What is windows 32 or 64 bit

32-Bit vs. 64-Bit OSes: What’s the Difference?

Chances are good you’re running an x64-based operating system, but what does that even mean?

There are a lot of ways to count, but when it comes to computers there is only binary: 0 and 1. Each one is a considered a «bit.» That means for 1-bit computing, you get two possible values; 2-bit means four values; then at 3 bits you double that to eight (2 to the third power, aka 2 cubed).

Keep going exponentially and you eventually get 32-bit (2 to the 32nd power) worth 4,294,967,296; 64-bit (or 2 to the 64th power) is worth 18,446,744,073,709,551,616 values. That’s 18.4 quintillion and change.

That’s a lot of bits, and the numbers show just how much more powerful a chip that supports higher-bit computing can be. It’s a lot more than double.

That’s because every few years, the chips inside the computers (even smartphones) and the software running on those chips make leaps forward in supporting a new number. For example:

It’s pretty obvious: 64-bit, sometimes styled as x64, is capable of doing more than 32-bit. You might know 32-bit as x86, a term that originally referred to any OS with the instruction set to work on Intel chips like the 8086 through 80486.

These days, you are most likely already running 64-bit chips with 64-bit operating systems, which in turn run 64-bit apps (for mobile) or programs (on the desktop, to settle on some nomenclature). But not always. Windows 7, 8, 8.1, and 10 all came in 32-bit or 64-bit versions, for example.

How do you even tell which one you have?

Identify a 64-Bit OS

If you are running Windows on a computer less than 10 years old, your chip is almost guaranteed to be 64-bit, but you may have installed a 32-bit version of the OS. It’s easy enough to check.

In Windows 10, go to Settings > System > About or type About in the Windows 10 search box. Under the Device specifications heading, you’ll see it at System type: «64-bit operating system, x64-based processor» means you’re covered.

Mac users don’t have to worry about this, as MacOS has been 64-bit only for a long time. In fact, as of the latest version (10.14 Catalina) 32-bit applications on a Mac aren’t even technically supported, but we have a guide for running 32-Bit apps in MacOS Catalina. If you must.

Why 32-Bit at All?

Why would you install a 32-bit OS on a PC? The big reason is because you have a 32-bit processor, which requires a 32-bit OS.

Having such a CPU today is unlikely. Intel started making 32-bit processors in the 80386 range way back in 1985; it was selling 64-bit processors by 2001. If you’ve bought a PC since the Pentium D chip came out in 2005, it’s unlikely you’d have only a 32-bit instruction set inside.

More likely, you have an old system with an operating system you installed that only came as 32-bit. Subsequent upgrades, if any, may not have jumped your install up to 64-bit. That may be fine—not all of the earliest 64-bit processors had all the features in place. You can determine if your PC is really ready for full 64-bit by using software like 64bit Checker. It works on all versions of Windows going back to Windows 95.

Installing a 32-bit OS on a 64-bit-architecture system can work, but it’s not optimal. A 32-bit OS, for example, has more limitations—the standout being it can only really utilize 4GB of RAM. Installing more RAM on a system with a 32-bit OS doesn’t have much impact on performance. However, upgrade that system with excess RAM to the 64-bit version of Windows, and you’ll notice a difference.

This should spell it out in the starkest way: the officially supported maximum RAM on Windows 10 is 2 terabytes (or 128GB on Windows 10 Home).

The theoretical limit of RAM at 64-bit: 16 exabytes. That’s equal to 1 million terabytes or 1 billion gigabytes. But we’re a long way from having hardware that could ever support that. (Either way, it makes buying a new laptop with 16GB of RAM seem unimpressive, doesn’t it?)

64-bit computing features many other improvements, though in ways that may not be noticeable to the naked eye. Wider data paths, larger integer sizes, eight-octet memory addresses. It’s all stuff for the computer scientists to take advantage of, to make your computing all the more powerful.

Programs in 64-Bits

You may also notice that some programs you download for your desktop operating system come in 32- and 64-bit versions. Firefox is a good example, where the options are «Windows 32-bit» and «Windows 64-bit» (as well as «Linux» or «Linux 64-bit»—the macOS version is 64-bit only).

Why do that? Because 32-bit OSes are still out there for some. Those systems need 32-bit software—they typically can’t even install a 64-bit program, and certainly won’t run them. However, a 64-bit OS can support a 32-bit program—Windows in particular has built in an emulation subsystem for that, called Windows32 on Windows64, or WoW64.

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How to Tell If You Have Windows 64-Bit or 32-Bit

See if your Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista, or XP install is 32-bit or 64-bit

Not sure if your installed version of Windows is 32-bit or 64-bit?

If you’re running Windows XP, chances are it’s 32-bit. However, if you’re on Windows 10, Windows 8, Windows 7, or Windows Vista, the chance that you’re running a 64-bit version goes up considerably.

Of course, this isn’t something you want to take a guess at.

Knowing if your copy of Windows is 32-bit or 64-bit becomes very important when installing device drivers for your hardware and choosing between certain kinds of software.

One quick way to tell if you’re running a 32-bit or 64-bit version of Windows is by looking at information about your operating system installation in Control Panel. However, the specific steps involved depend a lot on which operating system you’re using.

See What Version of Windows Do I Have? if you’re not sure which of those several versions of Windows is installed on your computer.

Another quick and simple way to check if you’re running a 32-bit or 64-bit version of Windows is to check the «Program Files» folder. There’s more on that at the very bottom of this page.

Windows 10 & Windows 8: 64-Bit or 32-Bit?

You can check your Windows system type much faster from the Power User Menu, but it’s probably speedier that way only if you’re using a keyboard or mouse. With that menu open, select System and then skip to Step 4.

Choose System and Security within Control Panel.

You won’t see a System and Security link in Control Panel if your view is set to either Large icons or Small icons. If so, select System and then skip to Step 4.

Choose System.

This screen can also be opened by executing the control /name Microsoft.System command from Run or Command Prompt.

Find the System area, located under the large Windows logo. Within there, next to System type, it will say either 64-bit Operating System or 32-bit Operating System.

The second bit of information, either x64-based processor or x86-based processor, indicates the hardware architecture. It’s possible to install a 32-bit edition of Windows on either an x86 or x64 based system, but a 64-bit edition can only be installed on x64 hardware.

You should now know for certain whether Windows 10/8 is 32-bit or 64-bit

Windows 7: 64-Bit or 32-Bit?

Go to Start > Control Panel.

Choose System and Security.

Don’t see it? Just choose System and then proceed to Step 4.

Select System.

Locate the System area below the oversized Windows logo, and look for System type among the other statistics about your computer.

This will report either 32-bit Operating System or 64-bit Operating System.

There is no 64-bit version of Windows 7 Starter Edition.

Now you know whether you have Windows 7 64-bit or 32-bit.

Windows Vista: 64-Bit or 32-Bit?

Select Control Panel from the Start menu.

Choose System and Maintenance.

If you’re viewing the Classic View of Control Panel, you won’t see this link. Just open System instead and then proceed to Step 4.

Select System.

Locate the System area below the big Windows logo. Within that section is one called System type.

Look here to see if you have Windows Vista 32-bit or 64-bit, indicated by either 32-bit Operating System or 64-bit Operating System.

There is no 64-bit version of Windows Vista Starter Edition.

You should now know whether you have Windows Vista 64-bit or 32-bit.

Windows XP: 64-Bit or 32-Bit?

Select Start and then choose Control Panel.

Select Performance and Maintenance.

If you don’t see this link, open System and then go down to Step 4.

Choose System.

Locate the System area to the right of the Windows logo.

You should be on the General tab in System Properties.

Under System is basic information about the version of Windows XP installed on your computer:

There are no 64-bit versions of Windows XP Home or Windows XP Media Center Edition. If you have either of these editions of Windows XP, you’re running a 32-bit operating system.

Now you know if you’re running Windows XP 64-bit or 32-bit.

Check the ‘Program Files’ Folder Name

This method isn’t as easy to understand as using Control Panel but it does provide a quick way of checking on whether you’re running a 64-bit or 32-bit version of Windows, and is especially helpful if you’re looking for this information from a command line tool.

If your version of Windows is 64-bit, you’re able to install both 32-bit and 64-bit software programs, so there are two different «Program Files» folders on your computer. However, 32-bit versions of Windows have just one folder since they can only install 32-bit programs.

Here’s an easy way to comprehend this.

Two program folders exist on a 64-bit version of Windows:

32-bit versions of Windows have just one folder:

Therefore, if you find only one folder when checking this location, you’re using a 32-bit version of Windows. If there are two «Program Files» folder, you’re for sure using a 64-bit version.

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How to determine if you have a 32-bit or 64-bit CPU

The steps to determine whether your computer has a 32-bit or 64-bit processor (CPU) depend on the type of operating system installed. Below are the steps to determine the processor type for Windows, Mac, and Linux.

Windows 8 and 10

To determine your CPU type in Windows 8 and Windows 10:

Or, if you do not have a search box (because you have disabled it):

Earlier versions of Windows

If you are using an earlier version of Windows, follow these steps.

On the right side of System Information, look for the System Type option under the Item column. The associated value, in the Value column, will tell you which type of CPU the computer has in it. If the System Type value includes «x86» in it, the CPU is 32-bit. If the System Type value includes «x64» in it, the CPU is 64-bit.

Determine if using 32-bit or 64-bit version of Windows

Microsoft Windows is available in 64-bit and 32-bit. 32-bit processors can only run 32-bit versions of Windows. However, 64-bit processors can run either the 64-bit or 32-bit versions.

To determine if the version of Windows on your computer is 32-bit or 64-bit, choose your version and follow the steps.

Determine if Windows Vista, 7, 8 and 10 is 32-bit or 64-bit

Determine if Windows XP is 32-bit or 64-bit

Determine if Windows 2000 and prior is 32-bit or 64-bit

Windows operating systems, from Windows 95 to Windows 2000, are all 32-bit. There are no 64-bit versions of these operating systems.

Apple macOS

On the macOS, click the Apple icon in the menu bar. Select the About This Mac option in the Apple menu. On the About This Mac window, click the More Info option. Open the Hardware section and find the Processor Name attribute. Once listed, perform an Internet search, using that CPU’s processor name as a keyword, to determine if it’s a 32-bit or 64-bit CPU.

As shown in the table above, all the most recent Mac computers are 64-bit processors.

Linux

On the Linux operating system, access the command line interface and enter the following command.

Look for «lm» in the command output. If lm is found in the output, then the CPU is 64-bit. If you don’t see lm or see i386, i486, i586, or i686 in the output, then the CPU is 32-bit. Below is an example output of the command above with lm in the information.

Determine if the Linux kernel is 32-bit or 64-bit

Using the uname command, you can determine if your Linux kernel is 32-bit or 64-bit by running the command below.

This command would give you output similar to the example output below.

If you see x86_64 in the output, this indicates it is x86 and that it is 64-bit.

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What’s the Difference Between 32-Bit and 64-Bit Windows?

What’s the difference between 32-bit and 64-bit Windows? Here’s a simple explanation and how to check which version you have.

When you consider Windows versions, you might think of the Home or Pro editions. While these are indeed different, there’s another factor that separates Windows versions: Is the system 32-bit or 64-bit?

You might have heard the terms 32-bit and 64-bit thrown around, but never really understood them. Let’s take a look at where these designations come from, and what they mean for your computing experience.

What Makes a Computer 32 or 64-Bit?

Whether your computer architecture is 32-bit or 64-bit depends on the processor (CPU) inside your computer. The majority of computer processors fall into one of these two categories, with 64-bit superseding 32-bit over the past several years. 64-bit processors are exponentially more powerful than their 32-bit counterparts because they can hold and process so much more information.

To understand the magnitude of the differences between 32-bit and 64-bit, you have to understand a bit about counting in binary. Unlike our decimal system, which has ten digits per place, binary only has two: 0 or 1.

Thus, a 32-bit number has 2^32 possible addresses, or 4,294,967,296. Conversely, a 64-bit number’s capacity is 2^64, or 18,446,744,073,709,551,616. Comparing

4 billion bytes (about 4 gigabytes) to

18 quintillion bytes (about 18 billion gigabytes or 16 exabytes) showcases the vast difference.

You can choose between the 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows that Microsoft provides when you download and install it.

How Windows Differs Between 32-Bit and 64-Bit

If you’re using a 64-bit processor, you also need to use a 64-bit version of Windows to take advantage of it. 32-bit versions of Windows work on 64-bit processors, but can’t use the extra power.

You can’t install a 64-bit version of Windows on 32-bit processors. However, 64-bit Windows is backward compatible with 32-bit software, as we’ll discuss.

There are two major places you’ll notice the difference between 32-bit and 64-bit in Windows. One is that a 32-bit version of Windows can only utilize up to 4GB of RAM (or less). Thus, if you have 16GB of RAM in your computer, but it’s running 32-bit Windows, it won’t actually use more than 4GB.

The other place you’ll find a difference is the Program Files folder. On a 32-bit version of Windows, apps will install to the only Program Files folder. 64-bit systems have an additional Program Files (x86) folder for 32-bit software. This is because writing software for a 32-bit architecture is vastly different from writing it for a 64-bit system.

When programs want to grab some shared information, like DLLs, they need to look in the correct Program Files directory. This is why Windows keeps them separate. A 32-bit program would have no idea what to do with a 64-bit DLL.

Note that in Windows, 32-bit is referred to as x86, and 64-bit is called x64.

Ancient versions of Windows, like Windows 3.1, ran 16-bit software. 32-bit versions of Windows are backward-compatible with these legacy programs. If you have a 64-bit machine, however, you can’t run archaic 16-bit software. You’ll have to turn to emulating a 32-bit operating system.

In addition, 64-bit Windows requires 64-bit device drivers. If you have an old printer or something that only offers 32-bit drivers, it won’t work on your modern 64-bit system.

Differences Between 32-Bit and 64-Bit Programs

When you install software, it varies by vendor whether you get a 32-bit or 64-bit version. Some developers only provide a 32-bit version, sometimes they let you choose, and still others automatically install the right version for you.

If you’re running a 64-bit version of Windows, you should install the 64-bit versions of software whenever you can. But don’t fret if a vendor doesn’t offer a 64-bit version, as the 32-bit edition should work just fine.

64-bit versions of programs probably won’t blow you away with increased speed. However, they do take advantage of the increased security of 64-bit architecture and can utilize more than 4GB of RAM at a time. They’re thus often more stable and efficient than their 32-bit counterparts.

Keep an eye out for links such as Versions or Editions on vendors’ download pages to see if they offer a 64-bit version. Because 32-bit software works on every system, it’s understandably the default for some vendors.

Of course, if you’re on a 32-bit system, only 32-bit software will work for you. For more, take a look at how to run really old software on a 64-bit PC.

Am I Running 64-Bit or 32-Bit Windows?

Now that we’ve discussed the differences between 32 and 64-bit versions of Windows, we can find out which version you’re using.

On Windows 10, right-click the Start Button and choose System. You can also browse to Settings > System > About. Here, you’ll see a Device specifications header.

Next to System Type, Windows lists whether your installation is 32 or 64-bit, plus your processor architecture.

On Windows 7 and earlier, right-click Computer in the Start Menu and choose Properties. Use the Win + Pause shortcut to open this menu on any version of Windows. You’ll see the System type entry with your OS and CPU architecture.

Both panels also list your Installed RAM here. On a 32-bit system, this will note something like 4GB usable if you have over 4GB installed.

Can I Upgrade 32-Bit Windows to 64-Bit Windows?

Your processor and operating system bit sizes should match. But if they don’t, you might be able to upgrade. If you’re running a 32-bit version of Windows 10 on a 64-bit processor, you can follow our guide to upgrade to 64-bit Windows.

Those running a 32-bit version of Windows on a 32-bit processor can’t upgrade. You’ll need to purchase a new machine to take advantage of 64-bit. Any decent computer manufactured in the last several years should include a 64-bit processor and 64-bit Windows.

Now You Know How 32-Bit and 64-Bit Differ

64-bit computing is the new standard, but it hasn’t always been this way. While Windows XP offered a 64-bit version, it caused a headache of compatibility issues, so few people used it. Use of 64-bit systems didn’t become too popular until Windows 7, and 64-bit is the standard for Windows 10 today.

4GB of RAM, which was an unfathomable amount when CPUs were first designed, is still a workable amount of memory for light use. However, as component prices continue to drop, low-end machines keep shipping with more RAM. Eventually,this will make 32-bit systems completely obsolete.

In turn, developers will focus on developing 64-bit software, which will be the standard for a long, long time. We probably won’t hit that RAM ceiling for some time; just imagine what you could do with a terabyte of RAM!

Here are some fun secrets that you can use to take your Netflix experience to the next level.

Ben is a Deputy Editor and the Onboarding Manager at MakeUseOf. He left his IT job to write full-time in 2016 and has never looked back. He’s been covering tech tutorials, video game recommendations, and more as a professional writer for over six years.

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