What Is SysWoW64 in Windows 10?

What Is SysWoW64 in Windows 10, and Is It Safe?

If you have the 64-bit version of Windows installed on your computer, you may have discovered that there is a folder called SysWoW64 on the hard drive. If you previously used the 32-bit version of Windows, the file will be a new addition since it does not exist on the 32-bit version of the operating system. In this article, we provide details about this folder and why it exists on the system.

There are two folders associated with this topic: System32 and SysWow64. The System32 folder is for 64-bit files, while SysWOW64 is for 32-bit. Both folders contain Windows system files, including DLL files used by programs and EXE files that are a part of Windows. However, third-party software programs sometimes install their own DLL files in these folders.

WoW64 stands for Windows 32-bit on Windows 64-bit - a subsystem of the Windows operating system capable of running 32-bit applications on all 64-bit versions of Windows. WoW64 aims to handle the many differences between 32-bit Windows and 64-bit Windows systems, particularly involving structural changes to Windows itself.

Now you know what the SysWow64 folder is and why it is on your computer. Many people think it's a virus when they first see it. As stated earlier, it is a part of the Windows operating system - not a virus.

Although the system folder itself is definitely not a virus, it is possible that a virus can infect it, or there could be an infected file with a similar name to SysWow6 (for example, SySWOW64).

If you are unsure if your system is infected, we suggest you scan the system for viruses using the built-in Windows Defender software or any other reliable third-party anti-virus scanner.

Table of Contents:

• Introduction
• Scan Your System for Malware

Scan Your System for Malware

To scan the system using Windows Defender, type "virus" in Search and click the "Virus & threat protection result".

Then, click "Advanced scan".

Select "Full scan" and click "Scan now". This will start scanning your system for malware and other viruses. See if Windows Defender finds any viruses related to the SySWOW64 virus and delete it.

If you wish, you can choose another virus and malware scanner from our Top anti-malware list. The list consists of well-known top spyware removers and will help you select the best software for system protection. Find the list by clicking this link.

We hope that this article was helpful. You should now know what the SysWoW64 folder is, why it is on your Windows system. If there is anything else you would like to add to this article, do not hesitate to leave a note in our comments section below.

[Back to Top]