Powerpoint or Designer do NOT replace publisher capabilities! What are you doing getting rid of publisher!

Carolyn Talmadge 5 Reputation points
2026-04-03T17:13:41.3233333+00:00

How could you make this foolish choice. i have thousands of files in publisher i edit everyday. Saving them as a PDF is NOT an option (and it is not very editable). I guess i'll exclusively use adobe instead of Microsoft now. What a dumb move.

Microsoft 365 and Office | Publisher | For home

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  1. AI answer

    2026-04-03T17:13:55.11+00:00

    Microsoft Publisher is being retired and will reach end of life in October 2026. After that time, it will no longer be included in Microsoft 365, and Microsoft 365 subscribers will no longer be able to open or edit Publisher files in Publisher. Existing on‑premises suites that include Publisher will also no longer be supported.

    For perpetual (non‑subscription) versions of Publisher, support ends on October 1, 2026, when Office LTSC 2021 reaches end of support. After that date, the perpetual Publisher app will no longer be supported, but it can still be installed and used.

    To avoid losing access to content in Publisher files with a Microsoft 365 subscription, the recommended actions before October 1, 2026 are:

    1. Convert existing .pub files to other formats
      • For viewing only: open each Publisher file and use File > Save As, choose a location, select PDF as the file type, and save.
      • For later editing in Microsoft 365 apps:
        1. Convert the Publisher file to PDF as above.
        2. In Word, go to File > Open, select the PDF, and choose OK to convert it to an editable Word document. Note that layout may change, especially for documents with many graphics.
      • For large numbers of files: use a PowerShell automation script to bulk‑convert Publisher files to PDF. The script can be run against individual files, folders, or folders with subdirectories (for example, using filters like "*.pub" and the -Recurse parameter). The script is designed to continue on errors and report which files were converted or failed.
    2. Choose replacement apps for future work Many common Publisher scenarios are available in other Microsoft 365 apps:
      • Ads, flyers, brochures, certificates, business cards, calendars, cards: Word or PowerPoint
      • Banners, signs, posters: PowerPoint
      • Business invoices, applications, forms; envelopes, labels, letterhead, newsletters; programs and folded paper projects: Word
      • Additional templates for these scenarios are available at Microsoft Create.

    For users with thousands of Publisher files, the bulk conversion approach using PowerShell is the supported way to preserve access to content at scale before Publisher is retired.

    References:

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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