Microsoft Publisher End of Life: What Still Works and What to Do Now

Microsoft Publisher's end of life is here. Since October 1, 2026, Microsoft 365 subscribers can't open Publisher, and support for one-time-purchase copies ended on October 13, 2026. This page is the practical checklist: what still works, what stops, and what to do with your .pub files this week.

If you want the background first, such as why Microsoft retired Publisher and what it recommends instead, read Is Microsoft Publisher discontinued? This page assumes the retirement has happened and you need to act on it.

A quick note on language. “Microsoft Publisher” and “Microsoft 365” are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. Korva is an independent product and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Microsoft.

The Microsoft Publisher retirement at a glance

Microsoft spells out the details on its Publisher retirement support page. What happens next depends on how you got Publisher:

The short version: subscribers have already lost the app, and perpetual owners keep a working copy that’s about to become unsupported.

What still works after Publisher’s end of life

• Your .pub files. They’re ordinary files on your computer, USB drives, OneDrive or SharePoint. Nothing about the retirement deletes or changes them.
• A perpetual copy of Publisher. Microsoft says perpetual owners “will still be able to install and use the app beyond this date” and “will still be able to access and edit your files.” It’s the best converter you’ll ever have for your own files, for as long as it keeps running.
• Every PDF you already exported. PDFs don’t depend on Publisher at all.
• Other tools that read .pub. Korva opens and edits them on Windows, macOS and Linux. LibreOffice Draw imports some files, with mixed results. The free .pub viewer and the free PUB to PDF converter work in your browser.

What stops

• Microsoft 365 access. Microsoft’s wording: subscribers “will not be able to access Publisher after October 1, 2026.”
• Opening and editing .pub files in Publisher, for subscribers. “Microsoft 365 subscribers will no longer be able to open or edit Publisher files in Publisher.”
• New installs through Microsoft 365. Publisher is no longer available to install or download with a subscription.
• Support for perpetual copies, since October 13, 2026. The app keeps running, but if a Windows update or a new computer breaks it, no fix is coming.
• Microsoft’s own conversion route, for subscribers. Microsoft’s recommended path starts with File > Save As > PDF inside Publisher. Without Publisher, that first step needs a different tool.

Your Publisher end-of-life checklist for this week

None of this takes long. Work through it in order and you’ll never be stuck.

1. Find every .pub file

Microsoft’s own tip: “A file search for “.Pub” on your PC, OneDrive, or SharePoint can help you locate your Publisher files.” Also check USB sticks, old laptops, shared network folders and email attachments you saved years ago. Put the list somewhere you’ll see it.

2. Sort them into three piles

• Freeze: finished pieces you only need to view, send or reprint. A PDF is enough.
• Maintain: documents you’ll edit again, like a monthly newsletter, a recurring flyer or a certificate template. These need an editable home.
• Skip: drafts and duplicates. Export a PDF for the record or leave them.

We go deeper on this sorting step in what happens to your Publisher files.

3. If Publisher still runs, export PDFs now

Perpetual owners: open each keeper and use File > Save As, choosing PDF as the file type. That’s Microsoft’s documented method. For a large archive, Microsoft suggests automating the export with a PowerShell script, and its support page links a sample.

4. If Publisher is gone, use a .pub reader

• A quick look at one file: the free .pub viewer opens it in your browser.
• One file to PDF: the free PUB to PDF converter runs locally in your browser and doesn’t upload the file.
• Editing and repeat exports: Korva’s desktop app opens and edits any .pub, and a new user can export one complete project repeatedly. Korva Pro adds batch conversion for the rest of an archive (how to rescue a folder of .pub files).

Our guide on how to convert .pub to PDF walks through each route in detail.

5. Give the “maintain” pile an editable home

Microsoft suggests Word and PowerPoint for common Publisher projects, but neither opens .pub, so you’d be rebuilding each document. A tool that reads .pub with its layout lets you reopen each document and keep editing instead. Our step-by-step guide to migrating from Microsoft Publisher covers the order to tackle things in.

6. Stop sending .pub files to other people

Anyone on Microsoft 365 can no longer open a .pub in Publisher. Send PDFs to printers, colleagues and volunteers instead, and keep the editable version on your side.

7. Back up the originals and the PDFs together

Don’t delete a .pub after converting it. Keep each original next to its PDF, in two places, so a better tool can always go back to the source.

What not to do

• Don’t treat the date as a deadline for your files. It ended Publisher’s place in Microsoft 365. It didn’t touch your documents.
• Don’t assume Word will open them. Word has no .pub import. Microsoft’s own route runs through PDF, and it warns the layout may change.
• Don’t upload sensitive files to unknown online converters. Microsoft notes that third-party conversion tools “vary in quality and capabilities, and Microsoft does not provide support for them.” For a member list or an internal flyer, a local tool is the safer choice.
• Don’t let one unsupported install be your only way in. It works today. Plan for the day it doesn’t.

Comparing your options after Publisher’s retirement

There’s no single “Publisher replacement” button, so it helps to see the real choices side by side.

We compare these in more depth in our roundup of Microsoft Publisher alternatives.

Where Korva fits

Korva is a desktop publishing app for Windows 10+, macOS 12+ and 64-bit Linux. It opens legacy .pub files with their layout, putting text boxes, pictures and shapes where Publisher placed them and carrying the formatting (accented characters included) across, then exports a print-ready PDF. Fonts that aren’t installed are replaced, so check that text still fits, and very complex designs may need a quick touch-up. The Import Health panel says what was kept and what to check, and your original .pub is never changed.

• It runs entirely on your own computer. No cloud, no account, no telemetry. Your files never leave the machine.
• Opening and editing any .pub is free. A new user can export one complete project repeatedly, and existing users keep their previous Free PDF access.
• Korva Pro is a one-time US$49 purchase for unlimited project exports, batch conversion, editable .kva saves, master pages and mail merge on one computer. No subscription.

PDF output is RGB or composite CMYK with crop marks and bleed, on US Letter or A4, which suits digital sharing and most office, school, community and print-shop work. It doesn’t do color separations, spot inks, ICC profiles or PDF/X; for a commercial offset press, Scribus or your print shop’s own workflow is the right tool.

Pick one important file, download Korva, open it and export that first project. If the result works for your archive, Pro’s batch conversion handles the rest without a subscription.