Publisher Obsolence and End of Support

Question

Publisher Obsolence and End of Support

Mike Moroff 0

I just learned that Publisher will be obsolete in October 2026. Besides the platform ending, support will end, and my files will no longer be accessible. What does Microsoft recommend I do, and what Microsoft 365 software will be available to replace Publisher?

Pedro Olivo 80 Reputation points

2026-06-19T18:53:46.1733333+00:00

Microsoft's recommendation is to start migrating your Publisher (.pub) files before October 2026. If you use Publisher through a Microsoft 365 subscription, Publisher will no longer be available to install, open, or edit files after that date. Microsoft specifically recommends converting existing Publisher files to PDF or Word format while you still have access to Publisher.
Mike Moroff 0 Reputation points

2026-06-19T19:07:19.96+00:00

Thanks, Pedro. I just read the details that Microsoft is advising and suggesting. I'm going to need some other platform to replace Publisher. Years ago, I used Adobe Creative Suite, which became obsolete with the introduction of Creative Cloud. I'm not a fan of the conversion to subscriptions instead of being able to purchase a software platform. I appreciate your quick response.

2 answers

Your answer

Pedro Olivo 80 Reputation points

2026-06-19T18:53:46.1733333+00:00

Microsoft's recommendation is to start migrating your Publisher (.pub) files before October 2026. If you use Publisher through a Microsoft 365 subscription, Publisher will no longer be available to install, open, or edit files after that date. Microsoft specifically recommends converting existing Publisher files to PDF or Word format while you still have access to Publisher.
Mike Moroff 0 Reputation points

2026-06-19T19:07:19.96+00:00

Thanks, Pedro. I just read the details that Microsoft is advising and suggesting. I'm going to need some other platform to replace Publisher. Years ago, I used Adobe Creative Suite, which became obsolete with the introduction of Creative Cloud. I'm not a fan of the conversion to subscriptions instead of being able to purchase a software platform. I appreciate your quick response.

Answer 1

Microsoft Publisher will reach end of life in October 2026. After that date:

Publisher will no longer be included in Microsoft 365.
Microsoft 365 subscribers will no longer be able to open or edit Publisher files in Publisher.
Existing on-premises/perpetual suites that include Publisher will no longer be supported, though a perpetual copy can still be installed and used beyond that date.

To prepare and protect existing files, Microsoft recommends:

Convert existing Publisher files before October 1, 2026
- For viewing only, convert to PDF:
  1. Open the .pub file in Publisher.
  2. Select File > Save as.
  3. Choose a save location.
  4. Select PDF as the file type and select Save.
- For future editing, either:
  - Convert Publisher → PDF → Word:
    1. First save the Publisher file as PDF (steps above).
    2. Open Word.
    3. Select File > Open and choose the PDF.
    4. Select OK in the dialog box to convert it to an editable Word document.
    Note: The converted Word document is optimized for text editing, so layout may differ from the original, especially for graphics-heavy designs.
  - Or use a third-party conversion tool to convert directly from Publisher to another file type (quality and capabilities vary; Microsoft does not support these tools).
Automate bulk conversion if there are many .pub files
- For large archives, use a PowerShell script or other automation to export Publisher files to PDF in bulk. The support article provides an example conversion script as a guide.
Locate all Publisher files in advance
- Run a file search for *.pub on PC, OneDrive, or SharePoint to identify all Publisher documents that need conversion.

Recommended Microsoft 365 apps to replace common Publisher scenarios:

Word
- Ads and flyers
- Brochures
- Certificates
- Business invoices, applications, and forms
- Calendars
- Envelopes
- Labels
- Letterhead
- Newsletters
- Programs and folded paper projects
- Cards (greeting, compliment, etc.)
PowerPoint
- Ads and flyers
- Brochures
- Banners, signs, posters
- Certificates
- Calendars
- Cards

In addition, Microsoft highlights that many Publisher scenarios (branded templates, envelopes and labels, calendars, business cards, programs) are already supported in Word and PowerPoint, and a wide range of customizable templates is available at Microsoft Create.

Until October 2026, Publisher continues to work as today, so this period should be used to convert and migrate content and to rebuild key layouts in Word or PowerPoint where ongoing editing is required.

References:

Answer 2

If you've got a lot of old .pub files to convert before Publisher stops working, we ran into the same issue and ended up writing a PowerShell script that batch-converts them to PDF automatically, unattended. Used it ourselves on 2,500+ files with only one failure (a file that was already corrupt). It's free, no sign-up: https://fleecehaven.org/3757/3757/. Fair warning — Publisher's automation interface isn't fully consistent across versions, so it may need small tweaks depending on your exact Publisher build; the page covers the troubleshooting steps we had to go through ourselves.