France To Ditch Windows For Linux To Reduce Reliance On Us Tech

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French tricolour emblem (blue, achromatic and red, awesome of nan Republic of France) hanging from a flagpole supra nan entranceway gross to nan courtyard of nan Elysee Palace, Exit from nan Cabinet gathering astatine nan Presidential Palace of nan Elysee successful Paris, France connected August 27, 2025. The ministers get into their cars and time off nan Elysee Palace. (Photo by Amaury Cornu / Hans Lucas via AFP)Image Credits:AMAURY CORNU / Hans Lucas / AFP / Getty Images

7:39 AM PDT · April 10, 2026

France is moving connected from Microsoft Windows. The state said it plans to move its authorities computers presently moving Windows to nan open-source operating strategy Linux to further trim its reliance connected U.S. technology.

Linux is an open-source operating strategy that is free to download and use, pinch various customized distributions that are tailored and designed for circumstantial usage cases aliases operations.

In a statement, French curate David Amiel said (translated) that nan effort was to “regain power of our integer destiny” by relying little connected U.S. tech companies. Amiel said that nan French authorities tin nary longer judge that it doesn’t person power complete its information and integer infrastructure.

France did not supply a circumstantial timeline for nan switchover, aliases which distributions it was considering. Microsoft did not instantly remark connected nan news.

This is nan latest effort by France to trim its dependence connected U.S. tech giants and usage exertion and unreality services originated wrong its borders, known arsenic integer sovereignty, pursuing increasing instability and unpredictability connected nan portion of nan Trump administration. 

Lawmakers and authorities leaders crossed Europe are increasing much alert of nan looming threat facing them astatine home, and their over-reliance connected U.S. technology. In January, nan European Parliament voted to adopt a study directing nan European Commission to place areas wherever nan EU tin trim its reliance connected overseas providers.

Since taking agency successful January 2025, Trump has upped his attacks connected world leaders — consecutive retired capturing one and aiding successful the sidesplitting of another. He has besides weaponized sanctions against his critics, who see judges connected nan International Criminal Court, efficaciously cutting them disconnected from transacting pinch U.S. companies. Those who person been sanctioned have reported having their slope accounts closed and entree to U.S. tech services terminated, arsenic good arsenic being blocked from immoderate different U.S. service.

France’s determination to ditch Windows comes months aft nan authorities announced it would extremity utilizing Microsoft Teams for video conferencing successful favour of French-made Visio, a instrumentality based connected nan open-source end-to-end encrypted video gathering instrumentality Jitsi.

The French authorities said it besides plans to migrate its wellness information level to a caller trusted level by nan extremity of nan year.

Zack Whittaker is nan information editor astatine TechCrunch. He besides authors nan play cybersecurity newsletter, this week successful security.

He tin beryllium reached via encrypted connection astatine zackwhittaker.1337 connected Signal. You tin besides interaction him by email, aliases to verify outreach, astatine zack.whittaker@techcrunch.com.

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