Is Austria switching from Windows to Linux?
Austria’s military completed a migration from Microsoft Office to LibreOffice on around 16,000 workstations. It is an office-software move for digital sovereignty, not a switch of operating system, so it is a first step rather than a Linux desktop rollout.
- Announced
- Pilot
- Rolling out
- Widely deployed
Scope: Austrian Armed Forces (Bundesheer). Updated Oct 6, 2026.
What operating system does Austrian Armed Forces use?
- LibreOffice
Replaced Microsoft Office across the armed forces.
Austria’s Linux timeline
- 2020
The migration process begins.
- 2021
The decision is finalised.
- 2023
A German service provider supports the work and LibreOffice becomes mandatory in the first departments.
- 2025
The armed forces report the migration complete.
What is still unclear
This is a general picture, not a measurement.
- Only the office suite moved; the operating system is not reported as changed.
Could Austria switch to Linux in the future?
What to watch next:
- Whether other Austrian ministries copy the armed forces
- Whether a desktop OS change follows the office move
Sources
Austria: common questions
Is Austria switching to Linux?
Not as a country. Austria’s armed forces replaced Microsoft Office with LibreOffice on about 16,000 workstations, a first step toward digital sovereignty.
Other countries
Want to try it yourself? Read how to switch from Windows to Linux.