Shockwave Player | 64-bit Windows

If you can't view content with the Shockwave Player, it could be that your computer is running a 64-bit Web browser on a 64-bit Windows operating system. Shockwave Player does not run in most 64-bit browsers in Windows. If you attempt to download the Shockwave Player in a 64-bit browser on Windows operating system that does not support Shockwave Player, you see a message from Adobe and a link back to this page. To install Shockwave Player, use a 32-bit Web browser on your 64-bit Windows operating system. All major browsers are available in 32-bit versions and the Internet Explorer 32-bit browser is the default browser on Windows 64-bit systems.

Click here for instructions to install the current 32-bit Shockwave Player on a 64-bit operating system

Or, learn more about 64-bit operating systems and Shockwave Player:

• What is a 64-bit operating system or 64-bit application? 
  
• How do I find out if I have a 64-bit operating system? 
  
• Why doesn’t Shockwave Player come in a 64-bit version for Windows operating systems? 

See also, Shockwave Player on 64-bit Mac OS.

To run the current 32-bit Shockwave Player on a 64-bit Windows operating system, use a 32-bit browser. Here are the instructions to install Shockwave Player in a 32-bit browser on a Windows and Web browser combination: 

• Windows with Internet Explorer
• Windows with other browsers, such as Firefox and Google Chrome

To use Firefox or other (not Internet Explorer) browsers with Shockwave Player on your 64-bit system, do the following:

64-bit refers to the size of each piece of data the operating system or application uses. Many operating systems and applications are sold as either 64-bit or 32-bit applications, though it’s not always obvious which version you have. For example, you can buy a 64-bit version of Microsoft Windows 7 or a 32-bit version, and they’re both called "Windows 7." You need to look at your computer settings (or possibly the box it came in) to find the version your computer uses. Applications usually say in the application name, such as "Internet Explorer (64-bit)", if the application is a 64-bit version. But, applications don’t always indicate if they are 32-bit. Typically, an application is assumed to be 32-bit unless otherwise noted in the name or Help contents for that application.

64-bit processes are faster than 32-bit processes, but 32-bit mode is more common and has been available longer. Shockwave Player is a 32-bit application. 64-bit operating systems often run some applications that are 64-bit and some that are 32-bit applications. For example, Windows 7, 64-bit version, comes with two Internet Explorer programs; one is Internet Explorer 64-bit and the other is Internet Explorer 32-bit (though the 32-bit version doesn’t say that in the program name).

The current release of Shockwave Player does not run within a 64-bit Web browser on Windows operating system. When your 64-bit browser tries to open a website containing content for Shockwave Player in it, you will get an error message or link to download Shockwave Player. You can't install the current release of Shockwave Player in a 64-bit Web browser, and that is why you need to use the 32-bit browser. You can run Shockwave Player in a 32-bit Web browser on 64-bit Windows operating systems. To install Shockwave Player on a 64-bit system follow these instructions: Install Shockwave Player on a 64-bit operating system.

Often 32-bit operating systems are not explicitly named or called out as 32-bit systems in any place that is obvious. However, you can check the operating system on your computer while it is running:

To check your version of Windows:

64-bit software is coded differently from 32-bit software. Generally, programs built on and integrated with other software must have the same architecture (for example, 32-bit or 64-bit). In many cases, a compatibility layer allows 32-bit software to run on 64-bit operating systems. For example, most browsers on Windows are 32-bit (such as Internet Explorer 32-bit, Firefox, and Chrome), and they run well on 64-bit Windows with Shockwave Player today. Accordingly, Shockwave Player currently runs well on Windows 7 64-bit using any of these 32-bit browsers.

Mac OS comes with Apple's Safari Web browser pre-installed. The 64-bit version of the Safari browser includes a feature called a "compatibility layer" (a process that runs 32-bit plug-ins in the 64-bit application) so you can install Shockwave Player in a 64-bit Safari Web browser. To install Shockwave Player into the Safari browser go to: http://get.adobe.com/shockwave (the Shockwave Player Download Center).

Firefox and other browsers on Mac OS

To use other browsers (like Firefox or Chrome) with Shockwave Player on your 64-bit Mac OS system: