Short answer: Publisher retirement changes access differently for Microsoft 365 subscribers and perpetual-license users. Check which license you have, then decide whether you only need to read old Publisher files or keep editing them, before you choose a replacement.
Scope: Microsoft Support’s page "Microsoft Publisher will no longer be supported after October 2026", checked October 12, 2026, 06:02 KST (October 11, 21:02 UTC), and re-read October 13, 2026, 11:38 KST (02:38 UTC) together with three Microsoft Learn reference pages on the export method behind Microsoft’s sample script. This is a reading of Microsoft’s pages, not our test. We haven’t installed Publisher, converted a .pub file or run Microsoft’s sample script, and we can’t see what your own Publisher or Microsoft 365 account shows today.
The "How will this affect you" section of Microsoft’s page gives two different October dates for two different groups (see the caution below). "Support ends" is not the same as "the file stops opening." The same distinction applies to Office 2021, whose support end date is October 13, 2026.
Two licenses, two October dates
| Your Publisher | Date on Microsoft’s page | What Microsoft says happens |
|---|---|---|
| Publisher through a Microsoft 365 subscription | On or shortly after October 1, 2026 (install/download: FAQ says after October 2026) | Subscribers "will not be able to access Publisher" as the removal update rolls out; they can no longer open or edit Publisher files in Publisher, and the FAQ says Publisher won’t be available to install or download after October 2026 |
| Perpetual version of Publisher | October 13, 2026 | Support ends, when Office LTSC 2021 and Consumer Office 2021 reach end of support; the FAQ says you can still install, use, access and edit files beyond that date |
The Microsoft 365 removal "rolls out", so the page doesn’t promise a single day for every subscriber. Don’t assume a subscription copy still opens just because it opened last week.
For perpetual copies, October 13 is a support date. Microsoft’s FAQ says that "although support will end, you will still be able to install and use the app beyond this date" and that perpetual users "will still be able to access and edit your files." The FAQ doesn’t say perpetual copies stop working on October 13.
One caution: the page isn’t fully consistent. Its general preparation note recommends converting files "before 10/1/2026" and adds that after this date "you will no longer be able to open or edit these files in Microsoft Publisher," without separating license types. Only the FAQ answers the perpetual case directly. Because the page points both ways, convert the files you need while your copy still opens them.
Read, edit, or make a new publication?
Before picking a replacement, separate three jobs. They lead to different routes on Microsoft’s page.
| What you need | Route on Microsoft’s page | Limit to know |
|---|---|---|
| Read or print an old publication | Save the Publisher file as PDF | You need a Publisher that still opens the file to save it |
| Edit the text of an old publication | Save as PDF, then open that PDF in Word | Word optimizes it for text editing; the layout may differ, "particularly if the document includes many graphics" |
| Make a new newsletter, poster, flyer or card | Start in Word or PowerPoint | This is a new document, not a converted copy of the old one |
Keep archive conversion and choosing a new tool as separate decisions. A PDF copy answers "can I still see this?" A Word copy answers "can I still change the words?" Neither tells you what you should design new publications in.
For new work, Microsoft’s own table points to Word or PowerPoint by task. Some examples from it:
| I want to create… | Microsoft’s recommended app |
|---|---|
| Newsletter | Word |
| Banners, signs, posters | PowerPoint |
| Ads or flyers | Word or PowerPoint |
| Brochures | Word or PowerPoint |
| Labels, envelopes, letterhead | Word |
| Calendars, business cards, certificates | Word or PowerPoint |
If Publisher still opens on your computer
Microsoft’s export steps start inside Publisher, so you need a copy that still opens the file. In short, the steps are: open the Publisher file, go to File > Save as, choose where to save it, select PDF as the file type and save. To edit the text afterward, open Word, go to File > Open, open that PDF and confirm the dialog box. The document opens as a Word file.
Two editorial precautions of our own, not Microsoft requirements: keep the original .pub file alongside any PDF or Word copy, and look through each converted file before deleting anything. Microsoft notes the Word layout may vary, particularly with many graphics.
Microsoft also describes a sample PowerShell script for individual or bulk export (PDF or other formats). Its first stated requirement is "a working and licensed version of Publisher installed on your computer." It’s a reference script that Microsoft says to "modify and test for your specific needs", not a standalone .pub reader. We haven’t run it, and this article doesn’t ask you to.
If Publisher no longer opens
Microsoft’s page names one more route: using a third-party conversion tool to convert directly from Publisher to another file type. It adds that "these services vary in quality and capabilities, and Microsoft does not provide support for them."
So we don’t recommend any converter here. If you look at one, treat it as unsupported by Microsoft. Think twice before uploading files with personal, client or financial details to an online service. Don’t assume every layout or Publisher version will import cleanly.
To find out how many files you’re dealing with, Microsoft suggests searching for ".Pub" on your PC, OneDrive or SharePoint.
A conversion plan, file by file
Microsoft’s page gives the export steps but not an order of work. This is ours, built from what Microsoft documents, plus precautions we mark as ours. We haven’t run it on real .pub files, so treat it as a checklist, not a tested procedure.
- List every file. Search for ".Pub" on your PC, OneDrive and SharePoint, as Microsoft suggests, and write down each file and where it is.
- Give each file one job. Read or print only: save it as PDF. Change the words: PDF first, then open that PDF in Word. Make something new: start in Word or PowerPoint (see the table above). A file nobody needs again can stay as it is.
- Convert while a licensed Publisher still opens it. For a Microsoft 365 copy that window may already have closed, because the removal "rolls out" on or shortly after October 1, 2026. For a perpetual copy, Microsoft’s FAQ says you can still install and use it beyond October 13, 2026.
- A few files or many. For a few, use File > Save as and pick PDF. For many, Microsoft’s sample PowerShell script handles one file, a folder, or a folder and its subfolders (for example
Convert-PubFileToPDF.ps1 -Filter "*.pub" -Recurse). It needs "a working and licensed version of Publisher installed," and Microsoft says to modify and test it for your needs first. - Keep the original. Keep each .pub file next to its PDF or Word copy until the checks below have passed. This is our precaution, not a Microsoft requirement.
What to check in each converted file
Microsoft’s page doesn’t give a verification list. These checks are ours; the middle column shows where a Microsoft page is the reason for one.
| Check | Why, from Microsoft’s pages | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Files the script skipped | The script "is designed to continue running if it encounters errors and to display which files were converted and which files encountered an error." | A finished run doesn’t mean every file converted. Convert each file it lists as an error by hand. |
| Name clashes | "If the file name already exists, we will not export the file and will show an error." If you change the script to use Document.SaveAs instead, that method’s reference says an existing file with the same name "is overwritten without the user being prompted first." | Move or rename older PDFs before a re-run, and don’t switch methods without knowing which behavior you get. |
| Missing pages | No Microsoft statement; our own check. | Compare the PDF’s page count with the publication’s. |
| Text that became a picture | Document.ExportAsFixedFormat, the export method Microsoft’s script notes point to, has a BitmapMissingFonts setting: "Whether to include a bitmap of the text." Microsoft says to pass True "when font licenses don’t permit a font to be embedded in the PDF file", and the default is True. | Search each PDF for a word you know is in it. If the search can’t find it, that text is probably an image, and the Word step may not give you editable text for it. |
| Print or screen quality | The same method takes an output-quality setting, from "the smallest file size" for on-screen viewing up to output for "a commercial press". The reference doesn’t state which one is used by default. | If you will print from the PDF, set the quality in the script yourself and print one test page. |
| Long-term archive format | PDF/A (ISO 19005-1) is a separate option on the same method, and "The default is False." | If you need PDF/A, the script has to turn it on. |
| Word copies | Microsoft warns that the Word copy’s layout can differ from the PDF, especially with many graphics (its note is quoted in the FAQ below). | Compare the Word file with its PDF, page by page, before you delete anything. |
FAQ
Does October 13 stop perpetual Publisher from editing my files? Not according to Microsoft’s FAQ. October 13, 2026 is when support for the perpetual version ends. The FAQ says perpetual users "will still be able to access and edit your files" and can still install and use the app beyond this date.
Does PDF-to-Word conversion keep my original layout? Not necessarily. Microsoft says the Word document is optimized for text editing and "its layout may vary from the original PDF—particularly if the document includes many graphics."
Is Microsoft’s sample script a way to read .pub files without Publisher? No. It drives an installed Publisher to export files, and Microsoft lists "a working and licensed version of Publisher" as the first step.
What should I use instead of Publisher? Microsoft points to Word or PowerPoint depending on what you’re making (see the table above). Your old files and your next project are separate questions.
Your next step
Write down which license you have and whether you need to read, edit or recreate each publication. Then read Microsoft’s Publisher retirement page for the current conditions on the day you act. No link on this page is an offer or an affiliate link.
Sources (checked October 12, 2026, 06:02 KST / October 11, 21:02 UTC; re-read and extended October 13, 2026, 11:38 KST / 02:38 UTC)
- Microsoft Support, "Microsoft Publisher will no longer be supported after October 2026": https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/publisher/microsoft-publisher-will-no-longer-be-supported-after-october-2026
- Microsoft Learn, "Document.ExportAsFixedFormat method (Publisher)": https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/office/vba/api/publisher.document.exportasfixedformat
- Microsoft Learn, "PbFixedFormatIntent enumeration (Publisher)": https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/office/vba/api/publisher.pbfixedformatintent
- Microsoft Learn, "Document.SaveAs method (Publisher)": https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/office/vba/api/publisher.document.saveas