Do not get rid of Publisher!

I, too, am devastated by the axing of Publisher. I'm sorry to say that moving to Word isn't an option for the amount of text manipulation and picture-placing capabilities I have with Publisher. I have around 20 years worth of documents stored which have been created using Publisher, and many of them are re-used and updated when necessary. I've tried doing the same in Word and it frustrates me to screaming point. Word is fine for straight text documents, but not for newsletters and 24 page journals that I produce. Even if you don't support it in future (mad decision!), please, please, I beg of you allow us access to our stored Publisher files.

Hello Herr Church,

Thank you for posting your question in the Microsoft Q&A forum!

I understand that you are concerning about Publisher changing. I truly understand how you feel. Let me assist you go through this situation.

You’re absolutely right Microsoft’s decision to retire Publisher has caused a lot of concern among long-time users. Microsoft Publisher will reach end-of-life in October 2026. After that, it will be removed from Microsoft 365 and you won’t be able to open or edit .pub files in Publisher. Standalone versions (like Publisher 2019/2021) will keep working but without updates or support.

Why is Microsoft doing this? Microsoft says most Publisher scenarios (flyers, brochures, labels, calendars) can now be handled by Word, PowerPoint, and Microsoft Designer, plus templates on Microsoft Create.

However, I greatly appreciate and value your genuine feedback, and your input is crucial for us to improve our services. To ensure that your feedback reaches the right team, I recommend sharing your experience through the Microsoft Feedback Hub. This way, our product and technical teams can stay informed and consider future updates or improvements.

1. Press Windows key + F or search for Feedback Hub in Start.
2. Sign in with your Microsoft account.
3. Click Report a problem or Suggest a feature.
4. Fill in details, attach files/screenshots, and submit.

Official Guidance for Your Existing Files:

1. Convert your .pub files before October 2026.
   • Save as PDF for viewing/printing with original layout.
   • Save as Word (.docx) if you need future text edits (but layout may change).
   • Use bulk export scripts or third-party tools for large batches.
2. Designer does NOT support direct .pub import. You can export your Publisher file as JPEG or PNG, then upload to Designer for editing.

My suggestion for you:

• Microsoft Designer (free, web-based, AI-powered) – great for social posts, invitations, quick designs.
• PowerPoint – surprisingly flexible for layouts and graphics.
• Word – basic layouts, good for text-heavy documents.

I hope this will help with your situation. Please feel free to let me know if you have any further update.

Best Regards,

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Hello Herr Church,

I hope you're having a nice day! I wanted to follow up to see if you need any additional help. I hope everything is going well on your part.

If you have any doubts, need clarification, or new questions have arisen, don't hesitate to get in touch. I am here to support you and happy to help.

Your satisfaction is important to me, and I want to make sure you feel safe and supported throughout the process. Just tell me how I can help you more.

I look forward to hearing from you!

Please don't get rid of Publisher!! Teachers all over the world use publisher to make fliers, reports, banners, etc, for school. I have 10 years of work, and now I have to convert it into a different format. That will be time consuming. Word is rubbish compared to what Publisher can do. Please reconsider, know your subscribers.