Microsoft has officially retired its desktop publishing application, Microsoft Publisher, after approximately 35 years of service since its 1991 debut. Users of Microsoft 365, Office 2021, and Office LTSC 2021 are affected by the end of support, which took effect on October 13.
The company previously announced that support for Microsoft 365 subscribers would conclude on October 1, 2026. While perpetual license holders can continue to install and use the software, they will no longer receive security patches or feature updates. Some users are already reporting issues opening .pub files.
To manage the transition, Microsoft advises users to convert .pub files to PDF format. For batch processing, the company released a PowerShell script, Convert-PubFileToPDF.ps1, which exports files from specified folders. Note that files lose their native editing capabilities once converted to PDF.
Microsoft has not introduced a direct replacement for the software. Instead, the company suggests using Word for text-heavy documents like invoices, forms, and newsletters, or PowerPoint for visual materials such as posters, banners, and signage. Converting complex files with overlapping elements may result in formatting errors.
