I have a computer with a 32-bit processor. Can I install a 64-bit Operating system?

This article will look at which Windows versions are supported on specific CPU architectures.

TIP: Check out this article to see how you can tell what version of Windows you are currently running.

Pre-built PC's and laptops, for office or home use, normally come pre-installed with operating systems that are already supported by the CPU architecture that is installed in the machine.

But let's imagine you buy a computer, and your operating system needs to be re-installed. You would need to know what type of processor the computer has, before you can proceed.

Let's look at how different Windows versions are supported.

Processor Architecture.	Supported Windows Version(s)	Comments
x86 (32-bit)	32-bit only	Computers built on a 32-bit processor can only support up to 4GB of RAM. Only 32-bit versions of operating systems can be installed on computers with this type of processor.
x64 (32-bit)	32-bit and 64-bit	Computers with this chipset can support up to 16TB of RAM (theoretically), and can support 32-bit as well as 64-bit versions of operating systems.

NOTE: Windows 11 can only be installed/is supported on systems with a 64-bit processor.