Upgrade Windows from 32-Bit to 64-Bit (Check + How-To)
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Your PC can run 64-bit Windows if System Information shows an "x64-based processor" — check this at Settings > System > About, under System type. If it says "x86-based processor," you're limited to 32-bit Windows only, full stop. And here's the part almost nobody tells you: there is no such thing as x128-bit Windows — not in 2016, not today. If you've seen that term anywhere (including, we'll admit, in an older version of this very guide), it's a myth. Windows architectures stop at 64-bit; the only other option is a separate ARM64 build for ARM-based chips like Snapdragon.
What changed since we first wrote this
- Then: this guide walked you through checking 32-bit vs 64-bit so you could choose between 32-bit and 64-bit Windows 10 at install time — both were realistic options.
- Now: Windows 11 doesn't offer a 32-bit edition at all, and most new Windows 10 installs are 64-bit by default. The check itself hasn't changed — System type still lives in the same place — but what you do with the answer has.
- What that means for you: if your processor is x86-only, Windows 11 is off the table entirely, not just "not recommended."
How to Check on Windows 11 (Do This First)
Every Windows 11 install is already 64-bit — there was never a 32-bit edition of Windows 11 to begin with. So if Windows 11 is already running on your PC, this part of the question is answered: your processor is x64-based, because that's the only kind of chip Windows 11 will install on in the first place. What you're actually checking here is your processor architecture, which matters for driver hunting, old software, and virtual machines.
Settings app method
Press Win + I to open Settings directly — that's the Windows key plus the letter I, and it skips having to hunt for the Settings icon in the Start menu. Click System in the left column, then scroll down and click About. Under Device specifications, look for System type. It will read one of a small handful of things, which we cover in the table further down.
System Information method (works even if Settings is acting up)
Press Win + R to open the Run box — a small text field for launching programs directly by name, which is faster than digging through menus once you know the command. Type msinfo32 and press Enter. The System Information window opens with System Type listed on the very first screen, under System Summary. This tool has existed since Windows 2000 and still works exactly the same way, which makes it the most reliable fallback if the modern Settings app is frozen, missing, or being reinstalled.
♂️ Jake's Reality Check
"A customer swore his old laptop was 'x128-bit' and got angry when I told him that's not a real thing. Where does that even come from?"
Honestly, it doesn't come from anywhere real. There's no x128 CPU architecture, no x128 edition of Windows, and no roadmap for one.
Ethan's less diplomatic about it than Jake was with the customer. "People hear '32-bit, 64-bit' and assume the next number up the ladder must exist somewhere too. It doesn't. Windows stopped at 64-bit because that's already more memory addressing than any consumer PC needs in the foreseeable future — there's no market pressure pushing anyone to build a 128-bit consumer OS." Jake isn't fully convinced computing "just stops" like that, but Ethan's point stands: nothing in Microsoft's roadmap, past or present, mentions anything past 64-bit for desktop Windows.
Why Windows 11 Needs More Than Just a 64-bit CPU
This is where a lot of people get tripped up. Seeing "x64-based processor" in System type tells you your CPU is 64-bit capable — it does not tell you the CPU is on Microsoft's approved list for Windows 11, and it says nothing about the other requirements Windows 11 checks separately. A perfectly good 64-bit CPU from 2015 can fail a Windows 11 eligibility check even though it happily runs 64-bit Windows 10.
Windows 11 additionally requires TPM 2.0 (a small security chip, or its firmware equivalent called fTPM or PTT, that most motherboards from the last several years have built in but sometimes ship disabled), a UEFI motherboard with Secure Boot support, at least 4 GB of RAM, 64 GB of storage, and a graphics card capable of DirectX 12. On top of that, the CPU itself has to appear on Microsoft's approved processor list, which is roughly 8th-generation Intel Core or newer, AMD Ryzen 3000-series (Zen 2) or newer, and Qualcomm Snapdragon 850 or newer for ARM devices. Since the 24H2 update, Windows 11 also hard-requires two specific CPU instruction sets, POPCNT and SSE4.2, which rules out anything CPU-generation-2009-or-earlier even if you try to force an install.
⚠️ What this actually breaks
Unsupported Windows 11 installs (via Rufus, registry bypass tools, or similar) do still boot on ineligible hardware, but Microsoft doesn't guarantee them updates, and Windows Update may simply refuse to deliver feature updates or even security patches down the line. A watermark can also appear on the desktop. Treat an unsupported install as a stopgap, not a long-term plan for a machine you depend on.
To check all of this in one pass rather than piecing it together yourself, download Microsoft's free PC Health Check app and run the "Check now" eligibility test under Introducing Windows 11. It reads your TPM status, Secure Boot state, and exact CPU model against Microsoft's live list, and tells you specifically which requirement is failing if your PC doesn't qualify — something System Information alone cannot do.
How to Check on Windows 10
The steps are the same on both Windows 11 and Windows 10 — if you've already done this above, you don't need to repeat it. On Windows 10 specifically: press Win + I, click System, then About in the left sidebar (on Windows 10 it's a sidebar entry rather than something you scroll to). System type sits in the Device specifications block, exactly where it does on Windows 11. The msinfo32 method from above works identically here too.
One honest note if you're still on Windows 10
- Windows 10 22H2 stopped receiving free security updates on October 14, 2025 — it still boots and runs, but it's unsupported without action.
- Consumer Extended Security Updates (ESU) are still open for enrollment as of this writing, and now run through October 2027 for enrolled devices, via Settings > Windows Update > Enroll now.
- If your System type shows an eligible x64-based processor, checking your Windows 11 eligibility with PC Health Check is worth five minutes before you decide between ESU and staying on 10.
What Each System Type Reading Actually Means
System type shows two pieces of information at once, separated by a comma: what edition of Windows is currently installed, and what the underlying processor can actually handle. People often only read half of it, which is where the confusion starts.
| System type reads | What it means | Can it run Windows 11? |
|---|---|---|
| 64-bit operating system, x64-based processor | Both the installed Windows and the CPU are 64-bit. This is the normal, fully modern state. | Possibly — still check TPM 2.0 and the approved-CPU list. |
| 32-bit operating system, x64-based processor | Your CPU can do 64-bit, but the copy of Windows installed is the 32-bit edition, likely left over from an older install. You're not using the hardware's full capability. | Only after a clean install of 64-bit Windows, and only if TPM/CPU-list checks also pass. |
| 32-bit operating system, x86-based processor | The processor itself cannot run 64-bit code at all. This is a hardware limit, not a software choice. | No, never — this is a hard hardware wall. |
| ARM-based processor | A separate chip family (Qualcomm Snapdragon and similar) that runs its own ARM64 build of Windows rather than x86/x64. | Yes, on the ARM64 build, if the specific chip is on Microsoft's approved list. |
Moving From 32-bit to 64-bit Windows Is a Clean Install, Not an Upgrade
This is the part that catches people out. You cannot click a button inside 32-bit Windows and have it turn into 64-bit Windows in place — there is no in-place upgrade path between the two. Going from 32-bit to 64-bit means wiping the system drive and installing fresh.
⚠️ What this actually breaks
A clean install formats the drive Windows is on — usually C: — and everything on it goes with it: documents, photos, installed programs, saved passwords in local apps, all of it. Back up anything you care about to an external drive or a cloud service before you start. This is not a "your files might be at risk" caution; on this specific path, they are guaranteed to be wiped.
The practical upside: if your existing Windows license is digitally activated and tied to your Microsoft account, you generally don't need to buy or re-enter a product key. Reinstall the 64-bit edition on the same hardware, sign in with the same Microsoft account, and Windows typically re-activates on its own within a few minutes of connecting to the internet.
Drivers are the other thing to plan for
64-bit Windows needs 64-bit drivers — the small pieces of software that let Windows talk to your specific hardware, like the network card, graphics chip, or fingerprint reader. Most manufacturers stopped shipping 32-bit drivers years ago for anything sold after roughly 2015, so this is rarely a problem on modern hardware, but it's worth checking your laptop or motherboard maker's support page for a 64-bit driver pack before you wipe the drive, particularly for Wi-Fi, since that's the one component that will strand you without internet access to fetch drivers afterward.
✅ Why this is the one to use
If your System type shows an x64-based processor but 32-bit is installed, moving to 64-bit is worth doing even if you're staying on Windows 10 for now. 32-bit Windows can only use a small slice of installed RAM no matter how much is physically fitted — so a machine with 8 GB or 16 GB installed is quietly wasting most of it under 32-bit Windows.
Laptops, Old Hardware, VMs, and Other Edge Cases
Laptops and 2-in-1 tablets follow the identical check and identical rules — there's nothing form-factor-specific about System type. The one thing to watch for is very low-power tablet or 2-in-1 chips from the mid-2010s (some Atom-branded processors), which were technically x86 in some models rather than x64, and won't clear the 64-bit bar even though they're recent enough to look modern.
Windows running inside a virtual machine (VMware, VirtualBox, Hyper-V) reports the architecture of the virtual CPU assigned to it, not necessarily your physical host CPU. If the host CPU is x64 but the VM was created as a 32-bit guest, you'll see a 32-bit reading inside that VM regardless of what the host machine can do. Check the VM's own settings, not just System Information inside the guest.
Remote Desktop sessions report the architecture of the machine you're remoted into, not the device you're sitting at — useful to remember if you're checking a machine remotely and the numbers don't match what you expected from the physical hardware in front of you.
Genuinely old CPUs — anything predating roughly 2009 — may show as x64-based but still fail current Windows 11 installs specifically, because 24H2 and later hard-require the POPCNT and SSE4.2 CPU instructions, which some early 64-bit-capable chips never implemented. If PC Health Check fails a chip that "should" qualify by generation, this is often why.
Third-Party Tools, and When Not to Bother
For the plain question of "is this a 32-bit or 64-bit processor," the built-in Settings and System Information tools are enough — you don't need to install anything extra. Third-party utilities like CPU-Z or HWiNFO earn their place only when you need more than the headline answer: exact CPU stepping, instruction set support (including whether POPCNT and SSE4.2 are present, which matters for the 24H2-and-later Windows 11 requirement above), or you're troubleshooting a machine where Windows itself is reporting inconsistent information. For a one-time check before an install decision, skip the download and use what's already on the PC.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there such a thing as x128-bit Windows?
No. Windows architectures are 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64), plus a separate ARM64 build for ARM chips. There's no x128 processor architecture and never has been one on the roadmap.
Can I install Windows 11 on a 32-bit PC?
No, not ever. Windows 11 only exists as a 64-bit operating system. If System type shows an x86-based processor, Windows 11 is off the table regardless of anything else about the machine.
Why does my System type say "32-bit operating system, x64-based processor"?
Your processor supports 64-bit computing, but the copy of Windows installed on it right now is the 32-bit edition — very common on machines set up years ago. A clean install of 64-bit Windows lets you use the processor's full capability, including all your installed RAM.
Will I lose my files switching from 32-bit to 64-bit Windows?
Yes, unless you back up first. This move is a clean install, not an in-place upgrade, so the installer wipes the system drive. Copy anything you care about to an external drive or cloud storage beforehand.
Do I need a new product key to install 64-bit Windows?
Usually not. If your existing license is digitally linked to your Microsoft account on that hardware, the 64-bit installer typically activates on its own after setup finishes, without you re-entering a key.
Will my old 32-bit programs still work after switching to 64-bit Windows?
Most will. 64-bit Windows runs 32-bit applications through a built-in compatibility layer called WOW64. The exceptions are old drivers and some low-level system or antivirus utilities, which generally need a genuinely 64-bit version to work.
How do I check my processor if Windows won't boot?
Check the physical label on the PC or laptop, look up the exact model number on the manufacturer's spec page, or open the BIOS/UEFI setup screen (usually a key like Del or F2 at startup), which lists the processor name even when Windows itself won't start.
What is the PC Health Check app and do I need it?
PC Health Check is Microsoft's free tool specifically for Windows 11 eligibility. It checks TPM, Secure Boot, RAM, storage, and whether your exact CPU model is on Microsoft's approved list — details that System Information alone doesn't show you.
My CPU is 64-bit but PC Health Check still says my PC can't run Windows 11. Why?
64-bit support alone isn't enough. Windows 11 also needs TPM 2.0, a UEFI motherboard with Secure Boot capability, and a CPU on Microsoft's approved list, which excludes a number of older 64-bit processors that still run 64-bit Windows 10 without any issue.
Does a 32-bit operating system waste RAM on a 64-bit processor?
Yes. 32-bit Windows can only use a small slice of installed RAM no matter how much is physically fitted, even with 8 GB or 16 GB installed on a fully 64-bit-capable processor. Moving to 64-bit Windows lets the system actually use it all.
Also Read: How to find system information in Kali
Can I check bitness without opening Settings?
Yes. Press Win + R, type msinfo32, and hit Enter. System Information opens with System Type on the very first screen, and it works even if the Settings app itself is misbehaving.
Is it worth buying new hardware instead of a 32-bit to 64-bit clean install?
If your processor is x86-only, or a 64-bit CPU that isn't on Microsoft's Windows 11 approved list, a clean install only gets you as far as 64-bit Windows 10, which is already past standard support. In that situation, new hardware is usually the better long-term call over patching an aging setup with ESU.
Does this check work the same on a laptop or tablet?
Yes, identically to a desktop. The one wrinkle is that some low-power tablet and 2-in-1 chips, and all ARM-based Windows devices, show a separate ARM64-based processor entry instead of x86 or x64.
Revision note. Originally published November 11, 2016. Rewritten for Windows 11 and Windows 10. Back in 2016, this post was about choosing between 32-bit and 64-bit at install time — a real choice back then. Windows has since moved on: Windows 11 dropped 32-bit entirely, and most new installs default to 64-bit. If you're staring at an old machine trying to work out what it can and can't run, we know that's a frustrating rabbit hole to fall into — hopefully this saves you the guesswork.