Microsoft Publisher is retired: what to do with your files
Two dates matter. On October 1, 2026, Publisher stopped being part of Microsoft 365. On October 13, 2026, support ended for the one-time-purchase versions too.
What that means
- Your .pub files are not deleted. They stay wherever you saved them.
- Microsoft 365 users can no longer open or edit them in Publisher.
- Older one-time copies may still run, but they get no security updates, and new computers won't have them.
- Word, PowerPoint and other current Microsoft apps don't open .pub files.
A simple plan for an office with years of files
- Back up the whole Publisher folder to two places before changing anything.
- Sort what you still edit (templates, forms, recurring bulletins) from what you only need to read (old issues).
- Convert the archive to PDF. It keeps the layout and opens anywhere.
- Move templates to Word (or another tool your volunteers know), rebuilt once, cleanly.
- Spot-check a few files from every year; older Publisher versions convert less cleanly.
What to use instead of Publisher
- Newsletters, bulletins, programs: Word with a good template.
- Flyers and posters: PowerPoint or a free design tool.
- Professional print layouts: a desktop-publishing app such as Scribus (free) or Affinity Publisher.
Pick the tool the people who make your newsletter can actually use.
Rather not do it yourself? Send us your .pub files and get back a PDF and a Word copy (text editable) of each one, checked page by page. $19 for up to 10 files, $49 for up to 100.