Saving Publisher Files

Question

How do I save Publisher files so that I can still work on them after Publisher is no longer available.

Answer 1

Hi, Vanessa Bondon

Publisher files use the .pub format, so the safest long-term plan is not just to “save” them, but to move the work you still need into a tool that will continue to be available. Microsoft 365 users may lose the ability to open or edit .pub files in Publisher after October 2026, while perpetual Publisher versions may still run but without support or updates.

Besides the solutions provided by the Q&A Assist, here are some suggestions you can try:

If you still have Publisher working now, open your most important files and rebuild the ones you expect to edit often in another design tool, rather than only converting them. For simple flyers, newsletters, labels, cards, and signs, it is suggested that you recreate the layout in Word or PowerPoint using text boxes, pictures, tables, and templates. This usually gives better future editing than trying to recover the layout after Publisher is gone.

For more design-heavy files, it is recommended that you look at tools such as Canva, Affinity Publisher, Scribus, or Adobe InDesign, depending on your comfort level and budget. These usually will not open .pub files perfectly, so the practical approach is to use the old Publisher file as a visual reference and rebuild the design there while you can still view it.

Note: This information is provided as a convenience to you. The apps are not controlled by Microsoft. Microsoft cannot make any representations regarding the quality, safety, or suitability of any software or information found there. Please make sure that you completely understand the risk before retrieving any suggestions from the above apps. 

Also, keep a folder with the original .pub file, exported images, logos, fonts used, and any text copied into a plain Word or text file. That way, even if the layout has to be rebuilt later, the actual content is not trapped inside Publisher.

If you own a non-subscription/perpetual copy of Publisher, you may be able to keep using it after the retirement date, but I would treat that only as a temporary bridge because it will no longer receive support or security updates.

Thank you for your patience in reading, I hope this information has been helpful to you. 

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Answer 2

To keep working with content from Publisher after it is no longer available, save or convert your existing .pub files into other formats before October 1, 2026.

1. To keep a viewable copy of each publication (recommended for all files):
   1. Open the publication in Publisher.
   2. Select File > Save As.
   3. Choose a location.
   4. In Save as type, select PDF.
   5. Select Save. This preserves layout for viewing and printing even without Publisher.
2. To keep content editable in another Office app (for example, Word):
   1. First convert the Publisher file to PDF as above.
   2. Open Word.
   3. Select File > Open and choose the PDF.
   4. When prompted, select OK to convert the PDF to an editable Word document. The text becomes editable in Word, but the layout may differ, especially for graphics-heavy designs.
3. To convert many Publisher files in bulk before retirement:
   1. Ensure a working, licensed version of Publisher is installed.
   2. Download the sample PowerShell script Convert-PubFileToPDF.ps1 from the article Microsoft Publisher will no longer be supported after October 2026.
   3. Open PowerShell with appropriate execution policies.
   4. Run the script with filters such as:
      • Convert-PubFileToPDF.ps1 -Filter "C:\\Documents\\MyFile.pub" (single file)
      • Convert-PubFileToPDF.ps1 -Filter "*.pub" (all .pub in current folder)
      • Convert-PubFileToPDF.ps1 -Filter "*.pub" -Recurse (current folder and subfolders) The script exports each .pub file to PDF and reports successes and errors.
4. For ongoing work until retirement, continue to save and back up .pub files as usual (for example, to OneDrive) using File > Save As, but ensure that each important publication is also converted to PDF (and optionally to Word) ahead of October 2026 so it remains accessible and editable in other tools.

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References:

• Microsoft Publisher will no longer be supported after October 2026
• Save in Publisher
• Save your files
• Basic tasks in Publisher
• Use the Pack and Go Wizard to save a file for commercial printing
• What can I replace Microsoft Publisher with before Oct. 2026? - Microsoft Q&A
• 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