Microsoft Publisher

Question

I can't use Publisher anymore! I have tried to log in with both my company user and my personal user but I can only open old files, not create new ones.

Have I misread the information from Microsoft regarding Publisher?

I thought I would be in trouble if I wanted to download the software (Office 365 Premium) from scratch and make a new installation but not that it stopped working at all!?

And now I can't even edit old pub-files!

Is that the new "future" or is it a bug?

/Morten

Answer 1

Microsoft 365 Business Premium no longer licenses Publisher after October 1, 2026, so the Unlicensed Product / Activation Required state and disabled creation/editing are expected rather than an indication that the entire subscription has expired.^1^

Microsoft’s retirement schedule distinguishes between:

• Publisher supplied through Microsoft 365: access was removed on or shortly after October 1, 2026, as the removal update rolled out.
• Perpetual Publisher 2021/LTSC 2021: support ended October 13, 2026, but an existing perpetual copy can still be installed and used without support.^1^
• Business Premium itself remains active; the change concerns Publisher. Business Premium still licenses Microsoft 365 Apps installations on eligible devices.^2^

Signing in with another company or personal account will not restore Publisher unless that account owns a separate perpetual Publisher license.

Options for existing .pub files

1. If the organization owns a perpetual Publisher license
   • Install the perpetual edition associated with that license.
   • Activate it using the account or product key that owns it.
   • Open the .pub files and continue editing.
   Publisher 2021 is now unsupported, so it receives no further security or product updates.^3^
2. If Publisher was available only through Business Premium
   • Publisher can no longer be downloaded or activated through that subscription.
   • To preserve layout for viewing or printing, open the files using a separately licensed perpetual Publisher installation and save them as PDF:
     1. File > Save As
     2. Choose a destination.
     3. Select PDF as the file type.
     4. Select Save.
   • For editable content, open the resulting PDF in Word using File > Open. The text becomes editable, but complex graphics and page layout may change.^1^
3. For new documents
   • Use Word for newsletters, labels, envelopes, letterhead, forms, and similar text-oriented work.
   • Use Word or PowerPoint for brochures, flyers, cards, certificates, and business cards.
   • Use PowerPoint for posters, signs, and banners.^1^

When activation troubleshooting is still relevant

Activation repair is appropriate only if this installation should be covered by a separately purchased perpetual Publisher license. An unlicensed Office application disables most features, including editing, but repairing Microsoft 365 activation cannot restore Publisher entitlement that has been removed from Business Premium.^4^

If a perpetual license exists but Publisher remains unlicensed:

1. In Control Panel > Programs > Programs and Features, check whether multiple Office editions are installed.
2. Remove the edition not associated with the perpetual license.
3. Restart Windows and activate the remaining edition with the account that owns that license.
4. If activation still fails, run Microsoft’s Microsoft 365/Office activation troubleshooter on that PC.^4^

Without a perpetual license or another working Publisher installation, the Microsoft 365 subscription version can no longer edit or export those .pub files.

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References

1. Microsoft Publisher will no longer be supported after October 2026
2. Understand subscriptions and licenses in Microsoft 365 for business
3. Ending Support in 2026
4. Unlicensed Product and activation errors in Office | Microsoft Support

Answer 2

Hi @Morten Fly

You haven't misread anything, and it isn't a bug. It's the planned retirement. Microsoft's Publisher end-of-support page says Microsoft 365 subscribers lose access to Publisher on or shortly after October 1, 2026, and can no longer open or edit Publisher files in Publisher. That applies to both business and personal Microsoft 365 plans, which is why both of your sign-ins behave the same.

What you can still do with your .pub files:

1. Back them up first. Copy the whole folder somewhere safe, so nothing gets lost while you sort this out.
2. If Publisher still opens a file, save it as PDF (File > Save As > PDF). A PDF keeps the layout exactly and opens anywhere.
3. Open the PDF in Word if you need to edit the text. Word converts it into an editable document, though complex layouts may shift a little.
4. For files you can no longer open at all, a one-time purchase version of Office 2021 or LTSC 2021 that includes Publisher still runs after the retirement date, without updates. If someone in your company has one, they can convert the files for you.

For new designs going forward, Microsoft's page recommends Word and PowerPoint: PowerPoint for things like posters, banners and signs, and Word for letterhead, labels and envelopes.

Roughly how many .pub files do you still need to edit, rather than just keep?

If this answered your question, please consider accepting it as the answer. If you need help converting a specific file, let me know and I'll be happy to keep helping.

Reference:

• https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/microsoft-publisher-will-no-longer-be-supported-after-october-2026-ee6302a2-4bc7-4841-babf-8e9be3acbfd7