Choose between the 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Office

This post should help you choose between the 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Office. There are two versions of Office available to install 32-bit and 64-bit. Based on your requirement, you have a option to install 32 bit or 64 bit version of office. When you install Microsoft office on your computer the 32-bit version of Office is installed by default. Even on 64-bit Windows operating systems when you run the office install, 32-bit office is installed. Microsoft recommends 32-bit version of Office for most users, because it’s more compatible with most other applications. In this post we will try to understand the difference between the 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Office. We will also understand when to use 64 bit office and limitations of 64-bit version office.

When to use 64-bit office and Limitations of the 64-bit version of Office

Note – When you run an office setup that has both the 32-bit and the 64-bit version on it, you’ll be installing the 32-bit version of Office by default. When you press the Customize button in Setup, you’ll see the Platform tab if your system can support a 64-bit installation of Office.

Choose between the 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Office

As mentioned before, Microsoft recommends the 32-bit version of Office for most users, because it’s more compatible with most other applications, especially third-party add-ins. For an add-in to work with the 64-bit version of Office, it needs to be recompiled by the developer specifically for the 64-bit version of Office. In some cases the developer also needs to make some specific changes for 64-bit support or needs to wait for specific libraries, that the add-in relies on, to be recompiled for 64-bit.

Can i run 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Office on the same computer – No this is not possible. Office doesn’t support running side-by-side installations of 64-bit and 32-bit versions of Office. For example, you can’t install Office 2010 32-bit side-by-side with Office 2013 64-bit. This applies to both Windows Installer (MSI) and Click-to-Run installations of Office 2013. If you try to do this, you’ll receive an error message and be prevented from continuing.