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ZDNET key takeaways

• France's government is switching from Windows to a Linux desktop.
• The desktop will be based on the police Linux distro, GendBuntu.
• The distro includes France's own suite of open-source desktop programs.

Correction on April 16, 2026: An earlier version of this article stated that France was planning to replace 2.5 million Windows desktops with Linux. In fact, the Interministerial Directorate for Digital Affairs is initially migrating only its own internal workstations (about 350) and will coordinate a broader effort. Individual ministries have been instructed to develop their own migration plans by fall 2026. The article has been updated to reflect this clarification.

For decades, I've been saying Linux is a better desktop than Windows. Lately, more people have been switching to Linux. There are many reasons to swap Windows for Linux, including Microsoft leaving Windows 10 users in the lurch, the increased viability of gaming on Linux, easier-to-use Linux desktop distros, broader hardware support, and rising concerns about security, privacy, and data control.

Lately, however, there's a new reason: many countries outside the US don't trust American software companies, especially Microsoft.

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So it is, especially in the European Union (EU), that governments have been dumping Microsoft software in favor of open-source programs. No one, however, has made a major move to the Linux desktop -- until now.

On April 8, 2026, France's Interministerial Directorate for Digital Affairs (DINUM) formally announced the end of Windows on French government workstations and its replacement with Linux. This change is not a policy statement, and it's not a research project. Each ministry must form it's own plan by next fall to avoid the "Microsoft trap." 

The transition will not be an immediate, nationwide migration. DINUM is starting by moving its own internal workstations, initially around 350, to Linux and will coordinate an interministerial effort.

Why? As David Amiel, France's minister of public action and accounts, said in a strongly worded statement: "The State can no longer simply acknowledge its dependence; it must break free. We must become less reliant on American tools and regain control of our digital destiny."

Amiel continued: "Digital sovereignty is not optional." Meanwhile, Anne Le Hénanff, France's minister delegate for artificial intelligence and digital technology, added: "Digital Sovereignty is a strategic necessity … and France is leading the way by accelerating the shift towards sovereign, interoperable, and sustainable solutions." That shift means Linux on the desktop.

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A few weeks ago at KubeCon Europe in Amsterdam, I talked with Thierry Carrez, a French citizen and general manager of Linux Foundation Europe, who's also a Linux desktop user. He predicted then that "A Linux desktop future for public administrations may still come, but only at the end of that conversation," once resilient, sovereign back-end services are in place.

France was already moving its entire end-user software stack from Microsoft and other US companies' products and services. For example, in January 2026, France ordered its 2.5 million civil servants to ditch Microsoft Teams and Zoom and shift to the French-built Visio platform by 2027.

Now the desktop is part of the plan. France's civil servants may ultimately be affected depending on how individual ministries execute their migration plans. Since France has signaled a potential long-term shift away from Windows across its public sector, you might think that sounds impossibly ambitious. For now, however, the move is far more measured.

France has already rolled out the most successful government Linux desktop ever. Starting in 2008, France's Gendarmerie, its national police force, started replacing Windows XP with its own Ubuntu Linux distribution, GendBuntu. After almost 20 years of deployment, GendBuntu is today running on over 100,000 PCs.

In short, France already has a veteran system working on Linux desktops. In addition to its other advantages, France claims that running GendBuntu saves two million euros per year compared to using Windows 11. A switchover, if widely adopted across ministries, could save the country well over €40 million.

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I'm told that DINUM is expected to use the already-proven GendBuntu across ministries. The Next Web reports that DINUM has cited the Gendarmerie's use of GendBuntu as a governance model for a broader rollout, alongside a February 2026 directive requiring ministries to eliminate extra-European digital dependencies by 2027.

The Gendarmerie's 20-year track record, particularly its ability to keep critical law enforcement systems online during rolling upgrades across more than 100,000 machines, serves as the blueprint for France's national Linux transition.

The distro details

So, what will France's "new" Linux desktop look like? For starters, let's give this GendBuntu the working name of FranceOS for the purposes of this article.

GendBuntu has always been based on the latest Ubuntu Long Term Support (LTS) versions. The edition running in today's offices is based on Ubuntu 24.04. However, since Ubuntu 26.04 will be out shortly and GendBuntu releases typically follow eight months after the latest Ubuntu distro, I expect France's first government-wide Linux desktop to be based on Ubuntu 26.04.

That means FranceOS will run on the soon-to-be-released 7.0 Linux kernel. This kernel is expected not to be all that different from the already shipping 6.19 Linux kernel.

The underpinning elements of the desktop itself, however, will be quite different. With this release, Canonical, Ubuntu's parent company, is switching mainstream support for its fundamental graphics system from X11 to Wayland. Believe it or not, Ubuntu's shift from X to Wayland has been coming since 2010. Some people hate Wayland, but Canonical's not budging this time. In the future, Wayland will be Ubuntu's default windowing system.

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That said, if there's a program in France's software stack that absolutely requires X, I'm sure Canonical can be persuaded to keep support in Ubuntu. But from what I know of FranceOS's desktop, I doubt there will be any need for X.

At the next graphics step up, Ubuntu and FranceOS will be using GNOME 50. This latest version of GNOME boasts a clean look and better GPU support.

For its desktop office suite, FranceOS's programs will use LibreOffice 26.2.2. FranceOS's default web browser will be Firefox Extended Support Release (ESR) 140. For email, the provided client is Thunderbird ESR 140. Finally, graphics editing will come with GIMP 3.0.6.

In addition to these usual software mainstays of Linux desktop distributions, FranceOS will also include the cloud-based La Suite Numérique (in English, The Digital Suite). This suite is a cohesive stack of open-source collaboration tools already serving 600,000 French civil servants.

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Unlike piecemeal open-source deployments, La Suite is a tightly integrated workspace built on European-hosted infrastructure, unified single sign-on, and interoperable data formats. La Suite includes seven core applications. Each one is built on established open-source projects, but hardened, localized, and interconnected for government-scale cloud deployment. The seven programs in the suite are designed to break Europe's dependency on US cloud providers. These programs are:

1. Tchap: Secure instant messaging

• Based on the Matrix protocol, with a Synapse server and Element client.
• Key features: End-to-end encryption, federation with other Matrix servers, file sharing, and threaded conversations

Tchap replaced WhatsApp and Telegram for official communications. France has banned all use of non-France-based IM services.

2. Visio: Video conferencing

• Base: LiveKit (WebRTC SFU).
• Capacity: 500 participants per room; 10,000-viewer webinar mode.
• Key features: Real-time transcription, automatic note-taking, breakout rooms, screen sharing, and recording to sovereign storage.

Despite the name, France's Visio has no connection to Microsoft Visio, the diagramming and flowchart tool. Visio's deployment across all state services has been mandated by 2027. The tool is explicitly meant to replace Teams and Zoom.

3. Docs: Collaborative document editing

• Base: BlockNote (prose-mirror-based rich text editor).
• Key features: Real-time co-editing, version history, comments, Markdown export, and ODF compatibility.

Docs is the suite's answer to Google Docs and Microsoft Word Online, with deep integration into Tchap for sharing and Visio for meeting notes.

4. Grist: Collaborative spreadsheets and no-code apps

• Base: Grist (Python/SQLite).
• Key features: Relational databases in spreadsheet form, Python formulas, role-based access control, and API-driven automations.

Grist replaced expensive proprietary no-code platforms. The application is said to save the government six-figure maintenance bills while giving agents database-grade data modeling.

5. Fichiers: Secure file storage and sharing

• Base: Nextcloud.
• Key features: 10GB per user quota, external sharing with expiration dates, ransomware detection, and integration with Docs for in-browser editing.

Hosted on Outscale's SecNumCloud-certified infrastructure, Fichiers ensures no document leaves EU jurisdiction.

6. Messagerie: Sovereign email, contacts, and calendar

• Base: Open Xchange (OX App Suite).
• Key features: IMAP/SMTP, CalDAV/CardDAV sync, mobile apps, and integration with ProConnect Single Sign On (SSO).

Messagerie replaces Gmail and Outlook.com for in-government correspondence, with Tchap presence indicating colleague availability.

7. France Transfert: Large file transfer

• Base: Custom (DINUM-developed).
• Capacity: Up to 10GB per transfer.
• Key features: Password protection, expiration dates, audit logs, and GDPR-compliant deletion.

France Transfert competes directly with WeTransfer and Dropbox Transfer, but keeps sensitive government files within national borders.

Toward a unified experience

All seven tools share: ProConnect single sign-on (France's OpenID Connect identity provider); Gaufre ("waffle") menu for one-click switching between apps; common design system, thus ensuring a consistent user experience; SecNumCloud hosting on Outscale servers (Dassault Systèmes subsidiary); and interoperability with Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace for external collaboration.

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The suite is also part of a broader European collaboration. DINUM is working with the Netherlands' CommonGround initiative and Germany's Sovereign Cloud Stack to create interoperable public-sector tooling across EU borders.

FranceOS may signal a broader shift away from Windows dominance in government desktops. 2026 won't be the long-anticipated "Year of the Linux Desktop," but 2027 could be. Stay tuned, folks, the Linux desktop is going bigtime.