Can people keep using Microsoft Publisher unsupported after the end of support date in October 2026?

Anonymous
2025-01-24T19:39:30+00:00

Hello, Microsoft announced that Publisher will not be supported after 2026, but the announcement was vague so I wanted to clear up a few things:

  1. Will Microsoft Publisher still be available to use (albeit unsupported) after October 2026 or will it be removed from computers that have them?
  2. If it is removed, does this only apply to Microsoft 365 subscriptions or will Office 2021 lifetime standalones also have Publisher removed?
  3. What if you want to continue using Publisher? Much of my work revolves around using Publisher. Is there any way to keep it after Oct. 2026?

Original End of Support message: Microsoft Publisher will no longer be supported after October 2026 - Microsoft Support

Thanks in advance!

Microsoft 365 and Office | Publisher | Other

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Diane Poremsky MVP 17,526 Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
2025-03-31T12:02:32+00:00

>>

  1. Will Microsoft Publisher still be available to use (albeit unsupported) after October 2026 or will it be removed from computers that have them?
  2. If it is removed, does this only apply to Microsoft 365 subscriptions or will Office 2021 lifetime standalones also have Publisher removed?
  3. What if you want to continue using Publisher? Much of my work revolves around using Publisher. Is there any way to keep it after Oct. 2026?

>>

  1. Publisher is being removed from the Microsoft 365 subscription in October 2026. As of March 2025, the plan is to remove it from computers that have the subscription. (This may change.)
  2. It only applies to the Microsoft 365 subscription. Office 2021 and older are not affected. Note: Publisher is not in Office 2024.
  3. If you have Office 2021 or older, Publisher will not be removed. Microsoft is considering options for people who are using Publisher.

Any changes to the policy will be updated in this article:

Microsoft Publisher will no longer be supported after October 2026 - Microsoft Support

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  1. Diane Poremsky MVP 17,526 Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
    2025-03-31T16:37:19+00:00

    It's not being removed for approx. 18 months so you should still have it. (It's not in the Home & Student perpetual version.)

    If they release a "sunset" version, it will not be on CD; you'll need to download it and burn it to CD yourself.

    It's still in my app. (I have an Enterprise subscription)

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  2. Diane Poremsky MVP 17,526 Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
    2025-03-31T11:47:35+00:00

    They did not terminate Publisher. They are removing it from the Microsoft 365 Office subscription. It will not be removed from existing perpetual suites - which is Office 2021 and older. (It is not in Office 2024.)

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  3. Anonymous
    2025-03-25T13:17:25+00:00

    I have continued to use Microsoft Expression Web for years now even though Microsoft no longer supports it. So I cannot see why It can't be the same for Publisher which I want to go on using.

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  4. Diane Poremsky MVP 17,526 Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
    2025-03-12T19:25:12+00:00

    The offer wasn't there when I checked (might be subscribers only) - but it was probably the deal at stacksocial.com - they have office 2019 and 2021 offers.

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