Microsoft Publisher retirement creates an October file-conversion deadline
Reviewed by Helen Jones
Microsoft says Publisher will be removed from Microsoft 365 on 1 October 2026. Subscribers will then be unable to open or edit Publisher files in the app; support for Publisher in Office LTSC 2021 and Consumer Office 2021 ends on 13 October. Microsoft recommends converting existing .pub files before the deadline and supplies a sample PowerShell script for bulk export.
Publisher files often sit in personal drives, OneDrive, SharePoint libraries and shared folders long after the original author has moved on. Teams can keep relying on a newsletter, sign, programme or template without realising that its editable source is a .pub file and the next update depends on a disappearing app. The deadline makes this an inventory and ownership problem, not just a software change. A PDF protects a final version but not an editable layout, while converting it to Word can alter a graphic-heavy design. The files that still need regular edits need an agreed replacement format and owner before the cut-off.
Analysis
Search PCs, OneDrive and SharePoint for .pub files this week. Mark each one as archive-only or still edited, then test-convert one representative live file before using Microsoft’s bulk-export script on the rest.
Source note
Pulse published by Collab365 Spaces, reviewed by Helen Jones on . Cite as "Publisher retirement leaves Microsoft 365 users with an October file-conversion deadline", Collab365 Spaces.