Microsoft stops 32-bit version of Windows 10 for OEMs

Windows 10 can no longer be used on new 32-bit devices from the May 2020 Update. Microsoft is changing the minimum system requirements for new OEM installations so that Windows can only ship on 64-bit systems.

Microsoft writes in the minimum hardware specifications of version 2004 of Windows 10 that the operating system on new OEM installations must support at least 64bit hardware. “As of Windows 10 version 2004, Microsoft will no longer release 32-bit builds for OEM distributions,” the company wrote.

The May 2020 Update came out on Wednesday. However, 32-bit hardware will still receive support for the time being and existing Windows 10 installations will still receive updates. Microsoft also continues to sell individual versions of the operating system.

Microsoft does not say that it actively wants to get rid of 32-bit installations of Windows, but that seems to be an increasingly logical choice. The 32-bit version of the operating system is no longer used often in practice. For example, Bleeping Computer notes that the OS on Steam is only used by 0.20 percent of all players. Microsoft itself has not provided a timeline for further depreciation of the OS.