Schleswig-Holstein State Chancellery Abandons Microsoft for Linux

The state of Schleswig-Holstein in Germany is making a bold move towards digital sovereignty by migrating its chancellery workstations from Windows to Linux.

This is not the first time the state has taken steps to reduce its reliance on American technology providers. In 2025, it replaced Microsoft's productivity suite with LibreOffice, an open-source European alternative, in nearly 80% of government workplaces.

The move was estimated to save the state approximately €15 million ($17.5 million) annually, and it has since become a model for other European governments looking to reduce their dependence on foreign tech.

Today, more than 200 employees at the chancellery are already using Linux, while 20 workstations still run on Windows due to technical dependencies in certain specialized administrative applications. The head of the chancellery and state minister of digitalization, Dirk Schrödter, says that these remaining Windows machines will also be migrated to Linux 'soon'.