Updated
Microsoft Publisher is retiring, what it means for your .pub files
Microsoft is ending Publisher in October 2026. Here is exactly what stops working and when, what Microsoft tells you to do, and what your realistic options are afterwards, especially if you are on a Mac or no longer have Publisher at all.
The dates
All of these come from Microsoft's own support notice:
| Date | What happens | Who it affects |
|---|---|---|
| 1 October 2026 | Publisher is removed from Microsoft 365. Subscribers "will not be able to access Publisher" and "will no longer be able to open or edit Publisher files in Publisher". | Anyone whose Publisher came with a Microsoft 365 / Office 365 subscription, most homes, churches, schools and small offices. |
| 13 October 2026 | Support ends for the perpetual (one-time purchase) version, together with Office 2021 / Office LTSC 2021. | People who bought Publisher or Office outright. Microsoft says you "will still be able to install and use the app beyond this date", just without updates or support. |
So the practical cut-off for most people is 1 October 2026. After that, unless you own a perpetual copy and a Windows PC to run it on, nothing from Microsoft will open a .pub file.
What a .pub file is, and why this is a problem
.pub is Publisher's private file format. Word, PowerPoint, Pages, Google Docs and Canva cannot open it. Microsoft never published the format, so everything that reads .pub files outside Publisher is reverse-engineered, which is why third-party results vary.
Microsoft's notice is honest about this: it recommends third-party tools as one option, then notes that "these services vary in quality and capabilities, and Microsoft does not provide support for them."
What Microsoft recommends
- To keep a copy you can view: open each file in Publisher and Save As PDF. For many files, run their PowerShell script, which needs a licensed, installed Publisher on a Windows PC.
- To keep a copy you can edit: save as PDF, then open the PDF in Word. Microsoft warns the "layout may vary from the original PDF, particularly if the document includes many graphics." In practice a newsletter or bulletin does not survive this well.
- For new documents: use Word or PowerPoint templates from Microsoft Create.
If you still have Publisher today: export everything to PDF now.
This is the one step that costs nothing and cannot be done after 1 October. Whatever you do next, a PDF of every file is your safety net. Microsoft's script does it in bulk. If you have already lost Publisher, skip to the options below.
Who this hits hardest
- Churches and parishes: years of weekly bulletins, orders of service, newsletters. Often a volunteer's PC and a Microsoft 365 licence.
- Schools, PTAs, clubs: newsletters, certificates, programmes, flyers, reused every year.
- Small businesses: menus, price lists, brochures, business cards.
- Anyone who switched to a Mac and still has a folder of .pub files from their Windows years. There has never been a Publisher for Mac.
The common thread: the files are not just archives. People still edit them. A PDF preserves the look but not the ability to change next week's date.
Your options after October 2026
| Option | Editable result? | Cost | Catch |
|---|---|---|---|
| PubFile (Mac App Store) | ✓ Yes (IDML for Affinity / InDesign) + PDF | Free for three files; $29.99 one-time for unlimited | New (1.0). Try it on your own files before paying. |
| Keep a Windows PC with a perpetual Publisher licence | ✓ Yes (in Publisher) | Whatever the licence costs second-hand | Unsupported, Windows only, delays the problem |
| PDF, then PDF-to-Word | Sort of | Free | Layout breaks on anything with graphics (Microsoft's own caveat) |
| LibreOffice Draw (Mac, Windows, Linux) | Partial | Free | Multi-page text flow is broken; result is a Draw document, not a page-layout file. Details |
| Online converters | Usually PDF only | Free-$5/file | You upload your document to someone else's server. Not appropriate for member lists or pupil names. |
| Mac viewer apps (PubHarbor, PUB Reader) | PDF/images only | Free-$29.99 | Same multi-page symptom as LibreOffice (PubHarbor uses the same parser; PUB Reader's reviews describe the same bug). Comparison |
| Markzware (OmniMarkz SE on Windows, or their per-file service) | ✓ Yes (IDML) | $469/year, or $39+ per file | Priced for agencies; the Mac app does not open .pub |
What "editable" should mean
The tool you move to needs to be free or cheap, run on your Mac, and open whatever your converter produces. In 2026 the obvious choice is Affinity, which became free in 2025 and imports IDML files. Adobe InDesign also opens IDML. So a converter that produces IDML gives you a document with real text frames, real images and real pages, something you can actually keep editing. More on choosing a replacement
A sensible plan
- Find your files. Search for
.pubon the PC, OneDrive and SharePoint (Microsoft's suggestion). Copy them all into one folder. Count them. - If Publisher still runs, export PDFs of everything. Bulk, with Microsoft's script. Keep the .pub originals too, never delete them.
- Decide which files you will edit again. Usually a small fraction: this year's templates, the bulletin master, the letterhead.
- Convert those to an editable format and open them in Affinity (free) to check. Fix what needs fixing once, save as an Affinity document, and you are done with Publisher.
- Keep the rest as PDF + original .pub. Storage is cheap; a converter you can run later will always exist.
Sources
- Microsoft, "Microsoft Publisher will no longer be supported after October 2026"
- Affinity, IDML import support article
- Markzware, OmniMarkz store and conversion service pricing
- LibreOffice bug tracker, bug 67299 "text is repeated on all pages"