How to Check Linux is 64/32 Bit [CLI and GUI]

One of the most important tasks of the system administrators and IT professionals is to know about the system platform. If you want to install and run the new application on your system it's better to check whether the application is compatible with a 32 bit or 64-bit operating system. This article describes how to find out whether the installed Linux OS is 32 bit or 64 bit.

In this article, I have presented five simple ways to verify your Linux OS type. No matter whether you are using GUI or CLI-based systems, these commands work on almost all Linux operating systems including CentOS, Fedora, Redhat, Debian, Ubuntu, Mint etc.

Check Linux 64/32 bit Using Command Line

Lets first check how to check Linux operating system is 64/32 bit from CLI.

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1. Using uname command

Uname command makes it easier to retrieve your Linux system information. Run the following to retrieve the OS type running in your Linux system.

$ uname -i

You will get following output in your terminal:

x86_64

This example shows that, OS type running is 64 bit.

2. Using arch command

You can use the arch command to print OS architecture in the Linux system. Execute the following command to get the OS platform.

$ arch

You will get following output:

 x86_64 

The example shows running OS is 64 bit.

3. Using getconf LONG_BIT

You can also use the getconf LONG_BIT command to get OS type. In your Linux terminal, run the following command:

$ getconf LONG_BIT

Following output will be printed on your screen

32

This indicates the 32 bit OS type. If your system is 64 bit then it will show 64.

4. Using file command

You can use the file command followed by special arguments to get OS type. Use the following command to display OS information.

$ file /lib/systemd/systemd

You will get following output:

Using file command to get OS type

The output shows running OS is 64 bit.

Using GUI

GUI based Linux distribution comes with special system utility tools that give system information. You can use system settings to identify the running OS in a Linux machine.

To find OS type from GUI in ubuntu 20.04, go to application search for setting and click. You will get system information in your screen as:

We can see the running OS type is 64 bit.

Conclusion

In the earlier article, we learned how to check CPU is 64/32 bit in Linux. In this article, you learned about different Linux command-line tools to identify whether the OS you are using is 32 bit or 64 bit.