# Consider downgrading Windows 32-bit from Tier-1 to Tier-2 or Tier-3? (in Python 3.13?)

**URL:** <https://discuss.python.org/t/consider-downgrading-windows-32-bit-from-tier-1-to-tier-2-or-tier-3-in-python-3-13/33719>\
**Category:** Core Development\
**Created:** [September 14, 2023, 10:43am UTC](https://discuss.python.org/t/consider-downgrading-windows-32-bit-from-tier-1-to-tier-2-or-tier-3-in-python-3-13/33719 "2023-09-14T10:43:14Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 23

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**Author:** ![pitrou](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discuss.python.org/pitrou/32/28_2.png) [@pitrou](https://discuss.python.org/u/pitrou)\
**Post date:** [September 16, 2023, 9:02am UTC](https://discuss.python.org/t/consider-downgrading-windows-32-bit-from-tier-1-to-tier-2-or-tier-3-in-python-3-13/33719/23 "2023-09-16T09:02:11Z")

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If if I may propose a summary of the discussion so far:

- the [python.org](http://python.org) downloads and Windows pages should recommend the 64-bit installer over the 32-bit one, so that people don’t use the latter by mistake
- there are genuine cases for a 32-bit Python on Windows, including embedding in 32-bit applications and linking with 32-bit ODBC drivers
- developing and testing on 32-bit Windows is not significantly different from developing and testing on 64-bit Windows: if you can do the latter, you can also do the former (even in the same 64-bit VM, probably)
- 32-bit platforms in general are not going away soon, so Python will still have to ensure general 32-bit compatibility even if it were to drop 32-bit Windows support
- the cost of supporting 32-bit Windows _specifically_ is probably not very high for CPython

Which, IMHO, brings the final question: what good would it do to downgrade 32-bit Windows support to a lower tier?

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_[View the full topic](https://discuss.python.org/t/consider-downgrading-windows-32-bit-from-tier-1-to-tier-2-or-tier-3-in-python-3-13/33719)._
