole screen and we lost the hierarchical menu structure that Microsoft introduced in 7.
That's your choice. Ranting at the rest of us isn't going to make things any better. You're just annoying us all and taking the conversation off topic.
I never said it didn't. You're putting words in my mouth that aren't there, and you are also being unnecessarily confrontational.
Do I have to do everything for you?
Metro and Desktop apps are two different things. If you want an app to run on the desktop, you have to install the desktop version. I use it on my Windows 8.1 computers.
Here it is.
https://support.skype.com/en/faq/FA12162/how-do-i-get-the-desktop-version-of-skype-windows-8-or-above
I gave you the solution. ClassicShell replaces the Windows 10 Start menu with one that looks very much like the Windows 7 Start menu, but is actually better, as you can configure everything about it.
That isn't what's happening. Windows 8 comes with Metro replacements for some desktop software, such as Skype. You can use that version, or you can download the desktop edition, as I've already spelled out twice.
There's no cost for XBox for Windows, or whatever it's going to be called. So I don't know how you're being "bilked."
rantrant/Submitverb1.speak or shout at length in a wild, impassioned way.
Yes, you are ranting. You are throwing around emotionally charged, disparaging terms, and you seem to be unable to comprehend the answers that have been given which rebut the points you made.
At this point, every complaint you have made has a solution, but you continue on because the solutions aren't good enough for you. Things have to be solved your way, which simply isn't going to happen. Ever.
I was trying to have a civilized discussion. You are the one getting angry.
Sorry, what was that?
So turn those bits off. It's not going to be hard to do, since every company in the world that uses WIndows 10 PC's will want to do just that. I guarantee you that days after Windows 10 hits the general public, there will be registry hacks or GPO's published to do just that.
You're complaining about cosmetic issues that are easily changed. I'm sorry that I have no sympathy for your plight... but I don't. People have been whining about change since Windows 95 first came out.
Asking for Microsoft to change huge portions of the operating system to suit your whim isn't going to work. There are already solutions for all of your complaints, so at this point, if you're still complaining, it's ringing pretty hollow.
I agree with Monkey1; the app stores and all other crapware and adware should be completely removable and the software engineers working on the OS should write them as such.
Microsoft should not have taken the liberty of putting their Win10 executable on my Win7 machine as an important update. It was unethical. Has it cost me anything really? No, but I can only imagine what liberties they will take if I agree to upgrade to Windows 10 which I was happily considering before this latest update. I thought Microsoft had turned over a new leaf and they were moving toward transparency and trying to distance themselves from their tactics of old and the tactics of Google and Apple and such.
Thanks.
@Monkey1It seems as if your against Microsoft for some reason, but you're using their Windows OS. Why not install Linux or get a Mac? If you do, you will see that every OS company (Apple, Microsoft, Google, and Linux developers) all try to force something on you that is non-removable. Stick with Windows 7 forever, if you don't like the changes in Windows 8 or 10.
I am not sure when you started using Windows, but I'd guess that Windows 7 is not your first OS, maybe you had XP or an earlier OS. Wnidows 7 has many changes and also forces things on you that is non-removable that take up disk space.
That's really weird. On my machines GWX is using 0% of the CPU and 200KB of RAM. That's nothing that should cause those kinds of problems.
What are you talking about? There is zero evidence of this, and Microsoft has repeatedly said that this is not the case. If you're going to spread slanderous speculation, do it elsewhere.
The Mac nearly died while Windows 3.1 was king. Windows 95 was an astounding success, as was Windows XP. Overall, Windows runs on at least 90% of the world's desktop computers.
90% of the market is kind of the definition of "raving success."
Really, Microsoft has only had two major launches that were largely unsuccessful: Windows Vista added too many new technologies too quickly, and Windows 8 was poorly received because it was an ill-conceived attempt to create a tablet OS - then put it on the desktop.
Even Windows 8 has received a bad rap. The people I know who have taken the time to get to know it have generally not been disappointed.
Game over on Windows 10. Junior has entered the fray:
http://www.foxsports.com/nascar/story/dale-earnhardt-jr-microsoft-entry-into-nascar-includes-technology-agreements-sonoma-062215
I've read the many comments from this thread and others concerning the upgrade, both with amusement and bemusement, and I am always amazed at the panic, the fear of the unknown, the angst, and the gnashing of teeth, that the introduction of a new OS invariably causes.
MS is not forcing 10 down anyone's throat. If you don't want it, don't install it, pretty damn simple. Stick with what you have. I, myself, think it is a pretty good deal. I will wait 2-4 months after the release and then start converting my Win7 machines over to 10 (if the sky hasn't fallen by then), but that's just me.
By 'game over' I mean Win10 is here to stay, it's not going away no matter how much anyone whines and complains. Junior putting it on his car simply drives (no pun intended) home the point.