If you do not know what bitness of the operating system is installed on your computer, then this will be discussed in this article.
Typically, users do not often ask this question. Most often, you may need to find out the bitness of the Windows operating system if you want to install any program, game or driver on your computer.
Starting with Windows XP, operating systems can have different types of bit depth:
– 32-bit OS – x32(can be designated x86);
– 64-bit OS – x64.
The main feature of 64-bit operating systems is that they are able to work with a large amount of RAM. Even if your computer or laptop has 4 GB of RAM installed, all running applications on 32-bit systems will use no more than 3 GB. Therefore, if you have 4 GB of RAM or more, it makes sense to install a 64-bit Windows operating system.
It should also be noted that if you download a program for a 64-bit OS, but you have a 32-bit OS installed, you will not be able to install it on your computer. In the event that everything is the other way around: you downloaded it for a 32-bit OS, but a 64-bit OS is installed, the program will be installed and will work.
Let's summarize. A 32-bit operating system does not use more than 3 GB of RAM, no matter how much is installed on the computer. And secondly, programs for 32-bit Windows operating systems will work normally in 64-bit ones, but not vice versa.
Now let's move on to the main topic of the article, and consider how to determine the bitness of the operating system Windows installed on your computer.
To find out the bitness of the Windows 7 operating system, on the Desktop, right-click on the “Computer” shortcut and select “Properties” from the drop-down menu.
If you don’t have such a shortcut, go to the “Start” menu and right-click on the “Computer” button there. Go to "Properties".
A window will open in which you will see all the basic information about the computer. The “System type” line will indicate the Windows bit depth.
If you need find out the bitness of the Windows 8 system, press the key combination “Ctrl+E”, the “Computer” window will open. Right-click on an empty space in it and go to “Properties”.
There is another way to open a window with basic system information. Press "Ctrl+I" to open the side pop-up panel. Select on it "Computer Information".
In the “System” window, the “System type” field will indicate the bit depth.
An article about that is already on the site. By following the link, you can familiarize yourself with it.
The fastest way to find out the bitness of the operating system is to press the key combination Win+Pause. It works in all mentioned versions of Windows.
Now you know how to determine the bitness of the Windows 7, 8, 10 operating system and can correctly select the software, applications and drivers that will match it.
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A 32-bit computer does not have the same capabilities as a 64-bit computer. If you don't know what type of Windows OS you are using, here we will tell you how you can find out.
Look at the banner at the top of the window - it will contain information: 32- or 64-bit system. If this information is not available, then (in most cases) you are dealing with a 32-bit version of Windows.
Hotkeys for calling this window are: Windows+ Pause/Break.
In the window that opens, information will be mentioned: 32-bit or 64-bit system.
If there is no information, then (in most cases) this is a 32-bit version of Windows.
These magical numbers for the uninitiated mean nothing more than the bit capacity of the operating system - that is, the ability of the processor and RAM to exchange a certain number of bits of information at one time. This is a very general definition; to fully understand the picture, you need to study the intricacies of computer architecture. Until 2004, when choosing an operating system version, it was important to know the bit depth of the installed processor, but 32-bit processors are no longer produced, so the question disappeared by itself.
You only need to know whether 32 (also called x86) or 64-bit Windows is installed if you install programs that offer a similar choice.
Despite the complex and confusing instructions on the official Microsoft website, determining the bit level of your operating system is extremely simple. For the entire fleet of Windows versions used, the method is the same and differs only in visual design. A small difference awaits those who want to check the bit depth only in Windows XP; more on that separately.
In Windows XP, Vista, 7 and 8, the bitness information is in the same place. Right-click on the “My Computer” icon and select “Properties”. In the window that opens there is a “General” or “System” tab, usually it will be shown by default. We look for the “System type” item and look at the necessary data. The same can be seen by finding the “System” icon in the control panel - Start, Control Panel, System. 
The line with information about the bit depth will look something like this - “System type: 64-bit operating system.”
For Windows XP there is one caveat: if the bit depth is not explicitly indicated, then the system is 32-bit. And if it is defined as 64-bit, the answer is obvious.
The main difference between 32 and 64-bit systems is the amount of RAM. For 32-bit there is a limit of 4 GB, which in fact gives a modest result in the range of 3.3-3.5 GB. If you install more memory, it will still only work a little more than three gigabytes. There is no way around this limitation.
64-bit systems support significantly larger volumes. The maximum limit is set at 192 GB using Windows 7 as an example. It is clear that it is almost impossible to even get close to the limit, let alone exceed it.
Skeptics argue that programs for 64-bit systems take up significantly more space on the disk and in RAM, but this is not so important. Music and video files consume the most space during permanent storage, and an installed 64-bit system, by definition, has a larger amount of RAM than the x86 version.
The use of a 64-bit operating system is inevitable when working with heavy loads on the equipment for processing significant amounts of information. Three-dimensional graphics, video editing and transcoding, audio capture and processing are much more comfortable within the 64-bit system. Moreover, many large software developers are going to completely abandon support for 32-bit systems in the next versions of their software.
Finally, it is worth noting: outdated programs work fine on a 64-bit system, but you should definitely take care of the latest versions of drivers. Drivers for x86 systems cannot be installed on a 64-bit system. If the necessary driver for your device (a high-quality but old sound card, TV tuner, various capture cards) is not available, you will either have to refuse to upgrade the operating system, or look for a replacement for the device.
This article explains how to determine whether your computer is running 64-bit or x86-x-based system software.
The screenshots were taken on Windows 10, but the instructions work on Windows 7 and Windows 8.
Quick Guide:
1. Open the Start menu.
2. In the search field, enter " System Information».
3. Click Enter on keyboard.
4. Click " System Information»
in the top left corner.
5. Find system type.
6. Check if it says " x64" (64-bit) or " x86"(32-bit).
And now in more detail:
