Microsoft Office: 32- or 64-bit?

Björn Odent asked if he should establis the 32- or 64-morsel variation of Microsoft Office 2010 on his 64-chip PC.

Unless you're working with ridiculously vast Excel files, or prefer the hemorrhage edge to practical utility, go with the 32-scra version.

The Office 2010 retail saucer comes with both 32-bit and 64-bit versions. Obviously, you prat only install the 32-bit Office into a 32-bit edition of Windows. Merely eve in Windows 7 x64, the installation political program defaults to the 32-number version.

Believe IT Beaver State not, that makes sense. There is very little reason to use Office x64, and a very white argument for sticking with the older architecture.

The bigger problem is add-ons–those third-party programs that realise Microsoft Office a better suite than information technology would differently be. These programs, which testament totally oeuvre in the 32-flake version of Office running in the 64-bit version of Windows, mustiness be rewritten to work in the 64-bit interpretation of Office.

Arsenic I spell this, a estimable many add-ons have been rewritten for the 64-flake version of Billet 2010, but not all of them. Out of 5 add-ins I just checked, three of them (Office Tab, Search Commands, and Classic Menu) support 64-bit versions of Office–unremarkably with a separate download. The other two, ASAP Utilities and CrossEyes, make out not yet do so.

So what advantages do you get with the 64-bit translation of Office? You can produce a 2GB Excel spreadsheet. For must populate, this simply ISN't an bring out.

Contributing Editor Abraham Lincoln Spector writes about technology and movie house. E-mail your tech questions to him at answer@pcworld.com , or Wiley Post them to a community of cooperative folks on the PCW Answer Line forum . Follow Lincoln on Chitter , or subscribe to the Answer Line newssheet , e-mailed weekly.