A non-contact type force actuator is necessary for studying the dynamic performance of a high-speed spindle system owing to its high-speed operating conditions. A non-contact electromagnetic exciter is designed for identifying the dynamic coefficients of journal bearings in high-speed grinding spindles. A linear force control method is developed based on PID controller. The influence of amplitude and frequency of current, misalignment and rotational speed on magnetic field and excitation force is investigated based on two-dimensional finite element analysis. The electromagnetic excitation force is measured with the auxiliary coils and calibrated by load cells. The design is validated by the experimental results. Theoretical and experimental investigations show that the proposed design can accurately generate linear excitation force with sufficiently large amplitude and higher signal to noise ratio. Moreover, the fluctuations in force amplitude are reduced to a greater extent with the designed linear control method even when the air gap changes due to the rotor vibration at high-speed conditions. Besides, it is possible to apply various types of excitations: constant, synchronous, and non-synchronous excitation forces based on the proposed linear control method. This exciter can be used as linear-force exciting and controlling system for dynamic performance study of different high-speed rotor-bearing systems.