Microsoft Publisher End of Support: What Happens to Your .pub Files

Microsoft is retiring Publisher. If you have years of newsletters, flyers, certificates or brochures saved as .pub files, the app that opens them is about to disappear for most people. Your files don't go anywhere, but you need a way to open them. This guide covers the dates, what changes, and what to do with the files you already have.

The Key Dates

• 1 October 2026 — Microsoft 365. Publisher is no longer included with Microsoft 365. Subscribers can no longer open or edit .pub files in Publisher, and new Microsoft 365 installations don't include it.
• 13 October 2026 — perpetual versions. Office 2021 and Office LTSC 2021, the last versions to ship Publisher, reach end of support. You can keep running Publisher from these versions, but it gets no more security or bug fixes.

Older perpetual versions (Office 2019 and earlier) are already out of support.

Source: Microsoft Support — Publisher will no longer be supported after October 2026.

What Happens to My .pub Files?

Nothing happens to the files themselves. They stay on your computer, in OneDrive, SharePoint or email exactly as before. The problem is opening them: no other mainstream app reads the Publisher format. Word, Google Docs, Apple Pages and Canva can't open .pub files, and LibreOffice only handles simple ones.

Microsoft's own advice is to convert your Publisher files before you lose access: to PDF, and from there to Word if you need to keep editing.

What Should I Do Now?

If you still have Publisher installed

Open each file you care about and use File → Save As → PDF (or Word). Publisher renders its own format best, so if you have the app today this is the highest-fidelity option. For large archives this is slow, one file at a time.

If you've already lost Publisher (or never had it)

Use a converter that reads the .pub format directly. PubConvert opens Publisher files in your browser, shows you a free preview of every page, and converts them to:

• PDF — for archiving, sharing and printing
• Word (DOCX) — to keep editing the text in Word or Google Docs
• PowerPoint (PPTX) — to keep editing with the original layout, since PowerPoint positions elements the way Publisher does
• HTML — to view on any device, including phones

You can drop several files at once. Conversion runs on your own device, so documents with personal or business information are never uploaded anywhere.

If you manage files for an organisation

Start with an inventory: search shared drives and OneDrive for *.pub. Sort the results into files that only need to be kept (convert to PDF) and templates people still edit (convert to Word or PowerPoint, then rebuild them in whichever app you're moving to).

Which Format Should I Choose?

• Just need to keep or print it? PDF. It looks the same everywhere and is the best archive format.
• Need to change the words? Word (DOCX). Complex layouts may shift, because Word flows text instead of placing it at fixed positions.
• Need to change the design? PowerPoint (PPTX). Every text box, shape and image stays where it was and can still be edited.
• Want to open it on a phone or share a link? HTML.

What Can I Use Instead of Publisher?

Once your existing files are converted, pick a new tool for new work:

• Microsoft Word or PowerPoint — Microsoft's suggested replacements. It recommends either for flyers, brochures, newsletters and certificates, PowerPoint for posters and signs, and Word for letterhead, labels and forms.
• Canva — template-driven design in the browser. It can't open .pub files, but it can import a PDF or PowerPoint file.
• Affinity Publisher or Adobe InDesign — professional desktop publishing, if you produce print work regularly.

Whichever you choose, convert first. None of these apps can open a .pub file directly.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I keep using Publisher after October 2026?

If you own a perpetual version (Office 2021 or earlier), yes. It still runs, but gets no security updates. If you have Publisher through Microsoft 365, no: it stops working from 1 October 2026.

Will my .pub files be deleted?

No. Microsoft isn't removing files, only the app that opens them.

Can Word open .pub files?

No. Word has never been able to open Publisher files. Convert them to DOCX first.

Does converting lose anything?

Text, fonts, colours, shapes and images convert. Backgrounds or clip art pulled from Publisher's built-in template gallery aren't stored inside the .pub file, so no converter can recover them. Preview your file free to check the result before paying for a download.