Microsoft Publisher Leaves Microsoft 365 on October 1 as End of Life Nears

Microsoft Publisher is about to reach the end of its run in Microsoft 365, with subscribers losing access to the desktop publishing app after October 1, 2026.

Microsoft says Publisher will reach end of life in October and will no longer be included with Microsoft 365. Subscribers will no longer be able to open or edit existing Publisher files using the app after October 1, making file migration an immediate concern for anyone who still relies on the .pub format.

The change affects Publisher for Microsoft 365 differently from perpetual versions of the software. Microsoft says users with a perpetual copy can continue installing and using Publisher after support ends, but the application will no longer receive support. Support for Publisher 2021 and related Office 2021 products ends in mid-October.

Microsoft recommends converting Publisher documents before October 1. Files that only need to be viewed can be exported to PDF, which preserves the document for later access without requiring Publisher. For documents that still need to be edited, Microsoft suggests converting the Publisher file to PDF and then opening the PDF in Word.

That conversion is not necessarily a direct replacement for the original Publisher document. Microsoft warns that Word optimizes converted PDFs for text editing, so documents with extensive graphics or complex layouts may not retain their original appearance. Third-party conversion tools are another option, although Microsoft does not support them.

For organizations with large collections of .pub files, Microsoft has also provided a sample PowerShell script that can export individual files or process folders in bulk. The company recommends modifying and testing the script before using it in a production workflow.

Microsoft points users to Word and PowerPoint

Microsoft is not introducing a direct successor to Publisher. Instead, it recommends using existing Microsoft 365 applications for many of the tasks Publisher handled.

Word or PowerPoint can be used for materials such as flyers, brochures, business cards, certificates and calendars, while Microsoft recommends Word for envelopes, labels, letterheads and newsletters. PowerPoint is its suggested option for banners, signs and posters.

Publisher has long served as Microsoft’s desktop publishing application for creating print-oriented documents without the complexity of professional design software. Its retirement means users with archives of Publisher documents have a more pressing issue than simply choosing another design application: converting files while Microsoft 365 Publisher can still open them.

Microsoft recommends searching PCs, OneDrive and SharePoint for .pub files to identify documents that may need to be preserved or converted before October 1.