Is the United States switching from Windows to Linux?
No. The US federal government is not moving desktops to Linux. When Windows 10 support ended in October 2025, many agencies, including the Department of Defense and several military branches, migrated to Windows 11. Linux is widely used behind the scenes on servers and supercomputers.
Scope: Federal agencies, state and local governments. Updated Oct 6, 2026.
What operating system does US federal government use?
- Windows 11
The migration target for many federal and military desktops.
The United States’s Linux timeline
- Oct 2025
Windows 10 support ends; agencies including the Department of Defense and military branches have mandated migration to Windows 11.
What is still unclear
This is a general picture, not a measurement.
- This tracker covers desktops. Linux is already central to US government servers and research computing.
Could the United States switch to Linux in the future?
No move is confirmed. These are the signals that would show a change:
- A federal procurement rule favouring open-source operating systems
- Cost or sovereignty concerns spreading from Europe
Sources
The United States: common questions
Is the US switching to Linux?
Not for desktops. Federal agencies, including the Department of Defense, mandated Windows 11 migrations ahead of Windows 10’s end of support.
Will the US use Linux in the future?
There is no sign of a government-wide move, but Linux already underpins much of its server and supercomputing infrastructure.
Other countries
Want to try it yourself? Read how to switch from Windows to Linux.