Screening is a key component in the fight against human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. The French National Authority for Health encourages everyone to undergo at least one screening test in their lifetime, with repeat testing recommended for those at highest risk. This article describes attitudes toward and practices regarding HIV testing in the general population based on data from the 2016 Health Barometer. The Health Barometer is a telephone survey conducted among a random sample of the general population residing in metropolitan France, comprising 14,875 individuals aged 18–75. In 2016, while 89% of respondents were in favor of getting tested for HIV at least once in their lifetime, 45% of men and 38% of women had never been tested. The lack of testing at any point in life was more common among those aged 55–75 (63%, with no difference between men and women) and those aged 18–24 (52% among men and 38% among women, p<0.001). This applied to 21% of people born in sub-Saharan Africa, 16% of people who had used drugs, and 23% of men reporting at least one male sexual partner in their lifetime. HIV testing remains very inadequate in mainland France. Improving testing is necessary to reduce the prevalence of undiagnosed HIV infection and to enable earlier diagnosis for prompt initiation of antiretroviral therapy.