Microsoft is pulling the plug on Publisher. What now?
It’s the end of a very long era: As of October 2026, Microsoft Publisher, in the company’s words, “ will reach its end of life .” That makes it 35 years since the desktop publishing tool was launched back in 1991. What does reaching end of life mean? That depends on what version of Publisher you use. If you get Publisher as part of Microsoft 365, it truly means the end of the road. After October…
Microsoft has declared the end of life for its Publisher desktop publishing tool, effective October 2026. This means that users of Microsoft 365 will no longer be able to access or create files using Publisher, while those with perpetual versions of Publisher (Office 2021 or Office LTSC 2021) will still be able to use the software, but without any updates or support.
If you have PUB files created with Publisher, you can convert them to PDF format to ensure their longevity. Microsoft offers a free script to mass convert PUB files to PDF, though it requires some technical knowledge and understanding of PowerShell. Alternatively, users can explore other desktop publishing software options like Microsoft 365 apps (Word and PowerPoint) to create similar documents with improved features and support.
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