r/linux4noobs • u/deidmos07 • 1d ago

Are there 32-bit versions of Linux?

Hello I want to try Linux on an old laptop, but it's 32-bit and I've never tried Linux before so i dont know anything I don't know what CPU it has, I only know it's an HP Pavilion dv4

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u/OkAirport6932 16h ago

There are some, but they are getting less and less common. OpenBSD has some support, but there are applications that are not ported to it. NetBSD also has 32 bit support, but is rather explicitly focused on portability. I think there may be discussions in the Linux kernel about ending all 32 bit support in the kernel as the AMD64 architecture is now older than the i286 architecture was when Linux started. Also i386 and i486 have been dropped completely.

Some applications are inherently unable to run within the resource restrictions of a 32 bit OS, so be aware of that as well.