How to continue using MS publisher after end date

Microsoft Publisher can be used only within the support and access limits defined for each product type.

For Microsoft 365 subscribers:

• Publisher will reach end of life in October 2026.
• After that date, Publisher will no longer be included with Microsoft 365 and Microsoft 365 subscribers will no longer be able to open or edit Publisher files in Publisher or access the Publisher application.
• There is no supported way to keep using the Microsoft 365 version of Publisher beyond that date.
• Before October 2026, it is recommended to:
  • Convert important .pub files to PDF if they only need to be viewed.
    • Open the publication in Publisher.
    • Select File > Save As.
    • Choose a location, select PDF as the file type, and select Save.
  • If future editing is required, convert Publisher files to PDF and then to Word:
    • First save as PDF from Publisher.
    • In Word, go to File > Open, select the PDF, then select OK to convert it to an editable Word document (layout may change, especially with many graphics).
  • For many files, consider using the example PowerShell script described in the documentation to bulk-convert .pub files to PDF.

For perpetual (non‑subscription) versions of Publisher (for example, Publisher as part of Office LTSC 2021/Office 2021):

• Support for the perpetual version of Publisher ends on October 1, 2026, when Office LTSC 2021/Office 2021 reaches end of support.
• After that date, the perpetual version can still be installed and used, but it will no longer receive technical support, bug fixes, or security updates.
• To continue using Publisher in this scenario:
  • Keep the perpetual Office/Publisher installation and understand it is out of support and may carry security risk over time.
  • Ensure backups of all .pub files and consider gradually converting them to other formats (PDF/Word) as described above.

Alternatives for future work (instead of Publisher):

• Many common Publisher scenarios can be handled in other Microsoft 365 apps:
  • Ads, flyers, cards, banners, posters: Word, PowerPoint, or Designer.
  • Brochures, newsletters, programs: Word or PowerPoint.
  • Business cards, certificates, letterhead, forms, invoices, labels, envelopes, calendars: primarily Word (and PowerPoint for some layouts).

To prepare effectively before the end date:

1. Identify all .pub files (for example, by searching for “.pub” on the PC, OneDrive, or SharePoint).
2. Decide which files only need to be viewed (convert to PDF) and which need future editing (convert via PDF to Word or use third‑party tools as needed).
3. For large libraries of files, use the documented PowerShell automation approach to bulk export to PDF.

References:

• Microsoft Publisher will no longer be supported after October 2026
• Publisher help
• Publisher help & learning
• End of support for Office 2021
• I have thousands of Publisher files; I'm not opening each one individually to convert them. What is this BS about retiring publisher and losing access to all those files? This is 20 years of work that my business is going to lose, we won't recover from th - Microsoft Q&A