Differences Between 32-bit and 64-bit Office
Are you running into lagging or latency issues with Outlook/Prophet? Does Outlook sometimes crash after an extended period of use but work normally upon re-launch? These are all symptoms that your software is out of resources (RAM) to use the software. When this happens it lags, and sometimes crashes.
If you have a computer with more than 4GB of RAM, but you are only using 32-bit software, the software will never be able to utilize more than that amount. That means, if you have 16GB of RAM in your PC/Laptop but you are running 32-bit software, only a maximum of 4GB of that 16GB is being used at any given time.
Computers running 64-bit versions of Windows generally have more resources such as processing power and memory, than their 32-bit predecessors. Also, 64-bit applications can access more memory than 32-bit applications (up to 18.4 million Petabytes). Therefore, if your scenarios include large files and/or working with large data sets and your computer is running 64-bit version of Windows, 64-bit is the right choice when:
• You’re working with large data sets
• You’re working with files over 2 GB in Project
• You’re developing in-house Office solutions like add-ins or document-level customization.
Using the 64-bit version of Office lets you deliver a 64-bit version of those solutions as well as a 32-bit version.
Microsoft defaults to the 32-bit version of Office during install so unless you know you for sure have 64-bit Office, you are probably on 32-bit.
***Some 3rd party plugins for Outlook require 32-bit versions of Office but Prophet is not one of them. Consult your IT department to have 64-bit installed.***
Re-installation Procedure for Prophet Users
If you are running a 32-bit version of Office and want to upgrade to 64-bit you will either need to contact your IT department to install it for you, or if you manage your own PC you may follow the instructions below, to ensure Prophet still functions after the re-install.
- Uninstall Prophet
- Uninstall Microsoft Office 32-bit
- Download 64-bit Office from Microsoft's website
- Re-install Microsoft Office 64-bit
- Launch Outlook and setup your Email account
- Close Outlook
- Re-install Prophet
- Re-launch Outlook and sign-in to Prophet