Windows 10 May 2020 Update makes first move in ditching 32-bit support
Death of Windows 10 32-bit may be looming as Microsoft ends support for new PCs
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The next majorWindows 10update is set to mean big changes for PC makers concerning the versions of software they can offer.
Windows 10 May 2020 Update, which is due late in May, will drop support for the 32-bit version of theoperating systemon the OEM side.
In other words, as of the next big update, hardware manufacturers will no longer be offered 32-bit versions of Windows 10 to install on their devices, and any PC made going forward will have a 64-bit installation.
This isn’t a great surprise, really, and pretty much an expected move fromMicrosoft. If you look at the number of folks out there actually runningWindows 1032-bit, it’s an extremely small percentage (one fifth of a percent, looking at the most recent Steam hardware survey as an example). And the number of new PCs running a 32-bit version is doubtless even smaller…
Don’t panic
That said, before those with old PCs, or folks who are running the 32-bit spin on Windows 10 for legacy reasons, start to panic, Microsoft will still continue to support existing 32-bit installations of the operating system going forward.
Microsoft clarified: “This does not impact 32-bit customer systems that are manufactured with earlier versions of Windows 10; Microsoft remains committed to providing feature and security updates on these devices, including continued 32-bit media availability in non-OEM channels to support various upgrade installation scenarios.”
However, with Windows 10 32-bit being phased out as of the May 2020 Update, it’s clearly on the path to complete extinction now. And as to how long Microsoft feels it’s viable to continue providing updates for existing 32-bit systems, that’s an unknown factor – we’ll just have to see. But as we’ve already mentioned, the percentage of users out there is already vanishingly tiny, and at some point, a decision might be made about the use of resources in continuing that support.
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Of course, Windows 10 32-bit is hamstrung in various ways, not least of which is the ability to only support 4GB of system RAM.
Windows 10 May 2020 Update is expected to emerge on May 28, or possibly a day or two before, according to themost recent leaksand rumors we’ve seen – and it would appear tostill be on track to meet that purported schedule.
ViaNeowin
Darren is a freelancer writing news and features for TechRadar (and occasionally T3) across a broad range of computing topics including CPUs, GPUs, various other hardware, VPNs, antivirus and more. He has written about tech for the best part of three decades, and writes books in his spare time (his debut novel - ‘I Know What You Did Last Supper’ - was published by Hachette UK in 2013).
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