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: Will Microsoft Publisher still be available to use (albeit unsupported) after October 2026 or will it be removed from computers that have them? If it is removed, does this only apply to Microsoft 365 subscriptions or will Office 2021 lifetime standalones also have Publisher removed? 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!

>> Will Microsoft Publisher still be available to use (albeit unsupported) after October 2026 or will it be removed from computers that have them? If it is removed, does this only apply to Microsoft 365 subscriptions or will Office 2021 lifetime standalones also have Publisher removed? 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? >> 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.) It only applies to the Microsoft 365 subscription. Office 2021 and older are not affected. Note: Publisher is not in Office 2024. 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

What version of Office are you using? It is not in Office 2024 (never was.) I still have it in my Office subscriptions and those update automatically. Pending updates: recommend installing them at your earliest convenience. When there are updates waiting (either windows or office), the apps - especially Outlook - act really buggy. I don't use publisher so don't know if it is affected, but the other apps are.

I have Windows 11 but have my settings on automatic update so that's probably my problem. Do you think it was in the last update? Or does anyone know which update is the culprit? I see where I can uninstall an update but have no idea which one did the dirty deed. I am not that computer savvy - so no idea why I was on automatic update but it was pretty sneaky of Microsoft to remove access to Publisher before the scheduled Oct 2026 date. I have Microsoft 365 but also had an old version of Publisher that I used a lot. I was trying to edit an old poster for my church group - just a few small changes in text. The file opens but I can't do anything with it. Luckily I had a pdf version. I read online that a PDF can be converted to an editable word document but when I tried that I got an error message because the poster size (20" x 30") was not compatible with Word. *&^%! Power Point and Designer are the other apps that are recommended but I have never used them and do not have the patience or aptitude for learning a new app to get this little job done! I have so many Publisher files that are no longer accessible to me! I hope someone can share the update that I can uninstall and get Publisher back even if it is for a short while. THANKS!

Mine is still working on my newer Windows 11 machine, but I have an "update" pending that I have not installed yet. Have you recently installed one of their infernal updates? HOWEVER, I went to open something in Pub on my old Windows 10 machine and got a prompt to "choose another app". After clicking okay and not choosing another app, it opened very slowly and still seems to be allowing editing.

It is May 2025. I have a Microsoft 365 subscription and I am not able to use Publisher. The notice said it would be available until Oct 2026. Now I have lost all of the PUB files!!!! Is anyone else experiencing this? Are there fixes?

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

Anonymous

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:

Will Microsoft Publisher still be available to use (albeit unsupported) after October 2026 or will it be removed from computers that have them?
If it is removed, does this only apply to Microsoft 365 subscriptions or will Office 2021 lifetime standalones also have Publisher removed?
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!

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

0 comments

Answer accepted by question author

Diane Poremsky MVP 17,526 MVP Volunteer Moderator

Will Microsoft Publisher still be available to use (albeit unsupported) after October 2026 or will it be removed from computers that have them?
If it is removed, does this only apply to Microsoft 365 subscriptions or will Office 2021 lifetime standalones also have Publisher removed?
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?

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.)
It only applies to the Microsoft 365 subscription. Office 2021 and older are not affected. Note: Publisher is not in Office 2024.
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

0 comments

102 additional answers

Diane Poremsky MVP 17,526 Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator

2025-05-16T20:39:56+00:00

What version of Office are you using? It is not in Office 2024 (never was.) I still have it in my Office subscriptions and those update automatically.

Pending updates: recommend installing them at your earliest convenience. When there are updates waiting (either windows or office), the apps - especially Outlook - act really buggy. I don't use publisher so don't know if it is affected, but the other apps are.
Was this answer helpful?

0 comments No comments
Anonymous

2025-05-16T19:42:54+00:00

I have Windows 11 but have my settings on automatic update so that's probably my problem. Do you think it was in the last update? Or does anyone know which update is the culprit?

I see where I can uninstall an update but have no idea which one did the dirty deed. I am not that computer savvy - so no idea why I was on automatic update but it was pretty sneaky of Microsoft to remove access to Publisher before the scheduled Oct 2026 date.

I have Microsoft 365 but also had an old version of Publisher that I used a lot. I was trying to edit an old poster for my church group - just a few small changes in text. The file opens but I can't do anything with it.

Luckily I had a pdf version. I read online that a PDF can be converted to an editable word document but when I tried that I got an error message because the poster size (20" x 30") was not compatible with Word. *&^%!

Power Point and Designer are the other apps that are recommended but I have never used them and do not have the patience or aptitude for learning a new app to get this little job done! I have so many Publisher files that are no longer accessible to me!

I hope someone can share the update that I can uninstall and get Publisher back even if it is for a short while.

THANKS!
Was this answer helpful?

0 comments No comments
Anonymous

2025-05-16T18:16:00+00:00

Mine is still working on my newer Windows 11 machine, but I have an "update" pending that I have not installed yet. Have you recently installed one of their infernal updates? HOWEVER, I went to open something in Pub on my old Windows 10 machine and got a prompt to "choose another app". After clicking okay and not choosing another app, it opened very slowly and still seems to be allowing editing.
Was this answer helpful?

0 comments No comments
Anonymous

2025-05-16T17:41:35+00:00

It is May 2025. I have a Microsoft 365 subscription and I am not able to use Publisher. The notice said it would be available until Oct 2026. Now I have lost all of the PUB files!!!! Is anyone else experiencing this? Are there fixes?
Was this answer helpful?

0 comments No comments