PARIS, — April 11, 2026 : The French government has announced a comprehensive plan to transition state workstations from Microsoft Windows to the open-source Linux operating system, marking a significant step in its broader strategy to reduce reliance on non-European technology providers and reinforce national control over digital infrastructure.
The initiative is being led by the Interministerial Directorate for Digital Affairs (DINUM) and was formalized following an interministerial seminar held on April 8, 2026. The seminar was organized in coordination with the Directorate General for Enterprise (DGE), the National Agency for Information Systems Security (ANSSI), and the State Procurement Directorate (DAE), under directives issued by the Prime Minister, the Minister of Public Action and Accounts, and the Minister Delegate for Artificial Intelligence and Digital Technology.
Under the directive, all ministries and public operators are required to prepare detailed implementation and dependency-reduction plans by autumn 2026. These plans must address not only desktop operating systems but also collaboration platforms, antivirus systems, artificial intelligence tools, databases, virtualization environments, and network infrastructure.
Policy Framework and Strategic Objectives
The transition is part of a national policy focused on achieving digital sovereignty, with the government aiming to localize control over data processing, software ecosystems, and infrastructure. Authorities have emphasized reducing exposure to external providers whose operational rules, pricing structures, and security conditions are outside direct state control.
David Amiel, Minister of Public Action and Accounts, stated that the government must actively reduce dependence on foreign technologies to regain control over its digital systems. He noted that reliance on external platforms introduces operational and strategic risks that the state cannot fully manage.
Anne Le Hénanff, Minister Delegate for Artificial Intelligence and Digital Technology, described the shift as a strategic necessity, emphasizing that public digital communications must be secure, confidential, and governed by domestic or European solutions.
Scope of Migration and Implementation Approach
The migration will affect approximately 2.5 million civil servants across France. DINUM, which employs around 250 personnel, will initiate the transition by migrating its own internal workstations to Linux, serving as a pilot phase before broader deployment across ministries.
No specific Linux distribution has been mandated at the national level. Instead, individual departments are permitted to select distributions and define migration timelines based on operational requirements, a measure intended to reduce compatibility risks and accommodate legacy systems.
The implementation strategy includes phased deployment, drawing on prior experience within the French public sector. The Gendarmerie Nationale began transitioning away from proprietary software in 2004 and developed its own Ubuntu-based system, known as “GendBuntu,” which is currently deployed on approximately 103,000 workstations.
Replacement of Software Ecosystems
The operating system transition is part of a wider overhaul of government software tools under the “La Suite Numérique” initiative, a state-developed suite of digital services designed to replace commercial platforms.
For video conferencing, the government plans to replace platforms such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Webex with “Visio,” an open-source solution hosted on infrastructure operated by Outscale, a subsidiary of Dassault Systèmes. The transition, scheduled for completion by 2027, is projected to generate savings of approximately €1 million annually per 100,000 users.
Messaging and file-sharing services are also being replaced with domestic tools. The encrypted messaging platform “Tchap” and the secure file transfer service “FranceTransfert” are already in use by up to 600,000 civil servants. Additionally, the National Health Insurance Fund has migrated approximately 80,000 employees to these tools as part of ongoing adoption efforts.
The government has also committed to migrating its national health data platform to a fully sovereign and trusted domestic infrastructure by the end of 2026.
Institutional Coordination and Industrial Engagement
The transition is supported by ongoing efforts to map and assess technological dependencies through the State Procurement Directorate, while the Directorate General for Enterprise is tasked with defining and promoting European digital service alternatives.
Further coordination with industry stakeholders is planned through the “Rencontres industrielles du numérique,” scheduled for June 2026. This initiative aims to establish public-private partnerships and support the development of European digital ecosystems, including an alliance focused on sovereignty and interoperability standards such as Open-Interop and OpenBuro.
Quantified reduction targets and detailed timelines are expected to be refined based on the outcomes of these assessments and consultations.
European Context and Comparative Developments
France’s policy aligns with a broader trend across Europe toward increased adoption of open-source and domestically controlled digital solutions.
Austria’s Armed Forces have recently transitioned from Microsoft Office to LibreOffice. In Germany, the state of Schleswig-Holstein has migrated approximately 80 percent of its government workplaces—covering around 44,000 employee inboxes—to open-source systems. The German federal government has also announced that public-sector documents will be issued exclusively in open formats. Denmark is currently evaluating similar measures.
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