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

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Microsoft Publisher will no longer be supported after October 2026

Applies ToPublisher for Microsoft 365 Publisher 2021 Publisher 2019 Publisher 2016 Publisher 2013 Publisher 2010 Publisher 2007 Developer Publisher 2010 Developer Publisher 2013 Developer

At Microsoft, we are dedicated to providing our customers with the tools they need to achieve what matters, in their work and life. In order to focus on new benefits, we occasionally remove features and products.

In October 2026, Microsoft Publisher will reach its end of life. After that time, it will no longer be included in Microsoft 365 and existing on-premises suites will no longer be supported. Microsoft 365 subscribers will no longer be able to open or edit Publisher files in Publisher. Until then, support for Publisher will continue and users can expect the same experience as today.

Many common Publisher scenarios—including creating professionally branded templates, printing envelopes and labels, and producing customized calendars, business cards, and programs—are already available in other Microsoft 365 apps such as Word and PowerPoint. For recommendations on where to start common Publisher scenarios, see below. You can also find a wide array of customizable templates at Microsoft Create.

How will this affect you:

You can continue to use Publisher with its current functionality until October 2026.

Support for the perpetual version of Publisher will end on October 1, 2026, when Office LTSC 2021 reaches end of support. Microsoft 365 subscribers will not be able to access Publisher from that date forward.

How to prepare before October 2026:

Action Recommended: Convert your existing files to another format before 10/1/2026. After this date, you will no longer be able to open or edit these files in Microsoft Publisher.

How to prepare your files for Publishers retirement by saving them in another format.

View content after Publishers retirement by converting to PDF format

Steps to Convert Publisher Files to PDF

Open Publisher file.

Go to File > Save as .

Choose a location to save the file.

Select PDF as the file type and Save .

To convert many Publisher files, consider automating this process by using a PowerShell script. You can refer to Example conversion script as a guide.

Edit content after Publishers retirement by either:

Converting a Publisher file to PDF, and then a Word file.

Convert Publisher file to PDF.

Steps to Convert PDF Files to Word

Open Word.

Go to File > Open.

Locate and open the PDF file.

Select OK  in the dialog box.

From here your document will open as a Word file.

Note

The converted Word document will be optimized for text editing. As a result, its layout may vary from the original PDF—particularly if the document includes many graphics.

Using a third-party conversion tool to convert directly from Publisher to another file type.

Note

These services vary in quality and capabilities, and Microsoft does not provide support for them.

Example conversion script

The sample PowerShell script here can be used as a reference for how to individually or bulk export Publisher files to PDF or other export formats. This is provided for instructional purposes, and we recommend you modify and test for your specific needs.

How to run

Ensure you have a working and licensed version of Publisher installed on your computer.

Download the sample script to your computer.

Modify the script as needed for your intended purpose.

Open a PowerShell window with the required execution policies.

Run the script against the files or directories you need (examples below).

Examples :

Converts the specified Publisher file to PDF format.

Convert-PubFileToPDF.ps1 -Filter "C:\Documents\MyFile.pub"

Converts all Publisher files in the current directory to PDF format.

Convert-PubFileToPDF.ps1 -Filter "*.pub"

Converts all Publisher files in the current directory and all subdirectories to PDF format.

Convert-PubFileToPDF.ps1 -Filter "*.pub" -Recurse

Converts all Publisher files in the specified directory to PDF format.

Convert-PubFileToPDF.ps1 -Filter "C:\Documents\*.pub"

Converts all Publisher files in the specified directory and all subdirectories to PDF format.

Convert-PubFileToPDF.ps1 -Filter "C:\Documents\*.pub" -Recurse

Notes :

The script is designed to continue running if it encounters errors and to display which files were converted and which files encountered an error.

If the file name already exists, we will not export the file and will show an error. Delete or rename the conflicting file and run the script again.

See Document.ExportAsFixedFormat documentation for other parameters you may...