{"id":519734,"date":"2025-07-05T08:42:00","date_gmt":"2025-07-05T15:42:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jorgep.com\/blog\/?p=519734"},"modified":"2026-01-15T11:24:31","modified_gmt":"2026-01-15T18:24:31","slug":"microsoft-publisher-is-end-of-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jorgep.com\/blog\/microsoft-publisher-is-end-of-life\/","title":{"rendered":"Microsoft Publisher is End of Life"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Microsoft officially retired Publisher in 2026, ending support for the application across all platforms and moving its core design features into Word and PowerPoint.  Despite its retirement, many legacy files and templates still exist. If you need to access these documents on your Mac, here are the most effective ways to do it today.  I wrote about this on my blog post here, but bottom line: I switched most of my creative work to Affinity and <a href=\"http:\/\/go.35s.com\/canva\">Canva<\/a> a while back.  (Affinity was purchase by Canva in 2025!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Publisher has quietly been a staple for flyers, newsletters, and simple marketing materials for decades, but it is now officially on the way out. Microsoft has announced that Publisher will no longer be supported after October 2026, and Microsoft 365 subscribers will lose access to the app and its editing capabilities. <a href=\"https:\/\/support.microsoft.com\/en-us\/office\/microsoft-publisher-will-no-longer-be-supported-after-october-2026-ee6302a2-4bc7-4841-babf-8e9be3acbfd7\">support.microsoft<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That means PUB files will effectively become \u201cstranded\u201d if you do nothing. To avoid this, Microsoft recommends converting your PUB documents to more modern formats such as PDF and Word (DOCX) well before the deadline. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.windowslatest.com\/2025\/03\/06\/after-skype-microsoft-publisher-pub-is-being-discontinued-microsoft-says-convert-pub-to-pdf\/\">windowslatest<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Step 1: Take inventory of your PUB files<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Before you can migrate away from Publisher, you need to understand what you actually have. Think of this as decluttering your digital filing cabinet. <a href=\"https:\/\/support.microsoft.com\/en-us\/office\/microsoft-publisher-will-no-longer-be-supported-after-october-2026-ee6302a2-4bc7-4841-babf-8e9be3acbfd7\">support.microsoft<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On Windows:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Search for all PUB files<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Open File Explorer and search for <code>*.pub<\/code> on your PC, external drives, OneDrive, or SharePoint folders. <a href=\"https:\/\/support.microsoft.com\/en-us\/office\/microsoft-publisher-will-no-longer-be-supported-after-october-2026-ee6302a2-4bc7-4841-babf-8e9be3acbfd7\">support.microsoft<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Categorize your documents<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201cMust keep editable\u201d (templates, regularly updated brochures, price lists).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201cView only\u201d (old newsletters, past event flyers).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201cSafe to archive or delete\u201d (obsolete drafts, duplicates). <a href=\"https:\/\/www.windowslatest.com\/2025\/03\/06\/after-skype-microsoft-publisher-pub-is-being-discontinued-microsoft-says-convert-pub-to-pdf\/\">windowslatest<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>On Mac:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>If you previously stored PUB files in cloud services like OneDrive, Dropbox, or Google Drive, use their web search to find <code>.pub<\/code> files. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.windowslatest.com\/2025\/03\/06\/after-skype-microsoft-publisher-pub-is-being-discontinued-microsoft-says-convert-pub-to-pdf\/\">windowslatest<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Download or tag them so you can process them on a Windows machine or through a converter later. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dice.com\/career-advice\/4-alternatives-to-microsoft-publisher-you-can-use-today\">dice<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Step 2: Convert PUB files on Windows<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>While Publisher still works, Windows is your best environment for high\u2011quality conversions. The goal is to turn fragile PUB files into durable formats that remain usable long after Publisher disappears. <a href=\"https:\/\/support.microsoft.com\/en-us\/office\/microsoft-publisher-will-no-longer-be-supported-after-october-2026-ee6302a2-4bc7-4841-babf-8e9be3acbfd7\">support.microsoft<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Best practice: Export to PDF<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>PDF is the most reliable format for long\u2011term viewing, sharing, and printing. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.windowslatest.com\/2025\/03\/06\/after-skype-microsoft-publisher-pub-is-being-discontinued-microsoft-says-convert-pub-to-pdf\/\">windowslatest<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Open each important PUB in Publisher.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Use <strong>File \u2192 Save As<\/strong> or <strong>File \u2192 Export \u2192 Create PDF\/XPS<\/strong> (wording varies by version).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Choose \u201cStandard\u201d or \u201cHigh quality\u201d if you intend to print the document. <a href=\"https:\/\/support.microsoft.com\/en-us\/office\/microsoft-publisher-will-no-longer-be-supported-after-october-2026-ee6302a2-4bc7-4841-babf-8e9be3acbfd7\">support.microsoft<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>This preserves layout, fonts (if embedded), and graphics so your document looks the same on any device, regardless of whether Publisher exists. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.windowslatest.com\/2025\/03\/06\/after-skype-microsoft-publisher-pub-is-being-discontinued-microsoft-says-convert-pub-to-pdf\/\">windowslatest<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Keeping documents editable: Export to DOCX<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>If you need to keep editing content, convert to a word\u2011processor format.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>From Publisher, export or copy content into Word (DOCX) where possible. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.windowslatest.com\/2025\/03\/06\/after-skype-microsoft-publisher-pub-is-being-discontinued-microsoft-says-convert-pub-to-pdf\/\">windowslatest<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Expect layout changes: complex designs, text wrapping around shapes, and font substitutions may not survive perfectly, but your text and key images will be editable. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dice.com\/career-advice\/4-alternatives-to-microsoft-publisher-you-can-use-today\">dice<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>You can then refine the layout with Word styles, or re\u2011create the design in another layout tool of your choice. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.xda-developers.com\/microsoft-publisher-5-tool-replacement\/\">xda-developers<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Bulk conversion for large archives<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>If you have hundreds of PUB files, converting one by one is painful. Microsoft has shared guidance and example scripts that can automate exporting many Publisher files to PDF, using PowerShell to loop through folders and call Publisher\u2019s export functions. For organizations, this type of scripted approach is essential to ensure compliance, record\u2011keeping, and legal retention. <a href=\"https:\/\/support.microsoft.com\/en-us\/office\/microsoft-publisher-will-no-longer-be-supported-after-october-2026-ee6302a2-4bc7-4841-babf-8e9be3acbfd7\">support.microsoft<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Step 3: Handling PUB files on Mac<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>macOS has never supported Publisher natively, and that won\u2019t change. After Publisher\u2019s retirement, you\u2019ll rely entirely on converted files or third\u2011party tools. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.xda-developers.com\/microsoft-publisher-5-tool-replacement\/\">xda-developers<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Practical workflow:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Use a Windows PC (or Windows in a virtual machine) as your \u201cconversion station\u201d to turn PUB files into PDF or DOCX. <a href=\"https:\/\/support.microsoft.com\/en-us\/office\/microsoft-publisher-will-no-longer-be-supported-after-october-2026-ee6302a2-4bc7-4841-babf-8e9be3acbfd7\">support.microsoft<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Move the converted files to your Mac via OneDrive, Dropbox, or your preferred cloud storage.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Open:<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>PDFs in Preview, Acrobat Reader, or any PDF viewer.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>DOCX files in Microsoft Word for Mac or Apple Pages. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dice.com\/career-advice\/4-alternatives-to-microsoft-publisher-you-can-use-today\">dice<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>For ongoing design work, use Mac\u2011native layout tools like Pages, Affinity Publisher, or Adobe InDesign to rebuild templates and future documents. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.xda-developers.com\/microsoft-publisher-5-tool-replacement\/\">xda-developers<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Step 4: Choose your \u201cnext\u201d publishing tool<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Publisher\u2019s retirement is a good moment to standardize on tools that are cross\u2011platform and actively developed. <a href=\"https:\/\/opensource.com\/alternatives\/microsoft-publisher\">opensource<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Simple documents: Word, Pages, or online tools<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>If your needs are basic (church bulletins, small\u2011office flyers, school newsletters):<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>On Windows:<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Microsoft Word with rich templates works surprisingly well for simple layout tasks. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.xda-developers.com\/microsoft-publisher-5-tool-replacement\/\">xda-developers<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>On Mac:<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Apple Pages offers attractive templates for brochures, flyers, and newsletters with an approachable interface. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dice.com\/career-advice\/4-alternatives-to-microsoft-publisher-you-can-use-today\">dice<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Anywhere:<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Web tools like Canva can handle social posts, flyers, and basic marketing materials in a browser. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dice.com\/career-advice\/4-alternatives-to-microsoft-publisher-you-can-use-today\">dice<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>These tools trade some of Publisher\u2019s free\u2011form layout power for ease of use and better long\u2011term support. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.xda-developers.com\/microsoft-publisher-5-tool-replacement\/\">xda-developers<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Full desktop publishing: Scribus, Affinity Publisher, InDesign<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>If you do more serious layout work:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Scribus<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Free, open source, runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux. <a href=\"https:\/\/opensource.com\/alternatives\/microsoft-publisher\">opensource<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Powerful but more technical; good for newsletters, magazines, and booklets once you get comfortable. <a href=\"https:\/\/opensource.com\/alternatives\/microsoft-publisher\">opensource<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Affinity Publisher<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>One\u2011time purchase (no subscription) and available for both Windows and Mac. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dice.com\/career-advice\/4-alternatives-to-microsoft-publisher-you-can-use-today\">dice<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Modern, faster to learn than InDesign, and well\u2011suited for marketing materials, books, and long documents. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.xda-developers.com\/microsoft-publisher-5-tool-replacement\/\">xda-developers<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Adobe InDesign<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Industry standard for professional publishing. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dice.com\/career-advice\/4-alternatives-to-microsoft-publisher-you-can-use-today\">dice<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Runs on both Windows and Mac but requires a subscription. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dice.com\/career-advice\/4-alternatives-to-microsoft-publisher-you-can-use-today\">dice<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Third\u2011party programs that can open or convert PUB files<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Even without Publisher, a handful of tools can read or convert PUB files with mixed success. These are particularly useful once Publisher is truly gone or when you only have a Mac. <a href=\"https:\/\/opensource.com\/alternatives\/microsoft-publisher\">opensource<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><th>Tool \/ Service<\/th><th>Platform<\/th><th>What it does with PUB files<\/th><th>Notes<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>LibreOffice Draw<\/td><td>Windows, Mac, Linux<\/td><td>Can import some PUB files and let you edit and export to other formats. <a href=\"https:\/\/opensource.com\/alternatives\/microsoft-publisher\">opensource<\/a><\/td><td>Layout fidelity varies; simple documents work best.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Scribus<\/td><td>Windows, Mac, Linux<\/td><td>Supports importing PUB content via filters or intermediate formats. <a href=\"https:\/\/opensource.com\/alternatives\/microsoft-publisher\">opensource<\/a><\/td><td>Better for re\u2011creating layouts than pixel\u2011perfect import.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Online converters<\/td><td>Browser\u2011based<\/td><td>Convert PUB \u2192 PDF, DOCX, or images without installing Publisher. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dice.com\/career-advice\/4-alternatives-to-microsoft-publisher-you-can-use-today\">dice<\/a><\/td><td>Beware of privacy; avoid for sensitive or confidential content.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Specialized viewers<\/td><td>Windows (mostly)<\/td><td>Some niche tools can open or convert PUB to PDF or images. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dice.com\/career-advice\/4-alternatives-to-microsoft-publisher-you-can-use-today\">dice<\/a><\/td><td>Check vendor reputation; results vary widely.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Key considerations:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>No third\u2011party program reads every PUB file perfectly; Publisher used proprietary features that can be hard to replicate. <a href=\"https:\/\/opensource.com\/alternatives\/microsoft-publisher\">opensource<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Test a few representative files before committing to a tool or workflow, especially for complex brochures or documents with many images. <a href=\"https:\/\/opensource.com\/alternatives\/microsoft-publisher\">opensource<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>For sensitive documents, prioritize offline tools (LibreOffice, Scribus) over online converters to avoid uploading confidential data. <a href=\"https:\/\/opensource.com\/alternatives\/microsoft-publisher\">opensource<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Step 5: Future\u2011proof your new documents<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The best way to avoid this problem again is to build your next generation of templates in open or widely supported formats. <a href=\"https:\/\/support.microsoft.com\/en-us\/office\/microsoft-publisher-will-no-longer-be-supported-after-october-2026-ee6302a2-4bc7-4841-babf-8e9be3acbfd7\">support.microsoft<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Practical guidelines:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Store all final versions as PDFs, regardless of the editing tool you use. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.windowslatest.com\/2025\/03\/06\/after-skype-microsoft-publisher-pub-is-being-discontinued-microsoft-says-convert-pub-to-pdf\/\">windowslatest<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Keep source files in formats that multiple tools understand (DOCX, ODT, IDML, etc.). <a href=\"https:\/\/opensource.com\/alternatives\/microsoft-publisher\">opensource<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Prefer cross\u2011platform tools so that switching computers or operating systems does not strand your work again. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.xda-developers.com\/microsoft-publisher-5-tool-replacement\/\">xda-developers<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>With a weekend of organizing and converting, you can safely retire Publisher from your workflow, protect your legacy documents, and move to tools that will serve you well on both Windows and Mac for years to come. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.xda-developers.com\/microsoft-publisher-5-tool-replacement\/\">xda-developers<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Microsoft officially retired Publisher in 2026, ending support for the application across all platforms and moving its core design features into Word and PowerPoint. Despite its retirement, many legacy files and templates still exist. If you need to access these documents on your Mac, here are the most effective ways to do it today. I&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":519749,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[442,441],"tags":[123,1016],"class_list":["post-519734","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-reference","category-tech-talk","tag-pointers-resources","tag-publisher"],"taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":442,"label":"Reference"},{"value":441,"label":"Tech Talk"}],"post_tag":[{"value":123,"label":"Pointers &amp; Resources"},{"value":1016,"label":"Publisher"}]},"featured_image_src_large":["https:\/\/jorgep.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/FeatureImage-MicrosoftPublisherEOL-.png",1024,512,false],"author_info":{"display_name":"Jorge Pereira","author_link":"https:\/\/jorgep.com\/blog\/author\/jorge\/"},"comment_info":0,"category_info":[{"term_id":442,"name":"Reference","slug":"reference","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":452,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":176,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":442,"category_count":176,"category_description":"","cat_name":"Reference","category_nicename":"reference","category_parent":0},{"term_id":441,"name":"Tech Talk","slug":"tech-talk","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":451,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":672,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":441,"category_count":672,"category_description":"","cat_name":"Tech Talk","category_nicename":"tech-talk","category_parent":0}],"tag_info":[{"term_id":123,"name":"Pointers &amp; Resources","slug":"pointers-resources","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":129,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":97,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":1016,"name":"Publisher","slug":"publisher","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1026,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":2,"filter":"raw"}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jorgep.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/519734","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jorgep.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jorgep.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jorgep.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jorgep.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=519734"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/jorgep.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/519734\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":519735,"href":"https:\/\/jorgep.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/519734\/revisions\/519735"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jorgep.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/519749"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jorgep.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=519734"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jorgep.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=519734"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jorgep.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=519734"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}