diff --git a/src/unix/utilsunx.cpp b/src/unix/utilsunx.cpp
index 4cd0d6ade3..9681cc6354 100644
--- a/src/unix/utilsunx.cpp
+++ b/src/unix/utilsunx.cpp
@@ -1078,12 +1078,17 @@ bool wxGetUserName(wxChar *buf, int sz)
 
 bool wxIsPlatform64Bit()
 {
+#if SIZEOF_VOID_P == 8
+    (void)wxGetCommandOutput;
+    return true;  // 64-bit programs run only on 64-bit platforms
+#else
     const wxString machine = wxGetCommandOutput(wxT("uname -m"));
 
     // the test for "64" is obviously not 100% reliable but seems to work fine
     // in practice
     return machine.Contains(wxT("64")) ||
                 machine.Contains(wxT("alpha"));
+#endif
 }
 
 #ifdef __LINUX__