--- title: The Netherlands joins Europe's gradual migration from... description: The Netherlands is piloting a migration from Windows to Linux on government PCs through a project called DAWO (Digitaal Autonome Werkomgeving Overheid),... canonical: https://daily.dev/posts/the-netherlands-joins-europe-s-gradual-migration-from-windows-to-linux-on-government-pcs-voaninad8 twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:site: @dailydotdev og:type: website og:site_name: daily.dev og:title: The Netherlands joins Europe's gradual migration from Windows to Linux on government PCs | daily.dev og:description: The Netherlands is piloting a migration from Windows to Linux on government PCs through a project called DAWO (Digitaal Autonome Werkomgeving Overheid),... og:url: https://daily.dev/posts/the-netherlands-joins-europe-s-gradual-migration-from-windows-to-linux-on-government-pcs-voaninad8 og:image: https://api.daily.dev/og/posts/VOanINAD8.png og:image:alt: The Netherlands joins Europe's gradual migration from Windows to Linux on government PCs og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 630 og:locale: en --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # The Netherlands joins Europe's gradual migration from Windows to Linux on government PCs **[XDA Developers](https://daily.dev/sources/xda-developers)** · 2 min read · 3 upvotes · 0 comments ## Summary The Netherlands is piloting a migration from Windows to Linux on government PCs through a project called DAWO (Digitaal Autonome Werkomgeving Overheid), testing a NixOS-based desktop on select machines. The initiative follows concerns over digital sovereignty after US sanctions on the International Criminal Court led Microsoft to cut services to the ICC's chief prosecutor in early 2025. Officials worry that reliance on US-based services leaves essential government functions vulnerable to shifts in US policy, adding the Netherlands to a growing list of European governments moving away from Windows toward open-source alternatives. ## Full article daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: ## Questions this post answers ### What is the Dutch government's DAWO project and why was it started? DAWO, or Digitaal Autonome Werkomgeving Overheid (Digital Autonomous Government Work Environment), is a Dutch government initiative testing a migration from Windows to Linux, specifically a NixOS-based desktop, on select government PCs. It emerged after US sanctions on the International Criminal Court in early 2025 led Microsoft to cut off email and other services to the ICC's chief prosecutor, prompting concerns over reliance on US-controlled digital infrastructure. _daily.dev surfaces ongoing coverage of government Linux migrations for those weighing platform independence._ ### Why are European governments moving away from Microsoft and Windows toward Linux? European governments are pursuing 'digital sovereignty' after realizing that dependence on non-EU providers like Microsoft exposes them to geopolitical risk. The trigger was Microsoft cutting services, including email, to the International Criminal Court's chief prosecutor following US sanctions in early 2025, prompting a push to reduce reliance on US policy-controlled services and adopt Linux-based alternatives instead. _developers tracking the shift toward open-source government infrastructure can follow the trend on daily.dev._ ## Similar posts on daily.dev - [The Netherlands Picked NixOS. France Was Already Using It](https://daily.dev/posts/the-netherlands-picked-nixos-france-was-already-using-it-ghccska05) · It's Foss · 1 upvotes · 0 comments - [Can Dutch universities do without Microsoft?](https://daily.dev/posts/can-dutch-universities-do-without-microsoft--qs2kdxlb0) · Hacker News · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [Dutch tax office drops Microsoft 365 cloud for own servers and open source](https://daily.dev/posts/dutch-tax-office-drops-microsoft-365-cloud-for-own-servers-and-open-source-zc3o3amme) · The Next Web · 1 upvotes · 1 comments --- Tags: [#linux](https://daily.dev/tags/linux), [#microsoft](https://daily.dev/tags/microsoft), [#nixos](https://daily.dev/tags/nixos) [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/the-netherlands-joins-europe-s-gradual-migration-from-windows-to-linux-on-government-pcs-voaninad8) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180},"sameAs":["https://twitter.com/dailydotdev","https://github.com/dailydotdev","https://www.linkedin.com/company/daily-dev-ltd"]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://daily.dev/#website","url":"https://daily.dev","name":"daily.dev","publisher":{"@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization"},"potentialAction":{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https://daily.dev/search?q={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"TechArticle","headline":"The Netherlands joins Europe's gradual migration from Windows to Linux on government PCs","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/the-netherlands-joins-europe-s-gradual-migration-from-windows-to-linux-on-government-pcs-voaninad8","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/the-netherlands-joins-europe-s-gradual-migration-from-windows-to-linux-on-government-pcs-voaninad8"},"datePublished":"2026-09-25T00:57:48.533Z","dateModified":"2026-09-30T05:28:37.701Z","description":"The Netherlands is piloting a migration from Windows to Linux on government PCs through a project called DAWO (Digitaal Autonome Werkomgeving Overheid),...","image":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/posts/0b172205f6f3a545d16ba3f4289888db?_a=AQAEuop","thumbnailUrl":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/posts/0b172205f6f3a545d16ba3f4289888db?_a=AQAEuop","isAccessibleForFree":true,"articleSection":"XDA Developers","inLanguage":"en","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180}},"author":{"@type":"Organization","name":"XDA Developers","logo":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/s--kCg6yyAP--/f_auto,q_auto/v1774964407/logos/xda-developers?_a=BAMAMiWQ0","url":"https://daily.dev/sources/xda-developers"},"commentCount":0,"discussionUrl":"https://daily.dev/posts/the-netherlands-joins-europe-s-gradual-migration-from-windows-to-linux-on-government-pcs-voaninad8","interactionStatistic":[{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"LikeAction"},"userInteractionCount":3},{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"CommentAction"},"userInteractionCount":0}],"keywords":"linux,microsoft,nixos","timeRequired":"PT2M"} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https://daily.dev"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"XDA Developers","item":"https://daily.dev/sources/xda-developers"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"The Netherlands joins Europe's gradual migration from Windows to Linux on government PCs"}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/the-netherlands-joins-europe-s-gradual-migration-from-windows-to-linux-on-government-pcs-voaninad8#faq","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"What is the Dutch government's DAWO project and why was it started?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"DAWO, or Digitaal Autonome Werkomgeving Overheid (Digital Autonomous Government Work Environment), is a Dutch government initiative testing a migration from Windows to Linux, specifically a NixOS-based desktop, on select government PCs. It emerged after US sanctions on the International Criminal Court in early 2025 led Microsoft to cut off email and other services to the ICC's chief prosecutor, prompting concerns over reliance on US-controlled digital infrastructure. daily.dev surfaces ongoing coverage of government Linux migrations for those weighing platform independence."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"Why are European governments moving away from Microsoft and Windows toward Linux?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"European governments are pursuing 'digital sovereignty' after realizing that dependence on non-EU providers like Microsoft exposes them to geopolitical risk. The trigger was Microsoft cutting services, including email, to the International Criminal Court's chief prosecutor following US sanctions in early 2025, prompting a push to reduce reliance on US policy-controlled services and adopt Linux-based alternatives instead. developers tracking the shift toward open-source government infrastructure can follow the trend on daily.dev."}}]} ```