Microsoft Publisher has been retired: how to keep your newsletters and flyers

What changed

Microsoft Publisher, the program many churches, clubs and families used for newsletters, bulletins, flyers and calendars, has been retired. Microsoft's page sets out what that means:

• If you pay for Microsoft 365 (a yearly or monthly subscription), Publisher is removed from your computer on or shortly after October 1, 2026, as the update rolls out. You won't be able to open or edit Publisher files in Publisher.
• If you bought Publisher once, on its own or as part of Office, Microsoft's support for bought copies ended on October 13, 2026, when Office 2021 reached the end of its support. Microsoft says you can still install and use it, and still open and edit your files. It just won't get security updates any more.

Office 2021 as a whole reached the end of its support on the same day, October 13, 2026. Word, Excel and the rest keep working, without further security updates.

How to tell which one you have

Open Word or Publisher, click File, then Account. Under "Product Information," it says either Microsoft 365 or a year, such as Office 2021. If you pay a subscription fee to Microsoft every year or month, you have Microsoft 365.

Find your Publisher files

Publisher files end in .pub. Microsoft suggests searching your computer, and OneDrive if you use it, for ".pub". Make a list, or move them all into one folder, so you know what you're working with. Don't delete them, even after you've made copies.

If Publisher still opens on your computer

Save each file as a PDF. Microsoft recommends this, and a PDF can be opened and printed on any computer for years to come.

1. Open the Publisher file.
2. Click File, then Save As, and choose where to save it.
3. Choose PDF as the file type, then click Save.

If you'll want to change the text later, you can open that PDF in Word: in Word, click File, then Open, and choose the PDF. Microsoft notes that the layout may shift, especially on pages with lots of pictures.

If Publisher has already gone

You still have options:

• LibreOffice Draw. LibreOffice is a free set of office programs. TechRadar reported in October 2026 that its Draw program can open .pub files, because volunteers worked out Publisher's file format. Check every page after you open a file, since a layout may not come through exactly, and save what you need as a PDF. Download LibreOffice only from its own site, typing libreoffice.org yourself.
• A friend or office with a bought copy. Someone with Publisher 2016, 2019 or 2021 can open your files and save them as PDFs for you.
• Conversion websites. Microsoft notes that these vary in quality and that it doesn't support them. Think twice before uploading anything with names, addresses or phone numbers in it, such as a church directory.

Making the next newsletter

Microsoft's page has a table of where to start instead. In short: Word for newsletters, programs, letterhead, labels and envelopes; Word or PowerPoint for flyers, brochures, calendars and greeting cards; PowerPoint for posters and signs. Both come with Microsoft 365. Your first newsletter in Word will take longer than usual. Save it as a template, and the second one won't.

What it costs

Saving your files as PDFs costs nothing. LibreOffice is free. Word and PowerPoint come with a Microsoft 365 subscription. If you have a bought copy of Publisher, there's nothing to pay; just remember it no longer gets security fixes.

Scams that ride along with this change

• "Free Publisher download" sites. Microsoft no longer offers Publisher to download with Microsoft 365. Sites that claim to are likely to install unwanted software. Get programs only from the maker's own site.
• Paid "PUB converter" downloads that push you to install something before you see a result. You don't need them; the free options above work.
• Phone calls or pop-ups offering "Microsoft support" to rescue your files. Microsoft says it doesn't make unsolicited support calls, and its warnings never include a phone number.