Bring back Microsoft Publisher

Microsoft Publisher cannot be restored through a Microsoft 365 setting: Microsoft retired it from the subscription in October 2026, so requesting reconsideration through the Microsoft 365 Feedback Hub is the available route for asking Microsoft to bring it back.

Microsoft says the decision was made to focus on new benefits and because it considers many Publisher scenarios available in other Microsoft 365 applications. The announcement does not identify a technical fault with Publisher as the reason for retirement. Publisher was usable in Microsoft 365 until October 1, 2026; Publisher 2021 and Publisher LTSC 2021 reached end of support on October 13, 2026.^1^ ^2^

If Publisher mail merge remains essential

The remaining Microsoft-supported distinction is based on the licence:

• Publisher supplied through Microsoft 365: It is no longer available to install or download, and subscribers can no longer use it to open or edit .pub files after the retirement rollout.
• Perpetual Publisher licence: If you already own a perpetual version, Microsoft says it can still be installed and used after support ends. It will be unsupported, however, meaning no security updates, bug fixes, or technical support.^1^

Because Word and Adobe have already proved unsuitable for your mail-merge workflow, there is no documented Microsoft replacement that reproduces Publisher’s workflow exactly. A perpetual copy that you already own is the closest continuation path, subject to the security and support limitations above.

Protect existing Publisher templates

For .pub files that only need to be viewed:

1. Open each file using a working licensed installation of Publisher.
2. Select File → Save As.
3. Choose PDF and save it.

For files that must remain editable, Microsoft suggests opening the exported PDF in Word through File → Open, but warns that graphics-heavy layouts may change. That limitation may make this unsuitable for your templates.^1^

For a large archive, Microsoft provides a sample PowerShell conversion script. It requires a working, licensed Publisher installation and should be tested on copies first:

# Convert one Publisher file
.\Convert-PubFileToPDF.ps1 -Filter "C:\Documents\Template.pub"

# Convert every .pub file under a folder
.\Convert-PubFileToPDF.ps1 `
  -Filter "C:\Documents\*.pub" `
  -Recurse

The conversion preserves a viewable output, not the reusable Publisher mail-merge functionality.

Request that Microsoft reconsider

Open the Microsoft 365 Feedback Hub, select Send Feedback, and describe the missing business requirement specifically—for example, Publisher’s template layout plus mail merge and why Word does not reproduce that workflow. Search for an existing Publisher-retirement request and upvote it as well. Microsoft Q&A moderators identify this as the channel for product feedback; they cannot reverse or escalate the retirement themselves.^3^

References

1. Microsoft Publisher will no longer be supported after October 2026 | Microsoft Support
2. Ending Support in 2026
3. Why is Publisher being discontinued? - Microsoft Q&A