SUMMARY: MusNotifyIcon.exe, MusNotification.exe, MusNotificationUx.exe, MusDialogHandlers.dll and MusUpdateHandlers.dll files present in C:\Windows\System32 folder in your Windows 10 computer are not a virus or malware. These files are used by Windows 10 to show "Windows Update Status Icon" in Taskbar notification area when new updates are pending for download or install or your device needs to reboot to apply important updates.
Today in this article, we'll talk about following 3 executable files or processes:
- MusNotification.exe (Modern Update Settings Notification Broker)
- MusNotificationUx.exe (Modern Update Settings Notification User Experience)
- MusNotifyIcon.exe (Modern Update Settings Notify Icon)
These files are stored under C:\Windows\System32 folder. You'll find 2 extra DLL files related to these executables in the same directory which are:
- MusDialogHandlers.dll (Modern Update Settings Scan Dialog Handlers)
- MusUpdateHandlers.dll (Modern Update Settings Handler Implementation)
MUS stands for Modern Update Settings.
If you are worried about these executables and think that your computer is infected with some virus or malware, then relax. Don't worry! These executables are related to a new feature present in Windows 10 operating system known as "Windows Update Status Icon".
Windows Update Status Icon is shown in Taskbar notification area (system tray) when there are new updates available for download or install or your system needs to restart to apply updates.
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All Mus* EXE and DLL files are related to this new "Windows Update Status Icon" feature. The MusNotifyIcon.exe executable displays the Windows Update Status Icon in Taskbar notification area, that's why you see this process in Task Manager.
Removing MusNotifyIcon.exe Process and Windows Update Status Icon:
You can end task the MusNotifyIcon.exe process using Task Manager and it'll remove the Windows Update Status Icon from the notification area. If the icon doesn't disappear, move your mouse cursor over the icon and it'll disappear from Taskbar.
Prevent or Restrict MusNotifyIcon.exe Process from Running in Windows 10:
If you don't want Windows 10 to execute the MusNotifyIcon.exe and other related executables automatically in your system, you can delete or disable the scheduled tasks created by Windows 10 which launch these processes automatically at regular intervals.
Open Task Scheduler using taskschd.msc command and navigate to "Microsoft\Windows\UpdateOrchestrator" folder. In right-side pane, you'll find several tasks such as following:
- Backup Scan
- Maintenance Install
- MusUx_UpdateUpdateResults
- MusUx_UpdateInterval
- Reboot_AC
- Reboot_Battery
- Schedule Scan
- Schedule Scan Static Task
- UpdateModelTask
- USO_UxBroker
You can disable or delete these tasks and it'll block Windows 10 from running these executables automatically.
Permanently Disable Windows Update Status Icon Feature in Windows 10:
If you don't want to see Windows Update Status Icon in Taskbar notification area, you can force Windows 10 to disable this feature.
