Publisher leaves Microsoft 365 on October 1. Convert the files first and the newsletters keep shipping.
After October 1, 2026, Microsoft 365 subscribers can no longer open or edit .pub files in Publisher, and Microsoft's own conversion methods, saving as PDF from Publisher and its bulk conversion script, both need a working copy of Publisher. For the marketing, branch, and operations teams at credit unions, banks, and mortgage companies that still build newsletters, rate sheets, flyers, and signage in it, the conversion work belongs before the date.
- October 1, 2026 is the Microsoft 365 date, earlier than the October 13 date in Microsoft's original notice
- October 13, 2026 ends support for perpetual Publisher, along with Office LTSC 2021 and Office 2021
- Microsoft's bulk conversion script needs a working, licensed copy of Publisher to run
What happens to Microsoft Publisher on October 1, 2026?
Microsoft 365 subscribers lose the app. For existing files, Microsoft's answer is that subscribers can no longer open or edit them using Publisher.
Microsoft's September 9, 2026 reminder in the Microsoft 365 Message Center puts the change in one sentence: "After October 1, 2026, Publisher will no longer be included with Microsoft 365 subscriptions, and Microsoft 365 subscribers will no longer be able to open or edit Publisher (.pub) files using Publisher."
Source: Microsoft 365 Message Center notice MC1469564, "Microsoft Publisher: Reminder that support ends in October 2026", published September 9, 2026, read September 13, 2026.The Microsoft Support article on the retirement says the same thing from the user's side: "You can continue to use Publisher with its current functionality until October 1, 2026. Microsoft 365 subscribers will not be able to access Publisher after October 1, 2026." The same article adds that for Microsoft 365 subscribers, Publisher "will no longer be available for installation or download after October 2026."
Source: Microsoft Publisher will no longer be supported after October 2026, Microsoft Support, read September 13, 2026.If Publisher comes with Microsoft 365
Normal use continues until October 1, 2026. After that date Publisher is no longer available to subscribers, and the .pub files they saved can no longer be opened or edited in Publisher.
If Publisher came with Office 2021 or Office LTSC 2021
Support ends on October 13, 2026. Microsoft says a perpetual copy still installs and runs after that date and still opens and edits files, and for Office 2021 there will be no extension and no extended security updates. Copies of Publisher that came with Office 2019 or Office 2016 are already past end of support: Microsoft lists both suites with an end of support date of October 14, 2025.
The date in your project plan may be the older one
Microsoft posted its original notice on this retirement in the Message Center on February 15, 2024, as MC716267, and refreshed that notice as a reminder on November 11, 2025. That notice listed "October 13, 2026" under "When this will happen" and said "Microsoft 365 customers will not be able to access Publisher from that date forward."
The September 9, 2026 reminder separates the two groups. Its key dates read "October 1, 2026: Publisher will no longer be available to Microsoft 365 subscribers" and "October 13, 2026: Support for the perpetual version of Publisher will end when Office LTSC 2021 reaches end of support." The reminder points back to MC716267 for background, so both notices describe the same retirement. For an institution whose people run Publisher through Microsoft 365, a plan built on the original notice is working to a date that now arrives second.
Which date is yours?
If your users get Publisher through a Microsoft 365 subscription, plan to October 1, 2026. If Publisher came in a one-time purchase of Office 2021 or Office LTSC 2021, October 13, 2026 is the end of support. If both kinds of license exist in your organization, the earlier date sets the schedule.
How does the retirement differ for Microsoft 365 and perpetual Publisher?
The two groups lose different things on different days, and only one of them keeps the app.
| What changes | Publisher through Microsoft 365 | Perpetual Publisher (Office 2021, Office LTSC 2021) |
|---|---|---|
| Key change date | October 1, 2026: Publisher is no longer available to subscribers | October 13, 2026: support ends, and the app keeps running |
| Opening and editing .pub files in Publisher after the date | No longer available to subscribers | Still possible, without Microsoft support |
| Installing or downloading Publisher after October 2026 | No longer available | Still possible, according to Microsoft |
| Microsoft's own conversion methods, which need a working copy of Publisher | Run them before October 1, 2026 | Still runnable while Publisher is installed, including after support ends on October 13, 2026 |
| Support and security updates after the date | Publisher is no longer included with Microsoft 365 subscriptions after October 1, 2026 | None from Microsoft. For Office LTSC 2021, no technical support, bug fixes, or security updates after October 13, 2026; for Office 2021, no extension and no extended security updates |
Find out which date is yours, and where the files live.
A free licensing assessment reviews the Microsoft 365 subscriptions your users hold and the perpetual Office licensing in your records, which decides whether October 1 or October 13 governs your project. It also walks your administrator through an eDiscovery search for .pub files in the SharePoint and OneDrive locations you include.
Request the free licensing assessmentWhy does the conversion have to happen before October 1?
Because Microsoft's own conversion methods need a working copy of Publisher, and Publisher is the piece a Microsoft 365 subscriber loses.
Microsoft's recommended action is written as a deadline: "Convert your existing files to another format before 10/1/2026. After this date, you will no longer be able to open or edit these files in Microsoft Publisher."
Source: Microsoft Support, read September 13, 2026.Route one: save the file as a PDF, from Publisher
Microsoft's steps are short. Open the Publisher file, go to File, then Save as, choose a location, select PDF as the file type, and save. The Message Center reminder says when a PDF is the right destination: "Save Publisher files as PDF if they only need to be viewed, shared, or printed after Publisher is retired."
Route two: reach an editable Word file through the PDF
For files someone still edits, the documented path runs Publisher to PDF, then PDF to Word. Open Word, go to File, then Open, and open the PDF, and Word presents it as an editable document. Microsoft attaches a caution worth taking literally: the Word document that results is suited to text editing, and its layout may vary from the original PDF, particularly when the document includes many graphics. Expect a text-heavy newsletter to need a layout review and a lobby poster built from layered text boxes and photos to need rebuilding. Convert a small sample of your own files first to measure the effort.
Route three: many files at once, with Microsoft's sample script
Microsoft publishes a sample PowerShell script, Convert-PubFileToPDF.ps1, for exporting Publisher files to PDF in bulk. Its first instruction is the one that sets the deadline: "Ensure you have a working and licensed version of Publisher installed on your computer." The script drives Publisher to produce each PDF, so once a subscriber's Publisher is gone, the script has nothing left to drive.
Microsoft notes that the script keeps running when a file fails and reports which files converted and which hit an error, and that it leaves existing output alone: "If the file name already exists, we will not export the file and will show an error." Microsoft describes the script as instructional and recommends you "modify and test for your specific needs." It runs on a computer with Publisher installed, from a PowerShell window with the required execution policies. Run it against a copy of one folder first, and keep its converted and failed lists as the record of what moved.
Third-party converters
Microsoft mentions services that convert directly from Publisher to other formats, and says: "These services vary in quality and capabilities, and Microsoft does not provide support for them." A financial institution has a second question to ask. If a converter works by uploading files to someone else's service, that upload is a vendor decision, and some Publisher files, such as application forms, can carry customer information. Put it through the same review as any other service that handles your data.
"Organizations that need continued access to Publisher content should migrate or convert their files before October 1, 2026."
Microsoft 365 Message Center notice MC1469564, published September 9, 2026How do you find your Publisher files before the deadline?
Microsoft names three places to look: local storage, OneDrive, and SharePoint.
Search for the .pub file extension everywhere your people save files. Microsoft's reminder lists the places: "Search for existing Publisher (.pub) files across local storage, OneDrive, and SharePoint to identify content requiring migration."
For an individual user, the Microsoft Support article keeps it simple, recommending a file search for .Pub on a PC, in OneDrive, or in SharePoint to locate Publisher files. That works one person at a time. An institution needs the same answer for every site and every OneDrive account at once.
For administrators: one query for SharePoint and OneDrive locations
Microsoft Purview eDiscovery supports a FileExtension property for content in SharePoint and OneDrive, which Microsoft documents as "The extension of a file; for example, docx, one, pptx, or xlsx," with the example query fileextension:xlsx returning all Excel files. The same property with pub as the value, fileextension:pub, lists Publisher files across the sites and OneDrive accounts included in the search. An administrator with eDiscovery permissions can run it from the Microsoft Purview portal without visiting a single desk.
Where a tenant search stops
A tenant search covers SharePoint and OneDrive. Files saved to a PC's local drive, a USB drive, or an on-premises file share sit outside it. Those locations need a search on the machines themselves or on the file server, run by whoever manages them.
Record three things for every file you find
Who owns it, what it is for, and when it was last modified. The owner answers the conversion question, the purpose decides the format, and the last modified date is usually the fastest way to separate the rate sheet updated every month from the event flyer nobody has touched in years.
Should each Publisher file become a PDF, a Word document, or a PowerPoint file?
Start with one question for every file: will anyone edit it again?
Save it as a PDF
View, share, or printMicrosoft's guidance for any file that only needs to be viewed, shared, or printed after the retirement. Past newsletters, rate sheets and flyers kept for reference, and anything retained as a record of what was published belong here. A PDF saved from Publisher captures the page as it was designed, which is usually what a record needs, and your retention policy decides whether the PDF replaces the original.
Move it to Word
Text-heavy files you still editMicrosoft recommends Word for newsletters, letterhead, envelopes, labels, programs and folded paper projects, and business invoices, applications and forms. Plan for some layout work, given Microsoft's own caution about graphics-heavy files converted through PDF.
Move it to PowerPoint
Visual layouts you still editMicrosoft recommends PowerPoint for banners, signs and posters, and either Word or PowerPoint for ads and flyers, brochures, certificates, business cards, calendars and cards. Lobby signage and event posters usually sit most comfortably in PowerPoint, where free placement of text and images is the default.
Rebuild it from a template
Recurring piecesThe monthly newsletter, the quarterly rate sheet and the annual meeting program are processes, and Microsoft's reminder treats them that way: review Publisher-based business processes and move them to Word, PowerPoint, or Microsoft Create templates. Rebuild the template once and every future issue starts from it.
Microsoft's replacement app for each Publisher job
The Microsoft Support article maps thirteen common Publisher jobs to the Microsoft 365 app that should take them over, and points to customizable templates at Microsoft Create for a head start.
| I want to create | Microsoft recommends | Where it can show up at a credit union, bank, or mortgage company |
|---|---|---|
| Ads or flyers | Word or PowerPoint | Rate promotion flyers, community event flyers |
| Brochures | Word or PowerPoint | Account and loan product brochures |
| Banners, signs, posters | PowerPoint | Lobby posters, branch window signs |
| Certificates | Word or PowerPoint | Staff recognition and training certificates |
| Business cards | Word or PowerPoint | Branch staff and loan officer cards |
| Business invoices, applications and forms | Word | Internal request forms, event registration forms |
| Calendars | Word or PowerPoint | Branch holiday schedules, promotional calendars |
| Envelopes | Word | Envelopes for letters to members and customers |
| Labels | Word | Mailing labels and file folder labels |
| Letterhead | Word | Branch and department letterhead |
| Newsletter | Word | Member and customer newsletters, staff newsletters |
| Programs, folded paper projects | Word | Annual meeting programs |
| Cards (greeting, compliment, and similar) | Word or PowerPoint | Holiday and thank-you cards |
Before anything is deleted
Files sorted as no longer needed still go through your records retention schedule first. A flyer nobody will edit again can still be a record your policy says to keep, and your policy then decides the format it is kept in.
What should happen before October 1, in order?
Five steps. Four follow Microsoft's reminder directly; the sorting step is ABT's addition, and it keeps the work in proportion.
Build your .pub file inventory
Search local storage, OneDrive, and SharePoint, as Microsoft's reminder directs. Use the eDiscovery FileExtension query for the SharePoint and OneDrive locations you include, and a separate search for PCs, removable media, and file shares. Record which locations were searched, and give every file on the list an owner.
Sort each file by what it is for
Three piles: records you only need to view, files someone still edits, and files nobody needs. Check the third pile against your retention schedule before anything is deleted.
Save view-only files as PDF
In Publisher, File, then Save as, then PDF, or Microsoft's sample script for volume. Test the script on a copy first, as Microsoft recommends, and keep its lists of converted and failed files.
Move files that are still edited to Word or PowerPoint
Use Microsoft's job-by-job recommendations above, or rebuild recurring pieces from Microsoft Create templates. Have the owner of each file check the result, because layout is the part Microsoft warns can change in conversion.
Retire the Publisher process
Update the procedures, templates, and training material that still assume Publisher, which is what Microsoft's reminder recommends for Publisher-based business processes. Then tell each team which app now handles which job, so the last week of September passes without anyone starting a new .pub file.
What does a credit union, bank, or mortgage company add to Microsoft's checklist?
Microsoft's reminder says: "No compliance considerations identified, review as appropriate for your organization." For a regulated institution, that review deserves an owner and a date.
- Decide which files are records before converting anything. A newsletter archive, a published rate sheet, or a printed insert can fall under your records retention schedule. Decide in writing whether the PDF becomes the retained copy or sits beside the original .pub file, and apply the retention period your schedule already assigns. Our guide to Microsoft 365 data retention for financial institutions covers how retention is configured in Microsoft Purview.
- Treat an upload-based converter like any other vendor. Microsoft offers no support for third-party converters, and a service that receives your files becomes a service provider with access to whatever those files contain.
- Give any perpetual Publisher install an end date. Microsoft says perpetual Publisher still installs and runs after October 13, 2026 without support. For Office 2021, Microsoft says there will be no extension and no extended security updates, and for Office LTSC 2021 it will no longer provide technical support, bug fixes, or security updates, adding that this "could impact compliance requirements." If an install has to stay for a while, document it the way you document any other unsupported software: which machines, why, and when it goes.
- Keep the evidence. The file inventory with the locations it covered, the sorting decisions, the conversion script's output, and the date each team stopped using Publisher add up to a short record of how the retirement was handled, for your change-management file and your next audit or examination.
The same week brings other Microsoft support dates. Our page on the mid-October 2026 Microsoft support deadlines covers Office 2021 end of support alongside the other Microsoft dates that land in the same week.
A free licensing assessment, sized to the October 1 date
ABT is a Tier 1 Microsoft Cloud Solution Provider working with more than 750 financial institutions. We manage Microsoft 365 tenants and host Azure environments for credit unions, banks, and mortgage companies, which is the licensing and tenant work this question depends on.
- Your date. Which Microsoft 365 subscriptions your users hold and what perpetual Office licensing appears in your records, so you know whether October 1 or October 13 governs the project.
- Your files. A walkthrough, with your administrator, of an eDiscovery search for .pub files in the SharePoint and OneDrive locations you include.
- Your replacements. Microsoft's recommended Word or PowerPoint home for each Publisher job your teams run.
- Your perpetual Office. Any Office 2021 or Office LTSC 2021 licensing in your records that reaches end of support on October 13, 2026.
- Your plan. A short written summary your team can work from through October 1.
Files on local drives, removable media, and on-premises file shares sit outside the tenant, so the assessment includes a short checklist for the teams that keep them. No license purchase is required to get the assessment.
ABT also operates M365 Guardian, its managed security service for credit unions, banks, and mortgage companies.
Where the facts on this page come from
Every date and quotation above comes from the Microsoft sources listed here, read on September 13, 2026. The two Message Center notices are visible to Microsoft 365 administrators in the admin center.
- Microsoft Publisher will no longer be supported after October 2026, Microsoft Support. Source for the October 1, 2026 Microsoft 365 date, the October 13, 2026 perpetual date, the recommendation to convert before 10/1/2026, the PDF steps, the PDF to Word route and its layout caution, the sample script and its requirement for a working and licensed copy of Publisher, the note on third-party converters, the thirteen recommended alternatives and Microsoft Create, the installation and existing-file answers, and the .pub search tip.
- Microsoft 365 Message Center notice MC1469564, "Microsoft Publisher: Reminder that support ends in October 2026", published September 9, 2026 and available to administrators in the Microsoft 365 admin center. Source for the key dates, the description of who is affected, Microsoft's recommended actions, and the compliance considerations line.
- Microsoft 365 Message Center notice MC716267, "Microsoft Publisher will no longer be supported after October 2026", first published February 15, 2024 and updated November 11, 2025. Source for the original October 13, 2026 date and its statement on Microsoft 365 customer access.
- Office LTSC 2021 reaching end of support on October 13, 2026, Microsoft Learn. Source for the October 13, 2026 end of support date for Office LTSC 2021, the statement that Microsoft will no longer provide technical support, bug fixes, or security updates after that date, and the note that this could impact compliance requirements.
- End of support for Office 2021, Microsoft Support. Source for the statement that support for Office 2021 ends October 13, 2026 with no extension and no extended security updates.
- Plan an upgrade from older versions of Office to Microsoft 365 Apps, Microsoft Learn. Source for the October 14, 2025 end of support dates for Office 2019 and Office 2016.
- Keyword queries and search conditions for eDiscovery, Microsoft Learn. Source for the FileExtension property and its example query.
Related reading
Microsoft 365 Data Retention for Financial Institutions
How retention is configured in Microsoft Purview, which is where converted Publisher records should land.
Microsoft Is Retiring Restricted SharePoint Search: The Copilot Oversharing Deadline for Financial Institutions
Another dated Microsoft retirement where the work starts with an inventory of what sits in SharePoint.
Microsoft 365 E3 vs. E5 vs. Business Premium: The Financial Institution's License Decision
The license decision behind the assessment, for institutions weighing which Microsoft 365 plan fits.
A related risk: data loss and recovery
Twenty-four seconds from our channel on data loss and recovery in Microsoft 365.
This Short is about backup and recovery, which is a different problem from the Publisher retirement: there, the application goes away and the files need a format that still opens. The shared lesson is to put the date on the calendar before it passes.
Microsoft Publisher retirement questions, answered from Microsoft documentation
After October 1, 2026. Microsoft's September 9, 2026 Message Center reminder lists October 1, 2026 as the date Publisher is no longer available to Microsoft 365 subscribers, and the Microsoft Support article says subscribers will not be able to access Publisher after October 1, 2026. Microsoft's original notice, posted February 15, 2024, gave October 13, 2026, which is now the end of support for the perpetual version. If your users run Publisher through Microsoft 365, October 1 is the date to plan against.
For Microsoft 365 subscribers, Microsoft's answer is that you will no longer be able to open or edit your Publisher files using Microsoft Publisher, and it recommends converting existing files to PDF or Word format before the date. Microsoft's notices are about the application: what ends is the ability to open and edit the files in Publisher. Save files that only need to be viewed, shared, or printed as PDF, and move files that people still edit to Word or PowerPoint, while Publisher can still open them.
Yes, without Microsoft support. Microsoft says support for the perpetual version of Publisher ends on October 13, 2026, when Office LTSC 2021 and Office 2021 reach end of support, and that perpetual users will still be able to install and use the app and access and edit their files beyond that date. For Office 2021, Microsoft says there will be no extension and no extended security updates, and for Office LTSC 2021 it will no longer provide technical support, bug fixes, or security updates after October 13, 2026. If you keep a perpetual install, document which machines have it, why, and when it will be removed.
Open the file in Publisher, go to File, then Save as, choose a location, select PDF as the file type, and save. For many files, Microsoft publishes a sample PowerShell script that exports Publisher files to PDF in bulk. Microsoft says it requires a working and licensed version of Publisher on the computer running it, describes it as instructional, and recommends you modify and test it for your needs. The script continues past errors, reports which files converted and which did not, and skips any file whose output name already exists. If your Publisher comes with Microsoft 365, run the conversion before October 1, 2026.
Microsoft's documented route goes through PDF. Save the Publisher file as a PDF first, then open Word, go to File, then Open, and open the PDF as an editable document. Microsoft notes that the converted document is suited to text editing and that its layout may vary from the original, particularly when the document includes many graphics. Text-heavy files such as newsletters and letterhead suit this route. For visual layouts such as posters and signs, Microsoft recommends PowerPoint, and rebuilding from a Microsoft Create template can be faster than repairing a converted layout.
Word and PowerPoint, job by job. Microsoft's list sends newsletters, letterhead, envelopes, labels, programs and folded paper projects, and business invoices, applications and forms to Word; banners, signs and posters to PowerPoint; and ads or flyers, brochures, certificates, business cards, calendars and cards to either Word or PowerPoint. That is thirteen common Publisher jobs in all. Microsoft also points to customizable templates at Microsoft Create as a starting point.
Search for the .pub extension. Microsoft's reminder recommends searching local storage, OneDrive, and SharePoint, and its Support article suggests a file search for .Pub on a PC, in OneDrive, or in SharePoint. For SharePoint and OneDrive, an administrator with eDiscovery permissions can use the FileExtension property that Microsoft Purview eDiscovery documents, with a query such as fileextension:pub, which finds .pub files in the locations included in the search. Files on local drives, removable media, and on-premises file shares sit outside SharePoint and OneDrive, so they need a separate search on those machines or servers.
Microsoft says these services vary in quality and capabilities and that Microsoft does not provide support for them. A credit union, bank, or mortgage company has a second test to apply: if a converter works by uploading your files to its own service, it becomes a service provider with access to whatever those files contain, and some Publisher files, such as application forms, can hold customer information. Review it the way you review any other vendor, and test the output on copies before converting originals.
It reviews which Microsoft 365 subscriptions your users hold and what perpetual Office licensing appears in your records, which tells you whether October 1 or October 13, 2026 governs your project. It includes a walkthrough, with your administrator, of an eDiscovery search for .pub files in the SharePoint and OneDrive locations you include, maps each Publisher job your teams run to Microsoft's recommended replacement, and identifies any Office 2021 or Office LTSC 2021 licensing in your records that reaches end of support on October 13, 2026. No license purchase is required.
Get your Publisher migration plan
before October 1.
Tell us roughly how many people use Publisher today. Our engineers will review whether October 1 or October 13 applies to you, walk your administrator through an eDiscovery search for .pub files in SharePoint and OneDrive, and map each Publisher job to the Microsoft app that replaces it.
