Microsoft adds support for x64 apps in Windows 10 for ARM

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Microsoft adds support for x64 apps in Windows 10 for ARM

Developers from Microsoft announced the launch of the first preliminary version of x64 application emulation for the Windows 10 software platform, which is used on devices with Arm64 chips. This feature was introduced in Windows 10 Build 21277, which has already become available to members of the Microsoft Insider Program on the Dev Channel (Early Access).

Microsoft arm
Microsoft arm

The first release of Windows 10 on Arm took place in 2017, and at that time the list of software products required by the user mainly consisted of x86 applications. Therefore, the developers first of all took up the implementation of emulation of x64 programs to enable users to seamlessly run a wide range of software solutions that are part of the Windows ecosystem. Since then, the need to support x64 applications on devices with Arm64 chips has grown significantly, so Microsoft is working to expand the emulation capabilities.

Despite the fact that emulation of x64 applications has just entered the preliminary testing stage, already now users can install x64 software products from the Microsoft Store or any other source. The post notes that the development of the new feature is still ongoing, so some x64 applications on Arm devices may not launch. In the future, the developers intend to improve this tool both in terms of compatibility and performance.   

For the most comfortable experience with the new feature, users are advised to install the Qualcomm Adreno Preview Graphics Driver. It is not yet known when support for emulating x64 applications will appear in stable versions of Windows 10 on Arm.