Microsoft Publisher end of life
Microsoft Publisher is gone from Microsoft 365. Here is what to do.
Microsoft removed Publisher from Microsoft 365 on October 1, 2026. Support for the 2016, 2019, and 2021 copies ends October 13. Your .pub files do not expire, and you can keep opening and editing them in PubKeep, a desktop app for Windows and Mac. This guide covers what changed and the three ways to keep your work.
Updated October 2026
Just need PDFs of an old archive? PubKeep Converter turns a whole folder into exact PDFs.
The dates that matter
When does Microsoft Publisher shut down?
Microsoft Publisher is discontinued. Microsoft 365 stopped installing it on October 1, 2026, and support for the perpetual 2016, 2019, and 2021 copies ends October 13, 2026. Your .pub files do not expire on either date. Here is the full calendar.
October 1, 2026
A Microsoft 365 subscription can no longer install Publisher. If Publisher lives inside your Microsoft 365, this is the day it goes.
October 13, 2026
Support ends for the perpetual copies, Publisher 2016, 2019, and 2021. They keep opening .pub files, but there are no more updates or fixes.
Already shipped
Office LTSC 2024 arrived with no Publisher at all. The last release with Publisher is the last one there will be.
Microsoft's own advice
Convert your existing files to another format before October 1, 2026. Read the Microsoft notice.
Read this first
Will my .pub files stop working when Publisher ends?
No. Your .pub files do not stop working, and they do not expire. Only the app is going away. Without Publisher, you need another app that reads .pub. The PubKeep desktop app opens them and keeps them editable, and a PDF keeps a copy you can read anywhere.
One app is being retired. Your files are not being deleted. The .pub format has no kill switch, no expiry date, and no phone-home. The file that sits on your disk today will sit there unchanged next year.
What you lose is the program that reads it. Without a working Publisher, a .pub file becomes a box you can no longer open, unless you have another app that reads it. That is why Microsoft says to get your work into a format that outlives the app, and why we built PubKeep to open .pub files directly.
The one thing to do: open your .pub files in PubKeep and keep editing them on Windows or Mac, no Publisher needed. For old files you only need to read or print, convert them to PDF.
Publisher still opens for me. Am I OK?
For now. Many people find their installed copy still opens after October 1. Microsoft has said Microsoft 365 subscribers will lose the ability to open and edit .pub files, and a reinstall or a new computer will not bring Publisher back.
Don't wait for it to stop on a Sunday morning before the bulletin is due. Open your files in PubKeep now, so you can keep editing when Publisher stops. For files you only need to keep, convert them to PDF.
Your options
How do I keep my Publisher files after 2026?
You have three options: move to the PubKeep desktop app, which opens .pub files directly, convert your archive to PDF, or keep an old copy of Publisher running as a stopgap. If you still make bulletins, newsletters, or flyers, start with the desktop app. Convert the older files you only need to read or print. You can do both.
1. Keep editing in PubKeep
The PubKeep desktop app opens your .pub files and keeps your layouts editable, on your own Windows or Mac computer, with no copy of Publisher needed. Best if you still update newsletters, bulletins, or flyers. A one-time $99 for one computer, no subscription. See all prices.
Want to try it first? Try it free for 7 days.
2. Convert your archive to PDF
For files you are done changing. PubKeep Converter turns your .pub files into exact PDFs, page for page and font for font, a whole folder at once. Best for years of past bulletins and newsletters you need to read, share, or print.
3. Keep an old copy of Publisher running
A stopgap, not a plan. A perpetual Publisher from 2016, 2019, or 2021 still opens .pub files, but it is unsupported after October 13, 2026, tied to one aging machine, and one hard-drive failure from gone. Fine as a bridge while you move to PubKeep. Not something to rely on for the long run.
For your archive
Why should I convert my .pub files now?
If an archive only needs to be read, shared, or printed, a PDF is the simplest way to keep it. Convert it now, while the old computer and its folders are still around. A folder of PDFs opens on any device, and files you still edit can go to the PubKeep desktop app instead.
Free importers like LibreOffice Draw will attempt a .pub file, but they are reading a closed format from the outside and guessing. Fonts get swapped, text reflows, and booklet layouts fall apart. The results range from close to unusable, file by file.
PubKeep Converter produces exact PDFs instead: page for page, font for font, with bleeds and rotated frames intact, nothing re-flowed or approximated. Hand it a folder of past bulletins and you get back a matching folder of PDFs you can keep for good.
Questions
Common questions about the shutdown.
Yes. Microsoft removed Publisher from Microsoft 365 on October 1, 2026, support for the perpetual versions ends October 13, 2026, and there will be no new version. Whether you have seen it called going away or retiring, it is the same shutdown.
No. People sometimes worry that Publisher expires and takes their files with it. It does not: the .pub on your disk does not change, and there is no kill switch. What goes away is the app that reads it. Open your files in the PubKeep desktop app to keep editing them, or convert them to PDF for a copy you can always open.
Not on its own anymore. Microsoft no longer sells Publisher (or MS Publisher, as many people search for it) as a standalone app. Perpetual copies from Office 2016, 2019, and 2021 keep running, but their support ends October 13, 2026, and Office LTSC 2024 shipped with no Publisher at all.
Rarely. Publisher layouts do not map cleanly onto Word, so text reflows and the design breaks. If you need to keep editing, the PubKeep desktop app opens .pub files directly. For an archive you only need to read or print, a PDF keeps every page exactly as Publisher drew it.
No. The free tools take one file at a time, but PubKeep Converter takes a whole folder at once, subfolders included, and hands back a matching zip of PDFs plus a short report. See how to open a .pub file for the full walkthrough.
Keep reading
Related guides.
How to open a .pub file without Publisher
Every method that works in 2026, honestly compared.
Microsoft Publisher alternatives
What to move to, for editing versus just keeping your files.
Publisher for churches and nonprofits
Keep years of bulletins and newsletters editable.
Convert .pub to PDF
The bulk converter, pricing, and how it works.
Publisher is gone
Your publications aren't.
Just need PDFs? PubKeep Converter turns a whole folder into exact PDFs.