What’s Encoder_en.exe (Microsoft Expression Encoder 4)? Is it safe or a virus?

Encoder_en.exe is part of Microsoft Expression Encoder 4, a tool developed by Microsoft for encoding audio and video. This application is primarily used for video editing, encoding, and live broadcasting. It supports various multimedia content formats and is commonly utilized for preparing media for online publishing and streaming. Expression Encoder 4 also allows screen recording, timeline editing, and customizing video compression settings to optimize files for different platforms. While the tool was widely used in its time, Microsoft ended its support for the Expression Studio suite of tools, including Expression Encoder 4, in 2014.

Below are 4 simple steps you can take to see if the Encoder_en.exe process is safe or malware.

Researched by Carl @ SpyShelter Labs

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Who makes Encoder_en.exe (Microsoft Expression Encoder 4)?

We’ve found Microsoft Corporation should be the publisher of Encoder_en.exe.

How do we know? Our SpyShelter cybersecurity labs focuses on monitoring different types of Windows PC executables and their behaviors for our popular SpyShelter Antispyware software. Learn more about us, and how our cybersecurity team studies Windows PC executables/processes.

What does it mean if someone is the publisher of a PC .exe (executable or process)?

The publisher of an executable is the entity responsible for its distribution and authenticity. Most processes/executables on your PC should be signed. The signature on the executable should have been verified through a third party whose job it is to make sure the entity is who it says it is. Find an unsigned executable? You should consider scanning any completely unsigned .exe on your PC.

Last updated: July 19, 2025

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