Why is Publisher being discontinued?

Debbie Hays 10 Reputation points
2026-04-27T14:30:46.0666667+00:00

I am very upset that Publisher will no longer be supported or will be used in Microsoft 365. I have used this program for the majority of my work and it upsets me that I will lose all of my past work and have to adjust all my layouts and projects through a program that does not feature what can be accomplished through Publisher. Publisher has a lot of features that Word does not have. It is easier to do layout - adding items and publishing documents through Publisher. If you do not want to include it in the package deal than I would like to see it as an add-on.

PLEASE consider this option!

[Moderator note: personal info removed]

Microsoft 365 and Office | Publisher | For business

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  1. Stefan Blom 354.6K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
    2026-10-17T17:34:22.6566667+00:00

    To let Microsoft know that you think Publisher is worth keeping, send feedback in the portal at https://feedbackportal.microsoft.com/feedback . Alternatively/also, you can vote for an existing suggestion, of course. Sending feedback is important, because decision makers at Microsoft do not read Q&A (they do read feedback sent to them in the portal).

    You can continue using Publisher if you have an older one-time payment license that includes the program. As suggested elsewhere (here and in other Q&A threads), you can get Office Professional 2021, but note that it is no longer sold by Microsoft, meaning that you must be careful if you purchase it from a third-party (non-Microsoft) seller or if you purchase it privately from an individual. Do not purchase Office Professional Plus, as those versions are usually volume license, and not appropriate if you are an individual user (home user) who needs a consumer product.

    Third-party apps such as Affinity by Canva can open and edit Publisher files that have been converted to PDFs, which may be an option. Long-term, learning a new page layout program is probably the way to go.

    You may be able to transfer file content into Microsoft Word, but it will usually require that you make use of copy & paste, so it might not be the best choice, especially if you have many files.

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  2. Aaron 0 Reputation points
    2026-09-15T14:01:54.7366667+00:00

    There are other alternatives you can try like Printicorn and InDesign that take .pub files. Printicorn also has a automatic converter to make a lot of Publisher files editable in its format.

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  3. Kimerly Beard-Moody 5 Reputation points
    2026-09-06T20:01:03.1833333+00:00

    Good afternoon,

    I hope that this post is helpful to everyone that reads it. I was also worried that I would lose all of my existing Publisher files since 2013. A friend of mine recommended me to a computer store that uninstalled Microsoft 365 (which I was paying $99.00/per year as a subscriber) and installed the Microsoft Office 2021 Professional. This is the last year that Publisher is included in the package. The one-time cost was very reasonable, it is perpetual and you will still be able to open your Publisher files after October 1 even though it will not be supported by Microsoft after that date.

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  4. Bulldog 5,035 Reputation points
    2026-04-27T16:53:26.5666667+00:00

    Publisher was created for printed documents. Like it or not, the world is turning away from printed materials and moving online, so it isn't surprising that Publisher's user base has been steadily decreasing over the years. It costs money to maintain software, fix bugs, defend it against attackers, keep it supported on new hardware, maintain current translations, update documentation and keep current with competitors. With increasingly fewer users, it was no longer economically viable to maintain Publisher, so Microsoft decided to pull the plug.

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  5. AI answer

    2026-04-27T14:30:58.67+00:00

    Microsoft Publisher is being retired as part of Microsoft’s broader effort to focus development and support on other Microsoft 365 apps and newer experiences.

    According to the retirement notice:

    • Publisher will reach end of life in October 2026.
    • After that time, Publisher will no longer be included in Microsoft 365, and existing on‑premises suites that include Publisher will no longer be supported.
    • Microsoft 365 subscribers will no longer be able to open or edit Publisher files in Publisher after that date.

    The documentation explains that many common Publisher scenarios are already supported in other Microsoft 365 apps such as Word and PowerPoint, and it points users to those apps (and to templates on Microsoft Create) as the long‑term direction instead of continuing to invest in Publisher.

    For existing work, the guidance is:

    • Continue using Publisher with its current functionality until October 2026.
    • Before that date, convert important .pub files to formats like PDF or Word so they remain accessible after Publisher is no longer available in Microsoft 365.
    • If using a perpetual (non‑subscription) version of Publisher, it can still be installed and used after support ends, but it will no longer receive support once Office LTSC 2021 reaches end of support on October 1, 2026.

    There is no indication in the documentation that Publisher will be offered as a separate add‑on for Microsoft 365 after retirement; instead, the official path is to move scenarios to other Microsoft 365 apps and convert existing files.

    References:

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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