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

I use publisher quite frequently for several church projects. Will I be able to open and edit publisher 2010? Thank you!

That is not clear from the Microsoft Agent "Thank you for your reply. This time is actually the end of the life cycle of Office LTSC 2021." If a user needs to reinstall after that date - a perpetual version of office (2021 or lower) or standalone version of publisher - may not work - no support = no activation code will work Tim

Their information is confusing and not completely correct. Keep in mind that "no longer supported" does not equal "not available" . It just means no more updates will be released and if you need help, you need to find it online, not through Microsoft support. Because 'no longer supported' software is often removed from download sites, you should have a full installation file downloaded for future installs. (This applies to all software.) Activating the software won't be an issue. They are not disabling activation servers. From Microsoft Publisher will no longer be supported after October 2026 - Microsoft Support - >> **Can I still install Publisher after October 2026?**If you have a Microsoft 365 subscription, Microsoft Publisher will no longer be available for installation or download after October 2026. However, if you have the Perpetual version of Publisher, although support will end, you will still be able to install and use the app beyond this date. >> If you have a perpetual version of office where the key is stored in your Microsoft account, go to the install page prior to October 2026 and under versions, choose Offline install. This will download a full version of the suite, not the streaming installer. This insures you have a copy that includes Publisher, although it doesn't sound like it will be removed from the installation files for older versions. But, consider it Insurance just in case... If you have office 365 sub, you can do the same but will need to disable updates, otherwise it will be removed from the computer. Another option is buying a standalone version of Publisher - however, installing mixed versions can result in buggy applications, so it's best if you get a perpetual suite that has it - the most recent one is Office 2021. Word is that publisher was removed from office 2024. That said, I would save PDFs of files you need to keep and work on switching to Word or a 3rd party app to create the documents you now create with publisher.

Tracy There is no equivalent functionality in Word (or indeed in any Apple program). The loss of Publisher is devastating to my work.

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

Anonymous

2025-03-08T15:56:49+00:00

I use publisher quite frequently for several church projects. Will I be able to open and edit publisher 2010? Thank you!
Was this answer helpful?

0 comments No comments
Anonymous

2025-03-08T18:01:34+00:00

That is not clear from the Microsoft Agent

"Thank you for your reply. This time is actually the end of the life cycle of Office LTSC 2021."

If a user needs to reinstall after that date - a perpetual version of office (2021 or lower) or standalone version of publisher - may not work - no support = no activation code will work

Tim
Was this answer helpful?

0 comments No comments
Diane Poremsky MVP 17,526 Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator

2025-03-08T18:03:55+00:00
Their information is confusing and not completely correct. Keep in mind that "no longer supported" does not equal "not available". It just means no more updates will be released and if you need help, you need to find it online, not through Microsoft support. Because 'no longer supported' software is often removed from download sites, you should have a full installation file downloaded for future installs. (This applies to all software.)

Activating the software won't be an issue. They are not disabling activation servers.

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

>>
- **Can I still install Publisher after October 2026?**If you have a Microsoft 365 subscription, Microsoft Publisher will no longer be available for installation or download after October 2026. However, if you have the Perpetual version of Publisher, although support will end, you will still be able to install and use the app beyond this date.
>>

If you have a perpetual version of office where the key is stored in your Microsoft account, go to the install page prior to October 2026 and under versions, choose Offline install. This will download a full version of the suite, not the streaming installer. This insures you have a copy that includes Publisher, although it doesn't sound like it will be removed from the installation files for older versions. But, consider it Insurance just in case...

If you have office 365 sub, you can do the same but will need to disable updates, otherwise it will be removed from the computer.

Another option is buying a standalone version of Publisher - however, installing mixed versions can result in buggy applications, so it's best if you get a perpetual suite that has it - the most recent one is Office 2021. Word is that publisher was removed from office 2024.

That said, I would save PDFs of files you need to keep and work on switching to Word or a 3rd party app to create the documents you now create with publisher.
Was this answer helpful?

2 people found this answer helpful.

0 comments No comments
Anonymous

2025-03-09T00:33:11+00:00

Tracy

There is no equivalent functionality in Word (or indeed in any Apple program).

The loss of Publisher is devastating to my work.
Was this answer helpful?

9 people found this answer helpful.

0 comments No comments