Microsoft Publisher is retiring October 1, 2026: what actually happens to your files

Microsoft announced that Publisher reaches end of life on October 1, 2026. After that date it's removed from Microsoft 365, stops receiving updates, and can't be newly installed. Perpetual copies you already own keep working on the machines where they're installed — until those machines are replaced.

Your .pub files themselves don't change at all. They'll still sit on your drive in ten years. The problem is that a file format without a program is a locked box: every year, fewer computers in your office will be able to open one. The fix is to convert the files you care about into formats that will outlive Publisher — PDF for anything you print or share, Word for anything you still edit.