Fix: Adobe Media Encoder is not Installed

Adobe Media Encoder helps transcode, ingest, create proxies, and output the media in any form. This is a powerful tool which usually accompanies other major Adobe software components such as Photoshop, Lightroom, After Effects etc.

Users using the latter applications might get an error message when using the software that ‘Adobe Media Encoder is not installed’. This error message would be accompanied by the link from where to download the application along with the specific error code. Now there can be two cases where you can experience this problem; one where you have the media encoder already installed and one where you don’t. In this article, we will address both the issues and how to fix them.

What causes the error message ‘Adobe Media Encoder is not Installed’ when using Adobe Products?

After our extensive research and experimentations, we came to the conclusion that there were several reasons why you might experience this issue computer to computer. Here are a few of them:

Before we proceed with the solution, make sure that you are logged in as an administrator on your computer. Furthermore, you should have an active and open internet connection. We are assuming that you have the correct subscription of Adobe Creative Cloud through which you use the applications.

Solution 1: Installing Adobe Media Encoder

The error message which you are experiencing is legit if you have indeed not installed Adobe Media Encoder on your computer. Some applications have made it necessary for the encoder to be present in your computer in order for full functionality. In this solution, we will navigate to the official website of Adobe systems and install the application after downloading it.

1. Navigate to the official Adobe Media Encoder website and download the executable to an accessible location.

You can also download the application directly from the Adobe Creative Cloud application. You can search for products there and install accordingly.

2. Right-click on the executable and select Run as administrator. After installing, restart your computer and check if the error message is resolved.

Solution 2: Changing the Preference of Install Location

Adobe applications are not designed to work properly if you change their install location manually by copy-pasting them. Registry files and preferences might break after you manually move the install location. Because of this, Adobe Media Encoder will, in reality, be installed on your computer but because of you changing the location manually, it will not be registered correctly in the system. In this solution, we will try to remedy this and make sure that the install location is correct.

1. First, try manually moving the applications back into the default directory which is:

C:\Program Files\Adobe

If after pasting the installation back to the default directory the error still persists, you have to follow the steps mentioned below.

2. Open Adobe Creative Cloud and uninstall all the applications which you have moved manually to some other location.
3. After installation, install the applications again from the Creative Cloud. Make sure that you change the preference of the install location correctly before proceeding.

Press the gear icon present at the top-right side of the application and select Preferences. Once in the preferences, check the Install location and select the default directory back again. Make sure that the directory is correct before proceeding.

4. Restart your computer after reinstalling/moving and check if the issue is resolved.

Solution 3: Correcting Programs Directory using cmd

As we discussed the case where the Adobe software (like After Effects) and Adobe Media encoder are not installed in the same directory; there is another workaround for this case where we manually change the directory and correct the misconfiguration. You can follow this solution if your After Effects (for example) is on C drive while Media Encoder is in another one.

1. First, check that the component version of both the modules is consistent with each other.
2. Now press Windows + S, type “command prompt” in the dialogue box, right-click on the application and select Run as administrator.
3. Once in elevated command prompt, execute the following command:

mklink /J "(your system drive letter):\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Media Encoder CC (version)" "(your customized location drive letter):\Adobe\ Adobe Media Encoder CC (version)"

As an example:

mklink /J "C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Media Encoder 2018" "F:\Adobe\Adobe Adobe Media Encoder CC 2018"

4. After you execute the command, you will confirmation. Restart your computer and try running the Adobe software again. Check if the issue is resolved.

Solution 4: Uninstalling Adobe CC Products

If all the above methods don’t work (no matter whether you had Adobe Media Encoder installed or not), the only logical explanation is that your CC products are corrupt or have improper structure. In this solution, we will completely remove the Adobe CC Products from your computer and then try reinstalling them again. Make sure that you have your Adobe Creative Cloud credentials at hand and some time for the download to complete.

1. Navigate to the Official Adobe CC Cleaner Tool website.
2. Now select the correct version of the operating system. In this case, Windows.

3. After you have selected the OS, follow the steps. Press Windows + R, type “appwiz.cpl” in the dialogue box and press Enter. Locate Adobe CC and after right-clicking, select Uninstall.

Now move to the 6^th step and download the executable to an accessible location.

4. After the download is complete, right-click on the application and select Run as administrator.
5. After a while, a command prompt will come forward with a list of options. Select the option according to your situation and press Enter.

6. Now the cleaner will proceed with the uninstallation and remove the program/s from your computer. Restart your computer and install Creative Cloud again. Then install the applications including Media Encoder and check if the issue is resolved.