Publisher help

Hi @Weezus

Please don't worry too much, your files aren't going anywhere. They stay on your computer either way. What changes is that Publisher itself reaches end of life this month (October 2026), and Microsoft 365 users lose access to the app after that, so the time to convert is now while it still opens.

Since the script route isn't for you, the simplest plan is to go by priority rather than trying to do all of them:

1. Make a backup copy of the whole folder of .pub files on a USB drive or in OneDrive, so the originals are always safe.
2. Pick the files you'll actually need again (flyers you reuse, templates, things you might print). Often that's far fewer than the total.
3. Open each one in Publisher and use File > Save As, choosing PDF. A PDF keeps the layout exactly as it looks and opens anywhere.
4. For anything you'll want to edit later, open the PDF in Word (File > Open) and Word will convert it into an editable document.

If you know someone who's comfortable with computers, they could run Microsoft's conversion script once for the rest, but the steps above get your most important files safe today.

Roughly how many of those files do you think you'll actually need to edit again, rather than just keep?

If this resolved your question, please consider accepting it as the answer. If Publisher stops opening before you're done, let me know and I'll be happy to keep helping.

Reference:

• https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/microsoft-publisher-will-no-longer-be-supported-after-october-2026-ee6302a2-4bc7-4841-babf-8e9be3acbfd7