Microsoft Publisher Discontinued: How to Open Your .pub Files After October 2026

If you're reading this, you probably just found out that Microsoft is ending support for Publisher. Maybe Microsoft emailed you directly. Maybe your IT team forwarded the notice. Either way, you're now staring at a folder full of .pub files wondering what you're supposed to do with them.

Here's what's happening and what your options are.

Update: Microsoft is emailing subscribers now (August 2026)

Microsoft has started sending Microsoft 365 subscribers an email titled "Important update to your Microsoft 365 subscription." It confirms Publisher is going away on October 1, 2026 and tells people to convert their files to PDF or Word before then.

The short version:

  • Microsoft 365 loses Publisher on October 1, 2026. Once it's removed, you can't open or edit .pub files in it.
  • A perpetual license (Office 2021 or LTSC) still opens your files after that date, but with no more updates or support.
  • You don't need Publisher installed to convert. Drop a .pub on pubconvert.com and it converts in your browser: PDF, Word, or IDML.

What Microsoft actually announced

Microsoft posted the notice back in February 2024: Publisher will no longer be supported after October 2026. The dates are staggered. If you're on a Microsoft 365 subscription, you lose access to Publisher on October 1, 2026. If you have a perpetual license (Office 2021 or Office LTSC), support ends October 13, 2026. Either way, that's weeks away now, not months.

On Microsoft 365, that means you'll no longer be able to open or edit .pub files in Publisher once it's removed. That's Microsoft's wording, not a scare tactic.

If you have a perpetual license, you can keep Publisher installed and open your files after that date. No security updates, no support, but it still runs.

The problem with .pub files

Here's the thing nobody talks about: .pub is a proprietary format. Microsoft made it, Microsoft owns it, and almost nothing else can open it properly.

Once support ends, here's where you stand:

  • On Microsoft 365: Publisher is removed, so you can't open .pub files in it anymore
  • On a perpetual license: Publisher still opens them, but with no updates or support
  • Without Publisher at all: .pub is a proprietary format that almost nothing else opens well, so you need a converter

This is why churches, schools, and small nonprofits are getting ahead of it. They've got decades of newsletters, bulletins, and flyers in a format that's about to get much harder to open.

Your options for opening .pub files

Option 1: Use an online converter (recommended)

If you don't want to install anything, an online converter is the fastest way to get your .pub files into a usable format. No software, no subscriptions, just your browser.

PubConvert is what I'd point you to here. It's built specifically for this problem, it runs its own Publisher engine, and it works on any computer (Mac, Windows, Chromebook, whatever). You get PDF for viewing and printing, Word for editing, or IDML for InDesign and Affinity. Here's the whole process:

  1. Go to pubconvert.com
  2. Drop your .pub file onto the page
  3. Pick your output format (PDF, Word, or IDML for InDesign and Affinity)
  4. Click Convert
  5. Download your file

That's it. No signup, no account creation. You can preview any file free and check the quality before you pay anything. Converting and downloading is a one-time $49 payment for unlimited access. No recurring subscription.

And if you've got a whole folder of .pub files to deal with, PubConvert is the only online converter that handles up to 20 files at once (2GB total). That matters when you're sitting on years of newsletters and flyers.

Option 2: Use LibreOffice (free)

LibreOffice Draw can open .pub files. It's not perfect. Complex layouts get messy, and some fonts won't match. But for simple documents, it works.

Download it from libreoffice.org. Open your .pub file with LibreOffice Draw. Export to PDF or whatever you need.

The catch: complex layouts, WordArt, and rotated text don't always survive, the same as with any non-Publisher tool.

Option 3: Keep Publisher running

If you have Office 2019 or 2021 with a perpetual license, you can keep using Publisher after October 2026. It just won't get security updates.

Some organizations are doing this. It's not ideal, but if you only need to occasionally open old files, it works.

Option 4: Convert everything now

This is what Microsoft recommends: convert all your .pub files to PDF or Word before the deadline. Get it done while you still have working Publisher.

The problem is this takes forever if you have hundreds of files. Microsoft suggests using a macro to batch convert, but that requires Publisher to be running. If you've already lost access, you're stuck. An online batch converter like PubConvert can handle this without Publisher installed.

What I'd actually recommend

If you have Publisher now, open your files and export them to PDF. Do it systematically. Go through your folders. Don't wait for the final weeks before October 13, when the files you skipped are the ones you scramble over.

If you don't have Publisher, drop a file onto pubconvert.com and see how it looks. It takes about 10 seconds, no signup required. If the output works for you, come back and batch convert the rest.

For files with simple layouts (text and basic images), you'll probably be fine. For complex brochures with text boxes everywhere, expect some cleanup work regardless of which tool you use.

The annoying reality

Microsoft didn't provide a migration tool. They didn't open up the format. They just announced the end date and said "convert your stuff."

For a format that's been around since 1991, that's a frustrating way to handle it. But here we are.

Your .pub files aren't worthless yet. But they get harder to work with once Microsoft's support ends in October 2026, and that's close now. The time to deal with this is while you still have options.

Got .pub files? Drop one onto pubconvert.com right now. Ten seconds, no signup. PDF, Word, or IDML. If it works, batch convert up to 20 files at once.