Publisher no longer supported by Microsoft

Question

Publisher no longer supported by Microsoft

Tony Parker 5

Like millions of other users, I frequently use Publisher to create certain documents. With Microsoft no longer supported this software (and I cannot understand) has left millions of us upstream with a paddle.

This is clearly their policy, but why cant they at the very least maintain the save and or export options which will allows us to save our old documents as pdf files.

Is Publisher 2021 supported, could this resolve our problem.

Tony Parker 5 Reputation points

2026-10-19T11:00:56.83+00:00

AI bot replied:

Publisher 2021 is no longer supported, but an already licensed perpetual copy can still be installed and used to open, edit, and export .pub files; it should be treated as a temporary migration tool rather than a supported long-term solution. [---]

All well and good , but the options of saving or exporting to pdf's are shaded out
Stefan Blom 357.7K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator

2026-10-19T14:02:59.17+00:00

You can reject the AI-generated reply from "AI answer," if it didn't help you. The bot is right, though: you can still use older perpetual Publisher 2021 or Office Professional 2021, which includes Publisher.

1 answer

Your answer

Tony Parker 5 Reputation points

2026-10-19T11:00:56.83+00:00

AI bot replied:

Publisher 2021 is no longer supported, but an already licensed perpetual copy can still be installed and used to open, edit, and export .pub files; it should be treated as a temporary migration tool rather than a supported long-term solution. [---]

All well and good , but the options of saving or exporting to pdf's are shaded out
Stefan Blom 357.7K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator

2026-10-19T14:02:59.17+00:00

You can reject the AI-generated reply from "AI answer," if it didn't help you. The bot is right, though: you can still use older perpetual Publisher 2021 or Office Professional 2021, which includes Publisher.

Answer 1

Publisher 2021 is no longer supported, but an already licensed perpetual copy can still be installed and used to open, edit, and export .pub files; it should be treated as a temporary migration tool rather than a supported long-term solution.

Microsoft 365 access to Publisher ended on or shortly after October 1, 2026, while support for perpetual Publisher 2021 ended on October 13, 2026. Perpetual Publisher can continue operating after that date, but receives no security updates, bug fixes, or technical support.^1^^2^

Preserve your existing publications

If Publisher still opens on your computer, convert the important files now:

Open the .pub file.
Select File > Export > Create PDF/XPS Document > Create PDF/XPS.
Enter a file name and choose PDF.
Under Options, select:
- Standard for ordinary viewing and desktop printing.
- High Quality Printing for copy-shop output.
- Commercial Press for the highest-quality commercial-printing output.
Select OK > Publish.^3^

Keep both the original .pub file and the exported PDF. PDF preserves the finished appearance for viewing and printing, but it is not an editable Publisher document.

Convert a large collection

Microsoft provides a sample PowerShell script for bulk conversion. This requires a working, licensed Publisher installation. Back up the .pub files first and test the process on a copied folder.

After downloading Microsoft’s Convert-PubFileToPDF.ps1 sample, a recursive conversion has this form:

# Run against a COPY of the source folder first.
Set-Location "C:\PublisherArchive"

.\Convert-PubFileToPDF.ps1 `
    -Filter "C:\PublisherArchive\*.pub" `
    -Recurse

The script reports files that succeeded or failed. It does not overwrite an existing output file with the same name; rename or remove that conflicting PDF before trying again.^1^

Should you obtain Publisher 2021?

If you already own a valid perpetual Publisher 2021 licence: it can provide continued access to the files and retain PDF export, although using unsupported software—especially on an Internet-connected computer—carries security and reliability risks.
If you only had Publisher through Microsoft 365: Publisher 2021 is not a supported replacement. Microsoft 365 subscribers can no longer install Publisher, and Microsoft does not promise continued Publisher access through that subscription.^1^
If considering an older retail licence: confirm that it is genuine and transferable. Avoid installing the complete Office 2021 suite alongside Microsoft 365 on the same PC; overlapping Office installations can cause activation, updating, and file-association problems. A separate Windows computer or virtual machine is the safer arrangement.^4^

For publications that must remain editable, Word can open a PDF and convert it into a Word document through File > Open, but complex graphics and page layouts may change. Microsoft recommends Word or PowerPoint for many future Publisher-style projects, depending on the document type.^1^

References