Publisher retired? How to open .pub files now (free, 2026)

What changed in October 2026

Microsoft took Publisher out of Microsoft 365, and on October 13 it ended support for the last versions you could buy outright. Microsoft’s retirement page says “Microsoft 365 subscribers will no longer be able to open or edit Publisher files in Publisher”. The removal rolled out “on or shortly after October 1, 2026.” That’s why so many people found their copy gone this month.

Perpetual copies are different. Microsoft’s FAQ says that with a one-time-purchase version, “you will still be able to install and use the app beyond this date”. Support just ends. Office 2021 left support on October 13, 2026, and Office 2019 on October 14, 2025. No newer Office includes Publisher. Microsoft left it out of Office LTSC 2024 “due to the planned retirement of Publisher.”

Source: Microsoft Publisher will no longer be supported after October 2026, Microsoft Support; Office 2019 lifecycle, Microsoft Learn; Microsoft closes the book on Publisher, The Register, checked October 2026. Note: spacing isn’t to scale.

Microsoft’s own advice doesn’t help much once Publisher is gone. Its route to PDF and Word starts with File > Save As inside Publisher. Its bulk script, Convert-PubFileToPDF.ps1, needs “a working and licensed version of Publisher installed.” FOSSLinux points out that the script works by driving an installed Publisher. With no Publisher, it has nothing to drive.

Your options now, compared

LibreOffice Draw is the best first move for most people, because it’s free and needs nothing from Microsoft. Here’s how the routes compare, as of October 2026:

Route	Cost	Can you edit?	Runs on
LibreOffice Draw	Free	Yes, saves as .odg or PDF	Windows, Mac, Linux
Scribus	Free	Yes, a full desktop-publishing app	Windows, Mac, Linux
A Publisher 2016, 2019 or 2021 copy	Already owned	Yes, full Publisher	Windows only
Publisher, then PDF, then Word	Needs Publisher first	Text yes, layout shifts	Windows
Paid third-party converters	Varies	Varies	Varies

Open .pub files free with LibreOffice Draw

Download LibreOffice from libreoffice.org. Version 26.8.1 was current in October 2026, with builds for Windows, macOS and Linux. Open Draw, choose File > Open and pick your .pub file. It loads through Draw’s Publisher import filter, which comes from an open-source library called libmspub. The Document Foundation’s October 14, 2026 post calls Draw “the quickest way to open, view, edit and manage Publisher documents.”

Once it’s open, save two copies. Use File > Save As > ODF Drawing (.odg) for a copy you can keep editing, and File > Export As > PDF for one you can share or print. Leave the original .pub untouched.

Set expectations first. Draw isn’t a desktop-publishing program, and the Document Foundation says so itself. It handles single pages and short newsletters well. In FOSSLinux’s test, a four-page Publisher file came through with all pages, but expect some cleanup:

Fonts: a font you don’t have installed gets swapped for a different one.
Master pages: Publisher’s master pages don’t map one-to-one.
Grouped objects: complex groups may need tidying by hand.

Version matters too. FOSSLinux, citing the libmspub project, says files from Publisher 2000 onward are supported, while files from Publisher 95–98 import only partly. LibreOffice’s own guide lists the filter as “Microsoft Publisher 98-2010.” One Microsoft Q&A reply from September 2026 says Draw opens many .pub files. Try one of your own files before you rely on it.

Got hundreds of files? LibreOffice can convert them without opening each one. FOSSLinux tested this command on Ubuntu and Fedora:

libreoffice --headless --infilter="Publisher Document" --convert-to pdf --outdir output yourfile.pub

Change pdf to odg for editable copies, and wrap it in a loop to do a whole folder. On Windows, LibreOffice’s help says to use soffice.com from the program folder (usually C:\Program Files\LibreOffice\program) for command-line work, in place of libreoffice. The same options apply, but test a few files first. The --infilter part matters. Without it, LibreOffice can guess wrong and open the file as a Word document.

If your publication leans on facing pages or professional print output, try Scribus. It’s a free desktop-publishing app that reads .pub files through the same libmspub library, according to the Document Foundation.

If you, or someone you know, still has Publisher

Any copy of Publisher 2016, 2019 or 2021 still installed on a Windows PC keeps opening and editing .pub files. Microsoft says you can even reinstall a perpetual copy after support ends. That makes it the most faithful way to convert an archive: open each file and use File > Save As > PDF. For a big folder, run Microsoft’s sample PowerShell script, which converts one file, a folder, or a folder and its subfolders (-Recurse).

Shopping for a copy now? Check the edition first. In a Microsoft Q&A thread from September 2026, one user notes that Office Professional 2021 for Windows included Publisher but Home & Student 2021 didn’t. Don’t look for it in newer Office either: Microsoft left it out of Office LTSC 2024. Keep in mind that this copy no longer gets security fixes, so use it to convert your files rather than as your everyday design app.

Getting your content into Word or PowerPoint

You can only get from Publisher to Word through a PDF, and only if you can make that PDF first, using Publisher or LibreOffice Draw. In Word, choose File > Open, pick the PDF and select OK to convert it. Microsoft warns the result “is optimized for text editing” and the layout “may vary,” especially with lots of graphics.

For new work, Microsoft suggests Word for newsletters, labels, envelopes and programs, and PowerPoint for posters, banners and signs. Flyers, brochures, certificates and cards work in either. One user in the same September 2026 Q&A thread found a weekly four-page church booklet much harder to keep in place in Word than in Publisher. Text moved onto other pages when last week’s items were deleted. If that’s your kind of document, Draw or Scribus may suit it better than Word.

What not to do

Don’t delete your .pub originals after converting. PDFs lose editability, and converted Word files lose layout, so the .pub file is your only perfect copy. Keep it in case a better reader turns up later.

Be careful with free online converters. FOSSLinux’s advice is not to upload a church newsletter or business brochure to an unknown conversion site, since you can’t see how long it keeps your file. LibreOffice does the same job without your file leaving your computer.

Microsoft says paid third-party tools “vary in quality and capabilities” and that it doesn’t support them. If you try one, test it on a few files before paying.

Publisher’s end follows the same pattern as other software Microsoft and others have retired. We covered the security side for Adobe Flash and for Windows 10’s extended updates. If you once published a magazine or comic in Publisher, our piece on publishing your own magazine on Apple devices covers where that kind of work goes today.

What to do next

Search your PC, OneDrive and any shared drives for *.pub so you know how many files you have.
Install LibreOffice and open your most important .pub file in Draw. Check the fonts, images and pages.
Save each important file as .odg (editable) and export a PDF (for sharing), or batch-convert the whole folder from the command line.
If a friend, office or library PC still has Publisher 2016 to 2021, use it for files that don’t convert cleanly in Draw.

Microsoft Publisher is retired. How do you open .pub files now?