The short answer: does Publisher stop working?
Find your situation in the table. Everything below it explains the detail.
| How you have Publisher | What changes | Opens .pub files? |
|---|---|---|
| Microsoft 365 subscription | Removed from the subscription on 1 October 2026 | No |
| Publisher 2021 or Publisher LTSC 2021 (including Office Professional Plus 2021) | Support ends 13 October 2026; the app keeps working | Yes |
| Publisher 2019 or Publisher 2016 | Support already ended on 14 October 2025; the app keeps working | Yes |
| Office 2024, any edition | Nothing. Publisher was never included | Never could |
| A Mac | Nothing. Publisher has never been available on macOS | Never could |
What stopped on 1 October 2026: Microsoft 365
Microsoft announced the retirement in February 2024, and the subscription cut-off has now passed. Microsoft’s Publisher retirement page is direct about what it means for subscribers: they “will not be able to access Publisher” from that date. In practice, three things have ended for anyone whose Publisher came through Microsoft 365, whether a Personal, Family or business plan.
You can no longer use Publisher to open or edit your .pub files. This is the change that matters. Microsoft advised subscribers to convert their files before 1 October for exactly this reason.
You can no longer download or install it. Microsoft’s own FAQ confirms Publisher is no longer available for installation through a Microsoft 365 subscription. Reinstalling Office on a new PC will not bring it back.
It is not coming back to the subscription. Microsoft has not offered an add-on, an extension or a replacement app. Its stated direction is Word and PowerPoint for the jobs Publisher used to do.
The rest of your subscription is unaffected. Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook carry on exactly as before.
What changes on 13 October 2026: one-time purchase copies
If you bought Publisher outright, as part of Office Professional Plus 2021 or as Publisher LTSC 2021, nothing is removed. What ends is Microsoft’s support. Microsoft’s lifecycle records for Publisher 2021 and Publisher LTSC 2021 both end on 13 October 2026, the same day as the rest of Office 2021.
| Ends 13 October 2026 | Keeps working |
|---|---|
| Security updates | Opening, editing and saving .pub files |
| Bug fixes | Printing, and saving as PDF or Word |
| Microsoft technical support | Installing and using the app, which Microsoft confirms |
Microsoft’s FAQ is unambiguous on the second column. For perpetual copies, it says that “although support will end, you will still be able to install and use the app beyond this date”, and that you will still be able to access and edit your files.
The cost of carrying on is security. Any vulnerability found in Publisher after 13 October will not be fixed. The realistic risk comes from opening .pub files you did not create yourself, so the sensible rule is simple: only open .pub files from sources you trust.
If you are on Publisher 2016 or 2019, you are already in this position. Both lost support with the rest of Office 2016 and 2019 on 14 October 2025. They still open your files, but they have had no security updates for a year.
Microsoft’s Publisher retirement page currently says support for the perpetual version ends on 1 October 2026, “when Office LTSC 2021 reaches end of support”. The two halves of that sentence do not agree. Office LTSC 2021 ends on 13 October, and Microsoft’s lifecycle records for Publisher 2021 and Publisher LTSC 2021 also give 13 October. We have used the lifecycle date, which is the formal record. Either way, the practical outcome for a perpetual copy is the same: it keeps working.
What has not changed
Your files still exist. The retirement removes an app, not your documents. Every .pub file is still wherever you saved it, on your PC, in OneDrive or on a shared drive. Microsoft suggests searching for “.pub” in those places to find them all. The problem is only that a Microsoft 365 subscription no longer gives you a way to open them.
Word cannot open .pub files, and never could. This catches a lot of people out. Microsoft’s own route to an editable Word version is two steps: save the .pub file as a PDF from Publisher, then open the PDF in Word. That first step needs Publisher. Microsoft also warns that the Word version’s layout may differ from the original, particularly in designs with lots of graphics. Our guide to whether Word can replace Publisher goes through which jobs Word handles well and where it breaks down.
Mac users are unaffected. Publisher has only ever been a Windows app.
Missed the deadline? How to get your .pub files back
If you were on Microsoft 365 and did not convert in time, you have four realistic routes, depending on how many files you have and how much the layout matters.
1. Use an older PC that still has Publisher
Any machine with a one-time purchase copy of Publisher will open your files. Publisher came with Office Professional and Professional Plus editions going back many years, so an old work or family PC may have it. Open each file and use File → Save As to save it as a PDF for viewing and printing, or as a Word document if you need to edit the text.
2. Try LibreOffice Draw
LibreOffice is free, and its Draw app can import .pub files. It works best on simple layouts. Expect text boxes to move and fonts to change on anything complex, and check each file before relying on it. Our guide to converting Publisher files covers the steps.
3. Use an online converter, with care
Web-based converters will turn a .pub file into a PDF or Word document. Quality varies, and you are uploading your documents to someone else’s server. That is fine for a church newsletter. Think twice before doing it with anything containing customer, staff or financial details.
4. Get a perpetual copy of Publisher
This is the only route that opens your files exactly as you designed them. It is also the only way to use Microsoft’s own bulk conversion tool. Microsoft publishes a sample PowerShell script that converts a whole folder of .pub files to PDF in one go, and its first requirement is a working, licensed copy of Publisher on the PC. If you have a large archive, that script alone can justify the purchase.
Office Professional Plus 2021 is the last version of Office that includes Publisher. Office 2024 does not, in any edition: Microsoft states that Publisher is not included with Office LTSC 2024.
If Publisher isn’t showing after you install, or anything fails to install or activate as you expect, contact our UK support team before trying anything else. We would rather sort it out with you than have you go without.
Should you buy Office 2021 just to keep Publisher?
It depends what you need Publisher for, and the honest answer comes with a condition. Office Professional Plus 2021 is the only one-time purchase that still gives you Publisher, but Microsoft stops supporting it on 13 October 2026. You would be buying software that is about to go out of support.
Publisher is the point of the purchase
- You have an archive of .pub files to open or convert
- You keep editing existing Publisher designs and don’t want to rebuild them
- You accept there will be no security updates after 13 October
- You only open .pub files you trust
You need a supported Office suite
- This will be your main Office install for years
- You open documents and attachments from other people
- Your work has to meet security requirements
- You are ready to do new design work in Word or PowerPoint
Many people need both: Publisher to rescue and keep using old designs, and a supported suite for everyday work. If that’s you, decide which PC will be your Publisher machine, and keep everyday email and documents on a supported version of Office.
For the wider picture on Office 2021, including what end of support means for Word, Excel and Outlook, see our guide to Office 2021 end of support.
What to use for new work
Microsoft’s own recommendation is to move each kind of Publisher job into Word or PowerPoint. In its guidance, Word covers newsletters, letterheads, labels, envelopes, forms and folded programmes. PowerPoint covers banners, signs and posters. Either works for flyers, brochures, business cards, certificates, calendars and greeting cards. Microsoft Create also has free templates for many of these.
For text-heavy jobs that’s a reasonable swap, and a standalone Word 2024 licence covers it without a subscription. For precise layouts and print work it’s a harder change. If Word and PowerPoint don’t cover what you do, our guide to Publisher alternatives compares dedicated layout tools, from free options to professional software.
Frequently asked questions
It depends how you have it. If Publisher came with Microsoft 365, it was removed on 1 October 2026 and you can no longer use it. If you own a one-time purchase copy, such as Office Professional Plus 2021, it keeps working after October 2026, but Microsoft support ends on 13 October 2026.
Yes, with a one-time purchase copy of Publisher, which still opens and edits .pub files. Microsoft 365 subscribers can no longer open them in Publisher. Without Publisher, LibreOffice Draw can import .pub files, though complex layouts often don’t convert cleanly.
Not through Microsoft 365. Microsoft no longer makes Publisher available to install with a subscription. If you own a perpetual version, Microsoft says you will still be able to install and use it after support ends.
It keeps working, but any security problem found after 13 October 2026 will not be fixed. The main risk is opening .pub files from people you don’t know or trust. Using it for your own designs on a machine you control is a much lower risk than using it as a business’s main Office install.
No. Word has never opened .pub files. Microsoft’s route is to save the file as a PDF from Publisher, then open that PDF in Word, which can change the layout. The first step needs a working copy of Publisher.
No. Publisher is not included in any edition of Office 2024 or Office LTSC 2024. Office Professional Plus 2021 is the last version of Office that includes it.
Microsoft’s Publisher retirement page gives 1 October 2026 as the end of support for perpetual copies, but ties it to Office LTSC 2021, which ends on 13 October 2026. Microsoft’s lifecycle records for Publisher 2021 and Publisher LTSC 2021 also give 13 October 2026. The subscription cut-off is 1 October; perpetual support ends on 13 October.
No. Publisher has only ever been available on Windows, so nothing changes for Mac users.
Gary Walsh is the Head of Tech Support at Software Supplies, with more than 20 years in the IT industry. Fully Microsoft-certified and experienced across the full business software stack — from Windows and Office to cloud infrastructure and device management — Gary delivers practical, no-nonsense advice that helps users and businesses get the most from their technology.
