Publisher being discontinued

Question

I am writing to express my disappointment with Microsoft’s decision to discontinue Publisher. I have used this program for decades, both personally and professional. I have created some amazing newsletters, cards, programs, flyers and more. Numerous compliments and requests for the work I do with Publisher. I make all my greeting cards using Publisher so I can personalize them and make them special for the individual. I have tried other programs suggested (Canva, Word, Adobe) but after several attempts I have not been able to design the cards I wish to create. These options are not at all a substitute. With Publisher the layout was easy to navigate, and I could easily see what I was doing and what it would look like when printed. Will you please reconsider the plan to discontinue Publisher.

Answer 1

Hello @cheryl Keller

I have received many cases where other users share the same disappointment as you when Microsoft Publisher officially announced the end of support.

As a user myself, I completely understand why it is difficult when we get used to a product, and it is really hard to transfer data and get familiar with another application. Every change comes with challenges, especially when it comes to getting used to and adapting to something new.

However, I need to say that currently there is no information about the continuation of Microsoft Publisher, it is part of Microsoft’s development direction. I hope you will give yourself time to prepare for it and try to start using a new application soon to make sure your work will not be affected.

Although it is unexpected so i hope you can try to adapt and move forward. I hope this process will be as smooth as possible for you.

For your reference:

Microsoft Publisher will no longer be supported after October 2026 - Microsoft Support

Microsoft Designer | Microsoft 365

Kind Regards,

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Answer 2

Microsoft Publisher will reach end of life in October 2026 and will no longer be included in Microsoft 365. After that date, Microsoft 365 subscribers will not be able to open or edit Publisher files in Publisher.

For now, Publisher continues to work with the same functionality until October 2026, so existing workflows can continue while planning a transition.

To prepare and preserve past work:

1. Keep using Publisher until October 2026
   Publisher remains supported and fully functional until that time.
2. Preserve designs by converting to PDF
   This keeps the visual layout of newsletters, cards, programs, and flyers:
   1. Open the Publisher file.
   2. Select File > Save as.
   3. Choose a location.
   4. Select PDF as the file type and select Save.
   For many files, a PowerShell automation script can bulk-convert .pub files to PDF. A sample script and usage examples (including converting all .pub files in a folder or recursively) are provided in the Publisher retirement article.
3. Preserve editable versions by moving to Word
   If ongoing editing is needed:
   1. Convert the Publisher file to PDF as above.
   2. In Word, select File > Open and open the PDF.
   3. Confirm the conversion to an editable Word document.
   The converted Word file is optimized for text editing, so the layout may differ, especially for graphics-heavy designs.
4. Use recommended Microsoft 365 apps for future projects
   For greeting cards and similar personalized items, Word and PowerPoint are the recommended replacements. Microsoft provides starting points and templates for:
   • Cards (greeting, compliment, etc.) – Word or PowerPoint
   • Ads, flyers, brochures, banners, posters, certificates, business cards, calendars, labels, letterhead, newsletters, and programs – Word and/or PowerPoint A wide range of customizable templates is available at Microsoft Create.
5. If there are many Publisher files
   For large archives (such as years of newsletters and cards), use the sample PowerShell script to bulk export .pub files to PDF before October 2026. The script:
   • Requires a working, licensed Publisher installation.
   • Can be run against individual files, folders, or folders plus subfolders.
   • Skips files where a PDF with the same name already exists and reports errors.

For customers with a perpetual (non‑Microsoft 365) version of Publisher, support ends on October 1, 2026 (when Office LTSC 2021 reaches end of support), but the app can still be installed and used after that date, though without further updates.

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References:

• Microsoft Publisher will no longer be supported after October 2026
• Publisher help
• Basic tasks in Publisher
• Create a publication in Publisher
• What can I replace Microsoft Publisher with before Oct. 2026? - Microsoft Q&A
• Can I still buy a stand alone version of Publisher from Microsoft in order to keep using my files. - 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
• Publisher discontinued - Microsoft Q&A
• Is Apple more reliable with old programs or do they also trash your years of work like Microsoft is doing with Publisher? - Microsoft Q&A