The steps to determine whether your computer has a 32-bit or 64-bit processor (CPU) depend on the operating system installed. Below are the steps to determine the processor type for Windows, Mac, and Linux.

Windows 8, 10, and 11

See the following steps to determine your CPU type and how many bits the processor has in Windows 8, Windows 10, and Windows 11.

  • Windows 8, 10, and 11.

  • Earlier versions of Windows.

  • Determine if using 32-bit or 64-bit version of Windows

  • Apple macOS.

  • Linux.

  • Type system information in the Windows search box and select the System Information icon.

Or, if you do not have a search box (because you have disabled it):

  • Open a File Explorer window by pressing Windows key+E.

  • On the left, right-click This PC.

  • In the context menu, select Properties to open the System Properties window.

  • In the System Properties window, find your System type, which lists your operating system and CPU type.

Earlier versions of Windows

With earlier versions of Windows, follow these steps.

To determine the processor’s manufacturer (e.g., AMD or Intel) and its model, see the Processor line.

  • Open the Start menu > All Programs. Open the Accessories folder, then the System Tools folder. In the System Tools folder, select the System Information option.

  • Look for the System Type option under the Item column on the right side of System Information. In the Value column, the associated value tells you which type of CPU the computer has in it. If the System Type value includes “x86” in it, the CPU is 32-bit. If the System Type value includes “x64” in it, the CPU is 64-bit.

Determine if using 32-bit or 64-bit version of Windows

Microsoft Windows is available in 64-bit and 32-bit. 32-bit processors can only run 32-bit versions of Windows. However, 64-bit processors can run either the 64-bit or 32-bit versions.

See our System Information page for further information about this utility.

To determine if the version of Windows on your computer is 32-bit or 64-bit, choose your version and follow the steps.

Determine if Windows Vista and later is 32-bit or 64-bit

  • Press and hold the Windows key and the Pause key.

  • The System window, next to System type, lists 32-bit Operating System for a 32-bit version of Windows and 64-bit Operating System if you’re running the 64-bit version. Below is a picture and an example of this window.

  • Windows Vista and later

  • Windows XP

  • Windows 2000 and prior

Some laptops don’t have a Pause key. Instead, the Pause key is a secondary function of a function key, and you need to press the Fn key and that function key.

Determine if Windows XP is 32-bit or 64-bit

  • Press and hold the Windows key and the Pause key, or open the System icon in the Control Panel.
  • On the General tab of the System Properties window, if it has the text Windows XP, the computer runs the 32-bit version of Windows XP. If it has the text Windows XP Professional x64 Edition, the computer runs the 64-bit version of Windows XP.

Determine if Windows 2000 and prior is 32-bit or 64-bit

Windows operating systems, from Windows 95 to Windows 2000, are all 32-bit. There are no 64-bit versions of these operating systems.

Apple macOS

On a macOS computer, follow these steps to determine if the processor is 32-bit or 64-bit.

  • Click the Apple icon in the menu bar at the upper-left corner.
  • Select the About This Mac option in the Apple menu.
  • On the About This Mac window, click the More Info option.
  • Open the Hardware section and find the Processor Name attribute. Once listed, perform an Internet search, using the CPU’s processor name as a keyword, to determine if it’s a 32-bit or 64-bit CPU.

The table above shows that all the most recent Mac computers are 64-bit processors.

Linux

Access the command line interface on the Linux operating system, and enter the following command.

grep flags /proc/cpuinfo

Look for “lm” in the command output. If lm is found in the output, then the CPU is 64-bit. If you don’t see lm or see i386, i486, i586, or i686 in the output, then the CPU is 32-bit. Below is an example output of the command above with lm in the information.

flags : fpu vme de pse tsc msr pae mce cx8 apic sep mtrr pge mca cmov pat pse36 clflush dts acpi mmx fxsr sse sse2 ss ht tm pbe syscall nx lm constant_tsc arch_perfmon pebs bts rep_good pni monitor ds_cpl est tm2 ssse3 cx16 xtpr sse4_1 lahf_lm

Determine if the Linux kernel is 32-bit or 64-bit

Using the uname command, you can determine if your Linux kernel is 32-bit or 64-bit by running the command below.

uname -a

The command above displays an output similar to the example output below.

SMP Tue Feb 12 00:15:43 EST 2008 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux

If you see x86_64 in the output, it is x86 and 64-bit.

  • Can I upgrade my OS from 32-bit to 64-bit?
  • How many cores does my computer have?
  • See 32-bit and 64-bit dictionary definitions for our additional information and related links.
  • CPU help and support.