Microsoft Will Be Ending Support For This Popular Software In October 2026

Microsoft is officially sending its venerable desktop publishing software to the great beyond. The company earlier confirmed that exactly one year from now, in October 2026, Microsoft Publisher will reach its end of life. For those who've never had the pleasure of wrangling its text boxes, Publisher was the OG design tool for the masses. It first launched way back in 1991 and was built for people who needed to create sales materials or newsletters but didn't have the budget or time to learn professional-grade apps.

Publisher was also known for its low price and accessibility. It eventually even found its way into the Microsoft Office suite with the '97 version. Its accessibility basically democratized design and empowered everyone from school kids to small business owners to create everything from flyers to cringe-worthy calendars. While it never won over the pros — who relied on tools like QuarkXPress — its impact was undeniable, much like other once-beloved Microsoft tools that were eventually left behind.

Now, that journey is coming to an end. The termination of support coincides with the end of the line for Office LTSC 2021. After the cutoff date, the app will be stripped from Microsoft 365 subscriptions, meaning you won't be able to install it or, crucially, open or edit your old .pub files within the app. Of course, you'll still be able to use your older standalone copy, but without any security updates or bug fixes. Now, Microsoft could have tried something like getting fans to pay for additional support, as it did with Windows 10, but that's assuming there are enough fans around in the first place.

The biggest problem facing users is what to do with decades of saved work locked away in the proprietary .pub file format. Microsoft's grand plan involves you converting your files to PDF to keep them viewable. Should you need to edit them, the official guidance is to then open that PDF file within Microsoft Word. The company even admits this process might scramble your document's layout, especially if it contains a lot of graphics, which frankly describes almost every document ever made with Publisher. Microsoft suggests that common design tasks can now be handled by its other apps, pointing users toward Word, PowerPoint, and its newer Designer tool.

While many shudder at the thought of wrangling images in Word, some might argue that PowerPoint is the best alternative since it's already part of the M365 suite and has evolved into a surprisingly flexible content creation tool. If you'd rather jump ship, there are great third-party options. Canva is packed with features and templates, but its best tools require a subscription. For the free and open-source crowd, LibreOffice Draw can import .pub files with decent, if not always perfect, accuracy. For those needing a bit more power without a subscription, Affinity Publisher 2 is a fantastic one-time-purchase option.