This article might help explain the difference. Circle Triangle Square on this page. If a computer is using Windows 7 64-bit (x64) then either version of Office 2010 should work. But if a computer is using Windows 7 32-bit (x86) then only a 32-bit version of Office will work. The advantage of using Windows 7 64-bit is you can use more RAM (32-bit is limited to about 3.25GB of usable RAM.) So if you have to run several Office applications at the same time (like several spreadsheets, etc.) then the extra RAM should give you an improvement.

The advantage of 64bit when it comes to office and memory is really for handling very large datasets. But keep in mind that a very large dataset for Excel is a single spreadsheet file that is 2GB in size.

For compatibility issues with 32 bit plug-ins for Office, Microsoft recommends that you run a 32bit version of Microsoft Office. Almost all business environments continue to use the 32bit version of Office.and obviously business users have lots of simultaneous applications open all day long.and nearly all business users have 4GB of RAM or less.

Dec 15, 2016 Summary: Explains the benefits and drawbacks of deploying 64-bit Office, and why we recommend the 32-bit version of Office 2013 for most users. Try Microsoft Edge A fast. Office 2007; Office for Mac 2011. See the FAQ page for more information on how to determine the version(s) you need. The 32-bit version of Office is automatically installed unless you explicitly. Microsoft Office Excel. (x86) Office 2010 on computers that are running both.

Applies to: Office 2013, Office 365 ProPlus Topic Last Modified: 2016-12-16 Summary: Explains the benefits and drawbacks of deploying 64-bit Office, and why we recommend the 32-bit version of Office 2013 for most users. Audience: IT Professionals As more and more personal computers run 64-bit versions of Windows, it’s tempting to deploy the 64-bit version of Office 2013 to match. One benefit is that 64-bit Office allows users to work with larger sets of Excel and Project data. But, there are compatibility drawbacks for those users because Office add-ins and solutions might not work. That’s why 32-bit Office 2013 is recommended for most users. We recommend the 32-bit version of Office for most users, because it's more compatible with most other applications, especially third-party add-ins. This is why the 32-bit version of Office 2013 is installed by default, even on 64-bit Windows operating systems.

On these systems, the 32-bit Office client is supported as a Windows-32-on-Windows-64 (WOW64) installation. WOW64 is the x86 emulator that enables 32-bit Windows-based applications to run seamlessly on 64-bit Windows systems. This lets users continue to use existing Microsoft ActiveX Controls and COM add-ins with 32-bit Office. There are several cases in which you should consider deploying 64-bit Office 2013. Here are several examples: • Excel expert users who work with complex Excel worksheets can benefit from using 64-bit Office 2013. This is because 64-bit Office doesn’t impose hard limits on file size.

Backup Pst File While Outlook Is Open. Hwinfo V.3.88 Build 1410 Beta. Instead, workbook size is limited only by available memory and system resources. On the other hand, 32-bit Office is limited to 2 gigabytes (GB) of virtual address space, shared by Excel, the workbook, and add-ins that run in the same process.

(Worksheets smaller than 2 GB on disk might still contain enough data to occupy 2 GB or more of addressable memory.) You can learn more in and. • Users who use Project 2013 also benefit when they use Project files over 2 GB, especially when they are dealing with many subprojects to a large project. • In-house Office solution developers should have access to the 64-bit Office 2013 for testing and updating these solutions. • Office 2013 offers enhanced default security protections through Hardware Data Execution Prevention (DEP). (DEP) is a set of hardware and software technologies that perform additional checks on memory to help prevent malicious code from running on a system. For 64-bit installs, DEP will always be enforced for Office applications.

On 32-bit installs, you can configure DEP by using Group Policy settings. Most features that are included in the 32-bit version of Office are included in the 64-bit version of Office.

The following are some features that aren’t in the 64-bit version of Office. • Word The legacy Equation Editor isn’t supported on 64-bit Office 2013, but is supported for 32-bit Office 2013 installations (WOW64).

However, the equation builder feature in Word 2013 works on all platforms. • WLL (Word Add-in libraries) WLL files are available for 32-bit Office 2013 and aren’t supported in 64-bit Office 2013. Computers can have 64-bit and 32-bit controls installed, and Office 2013 64-bit can only run the 64-bit versions of the controls. The workaround for resolving these issues is to obtain 64-bit compatible controls and add-ins or to install Office 2013 32-bit.