Junon was commissioned in the French Navy under Captain d'Ettry on 2 May 1786. She took part in the naval review given to honour Louis XVI in Cherbourg on 24 June 1786. In late 1790, under Lieutenant Villeneuve d'Esclapon, she prepared to sail from Toulon, but never departed. In June 1792, Junon escorted merchantmen from Toulon into the Atlantic Ocean under Lieutenant Terras de Rodeillac. In December 1792, she ferried Ambassador Sémonville to Constantinople, before returning to cruise off Sardinia, notably supporting the landing of French troops on 14 January 1793.