SysWOW64 C:\Windows\SysWOW64

32-bit libraries and tools on 64-bit Windows (WOW64); target of the System32 redirection for 32-bit processes.

Updated on 12 November 2026 By AltF4 Formation

What it’s for

On 64-bit Windows, the %windir%\System32 folder is reserved for 64-bit applications. Most DLL names did not change with the 64-bit versions, so the 32-bit versions are stored in another folder: SysWOW64. WOW64, the x86 emulator built into the system, hides this difference with a file system redirector: when a 32-bit process accesses %windir%\System32, the access is redirected to %windir%\SysWOW64.

What it contains

The system’s 32-bit libraries (DLLs) and tools, with the same names as their 64-bit equivalents in System32.
32-bit executables such as a version of regedit.exe: access to %windir%\regedit.exe is redirected to %windir%\SysWOW64\regedit.exe.
Some System32 subfolders are not redirected: catroot, catroot2, driverstore, drivers\etc, logfiles and spool.

Risks and best practices

32-bit applications stop starting if you delete, replace or add files here.
A 32-bit application that needs the real System32 uses the %windir%\Sysnative path; it is not a real folder.
In code, do not hard-code these paths: call GetSystemWow64Directory to get the 32-bit system directory.
For regedit.exe, if UAC shows a prompt, redirection does not occur and the 64-bit version of the file is launched.
Keep this folder in the scope of antivirus scans and security reviews, since malicious DLLs imitate system names.

Useful commands

# 64-bit OS and process?
[Environment]::Is64BitOperatingSystem
[Environment]::Is64BitProcess

# Same-name files in both folders (read-only)
Get-Item "$env:windir\System32\notepad.exe", "$env:windir\SysWOW64\notepad.exe" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue | Select-Object FullName, Length, VersionInfo

:: From a 32-bit cmd, %windir%\Sysnative reaches the 64-bit System32
dir %windir%\Sysnative\cmd.exe

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