Office 2010: The 64-bit Question

26Mar2010 Filed under: Microsoft Author: Howard

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Office 2007 introduced a lot of new features and a brand new Ribbon interface that has fans either loving it or despising the way the whole thing functioned. That was three years ago. With 2010, a new Office release is scheduled to hit stores in June, earlier if you keep your eyes peeled on torrent and direct download trackers.

Office 2010 will be the first to come with the 64-bit goodness that Microsoft has been slowly rolling out. However, Microsoft is very careful this time with their approach to 64-bit by rolling out a pretty big disclaimer on the potential problems you will face if you choose to install this version over the 32-bit ‘standard’ version.

“We strongly recommend most users install 32-bit version of Office 2010 on both 32 and 64-bit Operating Systems because currently many common add-ins for Office will not function in the 64-bit edition. The 64-bit installation of Microsoft Office 2010 products will be available for users who commonly use very large documents or data set and need Excel 2010 programs to access greater than 2GB of memory. There may be technical issues with the 64-bit version and in order to install a 64-bit version of Office 2010 product users must have a 64-bit supported operating system on their PC,” Microsoft notes.

However, I’ve been testing out the Beta version and have no problems with 64-bit compatibility as I don’t use any other addons besides the one installed natively by Office. I suppose for bigger organizations who write their own custom addons, the 64-bit version might break compatibility and Microsoft have wised up and learned from their disastrous 64-bit introduction of Vista, which had huge compatibility issues with almost all major driver and software.

Honestly, I’m not sure why you would need a 64-bit version of Word. It allows you to access documents that need more than 2gb of memory to load, but this very rarely happens, unless your document is very very VERY long and contains lots of images and animations and such. For other applications like Access and Excel, perhaps it is possible that you will run into the memory load that necessitates using the 64-bit version. Some users note that the 64-bit version also starts up slightly faster, if you are really running out of reasons for wanting to switch.

Office 2010 also offers several new online versions of popular applications like Outlook and Word. It will be interesting to see how this will tie in to Cloud Computing and Web 2.0 technologies being developed.

You can grab your free beta copy from this website and post your testimonials. Monthly winners get a chance of getting a HTC Touch HD2 phone!

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30 Responses to “Office 2010: The 64-bit Question”

Dave
March 26th, 2010 at 5:31 pm

I’ve heard that some of MS’s own addon’s don’t work with 64bit.

While I agree that Excel/Access are the only tools where 64bit maybe required, I think that only by forcing the issue will we all get tp move over.

Okay this is not as big a deal as 16 -> 32 bit, but how much longer should we keep supporting two platforms?
Aluminum Case
March 27th, 2010 at 2:46 am

Personally I have had issues where Office programs crashed due to insufficient memory allocation. It is true that most people would not be dealing with such large files. This is exactly why MS has included all the warnings about recommending to install the 32 bit version. The average user simply does not need 64 bit. Still it is good to have for the people who do have memory issues.
Wall Decals
March 27th, 2010 at 3:18 am

I will have to give it a test and see what I think. Thanks for sharing the insight on office 2010.
weight fat loss
March 27th, 2010 at 12:15 pm

What bit would work on the horses nose and mouth?
KLinvestor
March 27th, 2010 at 1:08 pm

I reckon Office 2007 was a step back for Microsoft, hopefully Office 2010 will be more sensible, especially the Top Menu bar part!
Jessen
March 27th, 2010 at 3:00 pm

Wow, I didn’t know there is a 64 bit version MS office. Perhaps this version is useful for those hardcore admin clerk who often uses MS office application. :p
Nicole Price
March 27th, 2010 at 10:46 pm

I think that it is best that one plays it safe and use the 32 bit first.
pays to live green
March 28th, 2010 at 11:49 pm

I agree with your post. I don’t know why anybody really needs anything in 64 bit since most of the applications they use stay fairly small. I am a programmer and I can understand the need for 64 bit processors since many IDEs require tons of memory as well as running a server/database locally.
Josiah
March 30th, 2010 at 9:10 am

i dont know about you guys but i’ve had lots of problems with the 64 bit processors especially the fact of what is the point of having 64 bit when all the programs tend to glich out on you.
used tires
April 1st, 2010 at 5:53 pm

Yea it’s definitely not all it’s cracked up to be. Some programs definitely run better in 64-bit environment but many don’t too. In the future, things will probably get better though.

Till then,

Jean
Aluminum Case
April 2nd, 2010 at 1:36 am

It is unfortunate that they are running into these problems with 64 bit programs. Sometimes when working with databases and product feeds you do run into situations where you have to open a very large excel spreadsheet or word document. I’m sure there are people who run into these issues all the time.
free coloring pages for kids
April 2nd, 2010 at 2:32 am

i dont know why but my feeling is that microsoft has been strugling so much with trying to keep up with mac and the fact is there putting these prgrams and OS out with out giving themselves time to find these glitches
Outdoor Cat Enclosures
April 2nd, 2010 at 11:27 am

I’m very interested to see what the final product will be like. If you have tested the beta 64bit version and have no problems then that is a hopeful sign. I hope microsoft over delivers with the new version of office 2010.
nakliyat
April 2nd, 2010 at 10:31 pm

Perhaps this version is useful for those hardcore admin clerk who often uses MS office application
nakliyat
April 2nd, 2010 at 11:22 pm

. Some programs definitely run better in 64-bit environment but many don’t too
Computer Repairs Perth
April 3rd, 2010 at 11:53 am

I’ve been playing with the x64 beta from Technet for awhile now. Apart from the odd glitch which is expected from the beta tag it runs well. Although not a big reason to change, it does seem to start up faster.
portable sauna
April 6th, 2010 at 7:43 am

I will keep using office2007 as i adapted to it and i don’t like changing things except if it is modified with very nice additions which really helps.
Berg
April 6th, 2010 at 11:49 am

There should be a service pack coming up soon to smoothen things out soon.
weight fat loss
April 6th, 2010 at 12:15 pm

I wanted to try microsoft office 2010 beta but so I downloaded it and now I want to uninstall it but it but?
weight fat loss
April 6th, 2010 at 12:15 pm

Microsoft Office 2010 upgrade?
G Web
April 7th, 2010 at 11:03 pm

I think Microsoft Office is overrated, and personally spending the money isn’t worth it. OpenOffice is really a valid OpenSource alternative, that may not have all the Office frills, but sure can do the job, and for free too!
used tires
April 8th, 2010 at 10:33 pm

I have to disagree. The last few years MS Office has really stepped it up. The user-friendliness has reached new heights in my opinion. Other alternatives like Openoffice are not bad but I think MSOffice still leads.

Till then,

Jean
Program
April 14th, 2010 at 6:07 am

I reckon Office 2007 was a step back for Microsoft, hopefully Office 2010 will be more sensible, especially the Top Menu bar part!
kayyu izle
April 15th, 2010 at 10:54 pm

Thanks for sharing the insight on office 2010.
Job Search
April 20th, 2010 at 2:38 pm

I have windows 7 64bit on my laptop and I often install 32bit apps on it and I agree 64bit apps are only for demanding tasks.
One Repair Spot
May 3rd, 2010 at 5:52 am

I have been waiting for a 64-bit version of Microsoft Office, thanks for the post.
Porno
June 5th, 2010 at 12:53 am

I have been waiting for a long time, too.
Season
June 10th, 2010 at 1:33 am

I had so many problems with Office I actually gave up and switched to open office. They should have a 64 bit version too soon however it’s quick enough anyway.
Program
June 14th, 2010 at 2:53 pm

I liked Office 2007 did not work, obviously. 2003 was a simple and very useful.
web applications
June 16th, 2010 at 5:46 pm

I have started using MS Office 2010 and you’re very right, MS Office 2010 has got several outstanding features which just weren’t there in 2007. Great piece of information!