Windows 11 Drops 32-Bit Support: Why Your Old PC Won’t Get the Upgrade

 Microsoft Windows has transitioned from Windows 10, to Windows 11 thereby denying so many people the right to download it.

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Windows 11 is fully in orbit now, and that’s supposed to be good news for many Windows OS users.New is good or better because, it always comes with additional functionalities beyond or far beyond, the previous operating system.    Support for PCs running Windows 10 ended on October 2025. And so upgrading to Windows 11 is free providing your PC meets the requirements needed to upgrade to the new operating system. The new Windows 11 operating system, comes with functionalities that are suppose to enhance user experience over and beyond what Windows 10 offered. More modern design, stronger security and improved performance. One such functionality is the fact that AI features are built into the operating system through the integrated Microsoft Copilot.For those of you familiar with Copilot, it is designed to be something of a ”digital companion.”  It is always by your side when you navigate the search engine looking for information. Call it your personal digital assistant that can answer your questions, assist with writing, and also create images for you.    Some features of interest  Windows 11 comes with some interesting features. One which I have already highlighted above, is the Microsoft Copilot digital assistant feature. Other interesting features include, The User Interface which has been completely redesigned so you have a centered start menu and task bar.  Productivity Tools have been enhanced such that it is possible to create multiple personalized virtual desktops. On top of that, you have the integration of Microsoft Teams with Teams chat built directly into the operating system. Phone link is possible so users with Android phones can connect their phones to their PCs, use apps and view photos, but also have the possibility of sending text messages.    Requirements for Windows 11  For all these features to function properly with no glitch or computer freezing requires a certain amount of computing power. This is why it is important for you to know what requirements are necessary for Windows 11 to run perfectly on your PC.   Here are some of the requirements needed to run Windows 11 on your PC/laptop. 1ghz processor or faster 4gb ram or higher 64gb or higher storage capacity Graphic card must be compatible with DirectX 12 or later with WDDM driver.  For full requirements, you can also go directly to the Microsoft official website.  With Windows 11 coming into full play there’s going to be a shift in user habits. This could be considered as a forceful change for the simple fact that an upgrade from Windows 10 would require having an X64 based device ONLY.  But why?    Why the shift from X32 to X64 based chip-set? Many PC owners running Windows 10 will run into difficulties should they decide to upgrade their devices to Windows 11. One reason is that most PCs running on Windows 10, may not meet the requirements needed to run Windows 11. Another reason is that unlike Windows 10 which was made available for both X32/X64-bit devices, Windows 11 con only run on X64-bit devices. This means that PC owners may have to ditch their old devices and shop for new ones that run on X64-bit chip-set. This may sound like being forced to buy something that you never budgeted for. Because buying a new device, depending on your needs, will make you spend something in the range of about $300-$500 minimum, if not more.  But for what reason must you spend you hard-earned money on a new device just to run Windows 11? Below are some of the reasons that may likely impact the use of devices running on X32-bit Chip-set    -The market is shrinking  According to some experts, the market for X32-bit Windows is slowly grinding to a halt, due to shrinking demands for such hardware and support.  Many believe that the x32-bit architecture is old and has already been phased out as many chip-set makers like Intel and the likes, are opting for x64-bit based systems.  -Ram limits  x32 based devices have limited processing power due to the fact that RAM is limited to roughly 4gb.Today, most of the software being used, requires more computing power to work properly. This means that x64 based devices are the best fit for such software to run smoothly.  -x32 applications can run on x64 devices If you have an x64 device, you can run x32-bit applications with it and they will work properly due an emulation layer called WoW64 which means, Windows 32-bit on Windows 64-bit.  This emulation layer provides a 32-bit environment which allows you to install and run 32-bit applications. However the reverse is not the case.  Because if you have an x32-bit based device and want to run x64 based applications,this is not possible as such applications would need more ram to function properly.  -They are gradually being phased out  The shift to Windows 11 has led to the shift in the use of x64-bit architecture. However, support for x32-bit based Windows is still available.  And while Microsoft is gradually phasing them out,other non Windows operating systems like Ubuntu and macOS have completely stopped support for x32-bit applications.    The alternatives solutions for your x32-bit device.  For many x32-bit device owners still running Windows 10, upgrading to Windows 11 if your system doesn’t meet the requirements is a problem. Support for Windows 10 ended officially on October 2025.  This means that your device without the updates may be left vulnerable as most of the updates are security patches. However, here are some ways protect your device. -Upgrade for free  If your device meets the requirements to upgrade to Windows 11, then you can simply do an upgrade from Windows 10 for free, and at no extra cost to you.  This is by far the easiest way to have the new Windows operating system installed on your PC. -Go shopping for a new device   Shop for a new PC that comes preinstalled with Windows 11, if you don’t want the hassle of trying to find other alternative methods to upgrade to Windows 11.  This ensures you have a device that already has all the security feature that comes with Windows 11.   -Get an extended security license  Though official support for Windows 10 has ended, Microsoft can still guarantee extended security updates if you join their Extended Security Update(ESU) program.  This program ensures that Windows 10 on your device can still access critical and important security updates, up until 13 October 2026.  To join the program go to the settings page of your Windows PC then click on Update and Security which will bring you to the Windows update page.  On this page you will see the Enroll in Extended security Updates. Click on Enroll now and follow the instructions given.   Settings——Update & Security——Windows Update—-Enroll in Extended Security Updates—-Enroll Now    One of the requirements to enroll is having a Microsoft account,and a device running Windows 10 version 22H2. Also you will have to purchase a one time minimum license which costs around $30. This license will cover you until support ends on 13 October 2026. Conclusion  While Windows 11 has come into full use, PC owners still using devices running Windows 10, can still benefit from the ESU extended security program for at least the next one year. However, beyond 13 October 2026, nothing is guaranteed if you still want to continue using Windows 10 on your device.

Many are switching to other variations of Windows 10, such as the Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC version which supports lasts for up to 10 years. Other alternatives are the many Ubuntu distros variations some of which have a Windows 11 look and feel.

And so whether you choose to go shopping for a more compatible device preinstalled with Windows 11, or you decide to go with the ESU program, what matters more is PC security, support for your device, and computing power.

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