End of Publisher

Dear @Christine Ashcroft,

Good day! Welcome to Microsoft Q&A forum!

Based on your post, I understand that you are seeking a way to continue accessing your existing Microsoft Publisher files after Publisher is discontinued in October. You have a large number of Publisher documents that contain important information, and converting all of them individually is not practical for you given time, cost, and technical constraints. While you are able to create new documents in Word or other programs, your primary concern is being able to open or convert your older Publisher files when needed. You are also finding current conversion options difficult to use and would like to see solutions that better support users with varying levels of computer experience.

To clarify, Microsoft Publisher will be removed only from Microsoft 365 subscriptions after October 2026. This means that subscribers will no longer be able to install or use Publisher through Microsoft 365 after that date. However, your existing files will not be deleted or harmed by this change.

If you currently use a perpetual (one‑time purchase) version of Publisher, such as Publisher 2019 or 2021 included with Office Professional, you will still be able to open and use Publisher on the same computer after October 2026. The application will continue to function, although it will no longer receive updates or official support from Microsoft.

For Microsoft 365 users, Microsoft recommends planning a gradual transition so that important Publisher documents remain accessible in the long term. Therefore, depending on your needs:

• Files can be saved as PDF if you mainly need to view or reference past content.
• Some layouts can also be saved as Word (.docx) files to preserve editable text for future use, although formatting may change.

I hope this information helps clarify what to expect and what options are available.

Please note that this is a community forum where users help one another. We are not involved in product design decisions and do not have direct access to the development roadmap, we want to assure you that your feedback has been acknowledged and is valued.

Thank you for your kindness and understanding!

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After October 2026, Microsoft 365 subscribers will no longer be able to install, open, or edit Publisher, so Publisher files (.pub) will not open in Publisher anymore with a Microsoft 365 subscription. To keep access to the content, files must be converted before that date.

Key options based on the provided information:

1. Continue using a perpetual (one‑time purchase) Publisher

• If a perpetual version of Publisher (for example, part of Office LTSC 2021) is owned and installed, it can still be installed and used after October 2026, even though support ends. In that case, .pub files can still be opened and edited in that perpetual version.

2. Convert existing Publisher files so they remain usable Microsoft recommends converting existing .pub files to other formats before 1 October 2026:

• To keep a view‑only copy (easy, least change):
  1. Open the Publisher file.
  2. Select File > Save As.
  3. Choose where to save.
  4. Select PDF as the file type and select Save.
  These PDFs can be opened for free in many PDF readers.
• To keep an editable copy in Word:
  1. First convert the Publisher file to PDF as above.
  2. Open Word.
  3. Select File > Open and choose the PDF.
  4. Select OK in the dialog box.
  5. Word will convert the PDF to an editable Word document. The layout may change, especially if there are many pictures or complex formatting.
• To convert many files in bulk:
  • A sample PowerShell script is provided that can bulk‑export .pub files to PDF (or other export formats). It requires:
    1. A working, licensed version of Publisher installed.
    2. Downloading the sample script Convert-PubFileToPDF.ps1.
    3. Opening PowerShell with the required execution policy.
    4. Running the script with filters such as:
       • Convert-PubFileToPDF.ps1 -Filter "C:\\Documents\\MyFile.pub"
       • Convert-PubFileToPDF.ps1 -Filter "*.pub" (all .pub files in the current folder)
       • Convert-PubFileToPDF.ps1 -Filter "*.pub" -Recurse (current folder and all subfolders)
  The script is designed to continue even if some files fail and will list which files were converted and which had errors. If a PDF with the same name already exists, it will skip that file and show an error; rename or delete the existing PDF and run again if needed.

3. Finding all Publisher files to convert

• Run a file search for *.pub on the PC, OneDrive, or SharePoint to locate all Publisher files, then run the bulk conversion script against those folders.

4. Alternatives for new work

• For new documents going forward, Microsoft suggests using other Microsoft 365 apps depending on the type of content (for example, Word or PowerPoint for brochures, flyers, newsletters, and cards). These can be saved as PDF or edited directly without Publisher.

There is no built‑in way in Microsoft 365 to keep opening .pub files in Publisher after October 2026 without either:

• Using a perpetual (non‑subscription) version of Publisher that remains installed, or
• Converting the .pub files to other formats (PDF/Word or via third‑party tools) before that date.

References:

• Microsoft Publisher will no longer be supported after October 2026
• Save As or convert a publication to .pdf or .xps using Publisher
• 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