What changed, and when
Two dates matter. Microsoft 365 subscribers lose access as Microsoft’s removal update rolls out. Installed perpetual copies keep working after their support ends, but they get no more fixes.
Source: Microsoft Publisher will no longer be supported after October 2026, Microsoft Support. Read 2 November 2026.
The same Microsoft page, on what changes and when:
Microsoft 365 subscribers will not be able to access Publisher on or shortly after October 1, 2026, as the removal update process rolls out.
Support for the perpetual version of Publisher will end on October 13, 2026, when Office LTSC 2021 and Consumer Office 2021 reach end of support.
Your routes today
If you still have Publisher installed
If you have a copy installed (a perpetual licence), it still runs. Open each file, choose Save as, and pick PDF. That is the route Microsoft gives. Microsoft’s page also suggests opening the PDF in Word, and notes that the layout may differ.
The same Microsoft page, on converting and on which copies still run:
Go to File > Save as
you will still be able to install and use the app beyond this date
A large archive
For a large number of files, Microsoft’s page points to a PowerShell script or other automation for bulk export. That script’s own page was not re-read for this build, so check what it needs before you rely on it.
The same Microsoft page, on a large number of files:
If you have a large number of Publisher files, you can use a PowerShell script or other automation for bulk export.
LibreOffice
LibreOffice opens many .pub files. It is free, it runs on your own machine, and it needs no upload. How faithful the result is varies with the layout: pages of text usually fare better than pages built from many shapes, tables or unusual fonts. Try one file first and compare it with the original.
Free web converters
Free web converters will turn a .pub file into a PDF or a Word file in a browser. The warning matters more than the convenience: these upload your files to someone else's server. That may be fine for an empty template and wrong for a newsletter carrying other people’s names.
Affinity
We have not checked Affinity’s price, and we do not rate how well it imports .pub files. Microsoft’s sentence above is the whole of what this page says about it. Our page prints Microsoft’s caution about third-party tools too: their quality varies, and Microsoft does not support them.
The same Microsoft page, on third-party programs:
You may also want to try 3rd party programs, such as Affinity, which may be able to import native Publisher files.
These services vary in quality and capabilities, and Microsoft does not provide support for them.
Finding your .pub files
One way to find the files: search your PC, OneDrive or SharePoint for .pub. Microsoft’s page suggests the same three places. Copy what you find somewhere safe before you try anything, so a failed conversion never costs you the original.
How this page is checked
Every sentence in a quotation above is a line of the page’s one data file, taken from the sources below, and a test fails the build if a served quote is not a line of that file. A second test fails the build if a banned word appears. If the source changes or we find an error, we correct this page and record it here. Read 2 November 2026.
No corrections yet (Microsoft’s page read 2 November 2026).
An offline batch converter we are testing
The idea is a Windows program you point at a folder. It makes a PDF of every .pub file it finds, on your own machine, with nothing uploaded and no account. The price, if it is built, would be GBP 19 once.
This page is a test of interest, not a shop. There is no payment form and no email field anywhere on it. Pressing the button records one anonymous count for the day, and a short tag if the link you followed carried one.
Not on sale yet. This converter does not exist yet and may never be built. No payment is taken. Pressing only counts your interest.