09/09/2026
๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ ๐๐ฝ ๐ถ๐ณ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐๐๐ถ๐น๐น ๐๐๐ฒ ๐ ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ผ๐ณ๐ ๐ฃ๐๐ฏ๐น๐ถ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ
After 35 years, Microsoft is pulling the plug. Publisher is officially retiring in October 2026 โ and it's closer than it sounds.
Here's what that means:
๐๏ธ October 1, 2026 โ Microsoft 365 subscribers lose access to Publisher entirely
๐๏ธ October 13, 2026 โ support ends for Office 2021 and Office LTSC 2021
The part that catches people off guard: it's not just the app going away. If you're on Microsoft 365, you won't be able to open or edit your .pub files anymore either. Those church bulletins, flyers, newsletters, business cards, and templates you've built up over the years? Locked in a format nothing will read.
What to do now:
- Find your .pub files and export them โ File > Save As > PDF keeps a permanent, readable copy
- Rebuild the ones you actually reuse in Word (newsletters, letterhead, labels, calendars) or PowerPoint (flyers, posters, signs, cards)
- Microsoft Create has free templates if you're starting fresh
The worst version of this is discovering it next October when you need to print something for an event. A couple hours now saves a real headache later.
If you've got a pile of Publisher files and you're not sure where to start, give us a shout โ happy to point you in the right direction.
