Replacing a halogen bulb with an LED: the guide
This article is also available in French: Led pour remplacer halogene
Check the base marked on the socket before buying anything: GU10, E27, E14, R7S, G4 or G9, that is what decides, not the wattage shown. Then count lumens rather than watts, and check that your dimmer accepts a dimmable LED. Three minutes are enough.
Can you replace a halogen bulb with an LED?
Yes, in almost every case: an LED whose base matches the socket fits without tools and without an electrician. It uses less power, gives off less heat and lasts longer. Only two situations require changing the whole fixture, never the bulb alone.
The base is the only lock
GU10, E27, E14: a few letters and two digits that determine everything. A GU10 halogen with pins cannot be replaced by a screw-in E27, and the reverse is also true.
The marking is engraved on the socket or on the base of the dead bulb. If it has worn off, our guide to identifying a bulb base compares the diameters with a ruler.
Once the format is identified, LED bulbs take a few minutes to choose. The Luminaire Led collection has 18,269 references as of 27 September 2026, and the field narrows as soon as the base is known.
What cannot be replaced without changing the fixture
A sealed halogen fixture, where the source is soldered to the body, cannot be converted.
- Soldered source: no base, so no bulb to change
- Old low-voltage transformer: it sometimes powers an LED poorly, a 230 V model is simpler
- Burnt or broken socket: the plastic has yellowed and no longer holds the bulb
It is often the right moment to start over with an LED ceiling light: even light, no bulbs to buy again, and a design you choose like a piece of furniture.
What is the LED equivalent of a halogen bulb?
A 50 W halogen bulb is replaced by an LED of about 7 to 8 W, for the same flux of about 650 lumens. You never convert watts into watts: watts measure the energy consumed, lumens the light produced.
Why you do not convert watts into watts
A halogen turns most of its energy into heat, an LED into light. The ratio between the two therefore varies from model to model.
| Halogen | Luminous flux | Equivalent LED |
|---|---|---|
| 20 W | about 200 lm | 3 W |
| 35 W | about 400 lm | 5 W |
| 50 W | about 650 lm | 7 to 8 W |
| 75 W | about 1,000 lm | 10 W |
| 100 W | about 1,500 lm | 13 to 15 W |
The reliable reference remains the lumen, printed on the packaging. The complete guide to choosing bulbs then moves on to colour temperature and beam width.
The R7S LED bulb to replace a long halogen
Floor lamps and wall lights that take an R7S, that long halogen tube with two ends, have a direct LED equivalent. The trap is the length: this format exists in 78 mm and in 118 mm, and an LED that is too long refuses to go into the socket.
On a two-bulb fixture, it is better to replace both at the same time: a tired halogen next to a new LED is immediately obvious.
How do you convert a halogen floor lamp to LED?
You unscrew the halogen bulb, identify its base, screw in an LED with the equivalent flux. Nothing else to change, unless the floor lamp is dimmed by a dimmer.
Check the base and the space available
On a floor lamp, the base can be read under the shade, most often E27. Space matters as much as format: a wider LED can touch the edge of the diffuser and cast a shadow.
The step is described one by one in changing a halogen bulb. The fixtures concerned can be found in the halogen lamp selection, often modifiable without tools.
The dimmer, the number one trap
A dimmer designed for halogen sometimes sends too low a load to the LED: it flickers, buzzes or switches off at the bottom of the range. The solution often comes down to one word, dimmable. Our article on what a dimmable LED changes details this point.
If the base or the dimmer of your fixture leaves you in doubt, send us a photo before ordering: the team confirms the bulb to choose.
LED bulbs and fixtures to replace halogen
What is the difference between LED and halogen in everyday use?
The hand placed on a lit halogen answers by itself: it burns. An LED can almost be touched. In use, it is a room you no longer light hesitantly, and light points you multiply without thinking.
The heat given off
A halogen releases a large part of its energy as heat. Under a shelf, in a small hallway or near a curtain, the constraint is real: the room heats up, the shades yellow and the bulb ages faster.
An LED heats at the back, in its heatsink, and gives off little towards the front. So you can light a dressing room or a glass cabinet without creating an oven.
The colour of light
A halogen sits around 2,700 K, a slightly amber warm white, flattering for wood and natural materials. An LED is now chosen between 2,700 K and 4,000 K depending on the room and use. The complete reference
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