AbstractOne of the main assumptions of the conventional Langmuir probe theory is the demand for a Maxwellian distribution function.In this paper is tried to calculate probe currents for non‐Maxwellian electron energy distributions.The classical Langmuir formula for the orbital‐motion‐limited current of cylindrical probes is simplified. The new equation permits a very easy detailed examination of the effects of non‐Maxwellian electron energy distributions on the current‐voltage characteristics in the accelarating region for large probe voltages.It is shown that the electron current is independent of the form of the electron energy distribution, if the mean electronenergy Ē is constant.Variations of the mean energy change the probe current slightly.As examples currents are computed for two non‐Maxwellian distributi