The French team looked the stronger of the two from the start as Karim Benzema narrowly missed the target with a curling effort inside the opening 10 minutes.
The deadlock was broken just 17 minutes in when Olivier Giroud found the back of the net with a powerful header from a corner.
The lead was doubled less than 20 seconds after the restart when the Swiss side gave the ball away on the edge of the box, allowing Blaise Matuidi to drill the ball in low.
Granit Xhaka thought that he had pulled one back for Switzerland in the first half when he slotted the ball past Hugo Lloris, but the midfielder was judged to have been offside.
France could have added a third when they were awarded a penalty shortly after the half-hour mark, but Benzema's effort from the spot was saved by Diego Benaglio, before Yohan Cabaye thumped the rebound onto the crossbar.
However, Mathieu Valbuena did make it three before the break when he tapped in from a Giroud cross from close range.
Switzerland fought hard to try to pull one back early in the second half, but Benzema extended the lead for Didier Deschamps's men.
France continued to press and made it five when Moussa Sissoko hit the ball from the edge of the area following a Benzema through ball, leaving Switzerland facing their heaviest ever defeat at the World Cup.
However, the Swiss side were able to make the scoreline more respectable in the closing stages, as Blerim Dzemaili guided the ball into the bottom corner from a 35-yard free kick, before Xhaka volleyed home from close range a few minutes later.
Benzema found the back of the net again deep into stoppage time, but the referee had already blown the full-time whistle when he took the shot.
Cabaye picked up a booking late on which rules him out of the final match of the group stages for France, having already received a yellow card earlier in the competition.
France will be assured of a place in the last 16 if the other sides in Group E play to a draw later tonight.
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