So what's the story with MathType and 64-bit Microsoft Office 2010?

Microsoft Office 2010 comes in a new special 64-bit version

As some of you may be aware, the latest version of Microsoft Office comes in a special 64-bit version in addition to the standard version. There are a lot of myths and incorrect assumptions surrounding this version. We will try to explain it from the MathType user's perspective and make things clearer.

Since 64 > 32, it must be better, right?

No. The main purpose of the 64-bit version of Office is to allow Excel to access extremely large spreadsheets. If you have never run into the maximum size for your spreadsheets, don't worry about it. Microsoft does not recommend installing the 64-bit version of Office unless you know you need it. See Microsoft's page on Understanding 64-bit Office for details. While Microsoft does not say it, we can assume that 64-bit Office has some compatibility issues with other software and perhaps some bugs of its own. Avoid it unless you know you need it.

If I have 64-bit Windows, don't I need 64-bit Office?

No. While 64-bit Office does require 64-bit Windows, you do not have to install 64-bit Office just because your computer is running 64-bit Windows.

So who does need 64-bit Office?

The only people that really need 64-bit Office are Excel users that use really, really large spreadsheets. See Microsoft's excellent article Excel 2010 – Now With More Bits! for details. As this article explains, 64-bit Excel won't necessarily make your spreadsheets run faster. You also may have problems with your VBA code if it makes use of software components for which 64-bit versions are not available.

MathType does work on 64-bit Windows, right?

Yes, absolutely. MathType is a 32-bit application, just like those in the standard version of Office. In fact, you may be surprised to learn that most of the apps that run on 64-bit Windows are not, in fact, 64-bit apps. If you have a 64-bit Windows system, bring up Task Manager and click on the Processes tab. Each 32-bit process is marked in the "Image name" column with "*32" at the end. Typically, about 75% are 32-bit processes. A 64-bit process can access more than 4 GB of RAM while a 32-bit process cannot. While your computer can benefit from more than 4 GB of RAM, usually no one process needs anywhere near that much memory.

MathType does not yet fully support 64-bit Microsoft Office 2010

Right. While we don't recommend it, MathType can be used to create and edit equations in 64-bit Office but the MathType toolbar and its commands will not be available. We have a Tech Support Notice that gives instructions on how to add a MathType button to 64-bit Office's Quick Access Toolbar. We will make MathType fully compatible with 64-bit Office in a future version.

Still have questions?

If you are unsure about any of the above or have any questions, please contact our Technical Support Dept.