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Microsoft Publisher to be retired from M365 on October 1, 2026: How to migrate .pub assets?

About this article
This article was compiled using generative AI and official Microsoft support information as of September 17, 2026. Publisher is not a product to be newly adopted; instead, it is explained as an asset to be found before the deadline and migrated to PDF, Word, PowerPoint, or other formats. .pub assets before the deadline and migrating them to PDF, Word, PowerPoint, or other formats.

Verification Status: 📘 Verified with official Microsoft information, unverified on physical hardware

Microsoft Publisher is a desktop publishing (DTP) application used to freely layout flyers, business cards, labels, newsletters, and more on a page.

However, the most crucial point right now is not the feature overview.Microsoft 365 subscribers will lose access to Publisher after October 1, 2026. With the remaining time, you need to migrate not the "application," but the "business assets that can only be edited in Publisher."

Terminology to learn first

There is not just one end date

Official Microsoft documentation recommends Microsoft 365 subscribersto convert existing Publisher files to alternative formats prior to October 1, 2026.

Regardless of whether you have E3 or E5, upgrading to E5 will not avoid the discontinuation of Publisher. Additional licenses such as the Purview Suite will also not extend the product lifecycle of Publisher.

flowchart LR
    A[既存 .pub] --> B{今後も編集する?}
    B -->|いいえ| C[PDF化]
    B -->|はい| D{用途}
    D -->|文書・ラベル・封筒等| E[Wordで再構築]
    D -->|ポスター・視覚レイアウト| F[PowerPoint等で再構築]
    C --> G[変換後を目視確認]
    E --> G
    F --> G
    G --> H[新しい正本を決定]
    H --> I[元 .pub を保全/廃棄ルールへ]

First action: Count .pub instead of converting

Performing a bulk conversion immediately risks modifying out-of-scope files or missing conversion failures. Initially, perform read-only operations using PowerShell.

Get-ChildItem $HOME -Filter *.pub -File -Recurse -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue |
  Select-Object FullName, Length, LastWriteTime |
  Sort-Object LastWriteTime -Descending

This command does not convert or delete files.

See here

• .pub how many there are

• Which files were recently updated

• Check whether they remain in actively used locations such as the OneDrive sync area

• Check for a large number of files with the same name or old copies

Success criteria

The paths, sizes, and last modified dates of candidate migration items have been captured as a list.You do not need to convert them yet.

Change only one place

$HOME Change this to the test folder.

Get-ChildItem 'C:\MigrationTest' -Filter *.pub -File -Recurse

Investigate the shared area after understanding the purpose of limiting the search scope.

Real-world example: "Internal Event Guidelines" updated annually

For example, suppose the General Affairs department has a event-guide.pub where only the date is changed every year for printing.

Converting to PDF preserves this year's completed version. However, it does not serve as a master copy where next year's dates can be modified. In this case, divide the approach as follows.

Microsoft also suggests Word and PowerPoint as alternatives for common Publisher use cases.

It does not end with PDF conversion alone

The official Microsoft documentation provides instructions on how to save from Publisher to PDF. For large volumes of files, reference scripts for batch export using PowerShell are also published.

However, before running a batch conversion directly on the production folder, verify the following.

1. the original .pub Back up

2. Test with only a few representative files

3. Actually open the PDF

4. Check fonts, images, page breaks, and margins

5. Print and check the layout if necessary

6. Define success criteria before increasing the target scope

Microsoft's reference scripts also assume that a working, licensed Publisher installation exists on the device.

Full compatibility when converting to Word?

No. While Microsoft presents the Publisher to PDF to Word workflow as a migration path for editing purposes,they explicitly state that the layout in Word may differ from the original PDF, especially in image-heavy documents.they explicitly state this.

Do not define simply opening the file as success; verify the visually critical elements required for business operations.

sequenceDiagram
    participant U as 担当者
    participant P as Publisher
    participant N as 新形式
    participant R as 確認者
    U->>P: 元.pubを開く
    P->>N: PDF等へ変換
    N-->>U: 変換ファイル
    U->>R: 見た目・印刷を確認依頼
    R-->>U: OK / 要修正
    U->>U: 新しい正本を決定

General users, administrative staff, and IT departments focus on different aspects

Minimal example for creating a migration management CSV

Rather than directly converting audit results, passing them to a management table makes the process easier.

Get-ChildItem $HOME -Filter *.pub -File -Recurse -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue |
  Select-Object FullName, Length, LastWriteTime |
  Export-Csv "$HOME\publisher-inventory.csv" -NoTypeInformation -Encoding UTF8

Check here

Open the CSV in Excel and FullName、Length、LastWriteTime verify that contains.

Success criteria

Source .pub without making any changes, so that only the inventory CSV is created.

Change only one location

Change the output name to publisher-inventory-test.csv You can experience the concept of handling the input file and the inventory results separately.

Points for administrators to check before the deadline

• Publisher users and devices

• The number and owners of .pub remaining on PCs, OneDrive, SharePoint, etc.

• The Microsoft 365 version2026-10-01 deadline

• The difference from the 2026-10-13 end of support for perpetual Publisher 2021

• Classification of assets that only need PDF saving versus those that require an editable new master copy

• Alternative templates for Word, PowerPoint, etc.

• Pre-conversion backup and post-conversion visual and print verification

• Post-migration retention, access permissions, and handling of legacy files

Common misconceptions

Can I use the M365 version of Publisher until October 13?
The access deadline indicated by Microsoft officially for Microsoft 365 subscribers isOctober 1, 2026. October 13 is the end of support date for perpetual versions such as Publisher 2021.

Does converting to PDF complete the migration?
While effective for viewing only, if you need to edit the manuscript next year, a new editable master copy is required.

Can I continue using Publisher by upgrading to E5?
The discontinuation of Publisher is a product lifecycle issue and cannot be avoided by switching between E3 and E5.

Official information and primary sources

• Microsoft Publisher will no longer be supported after October 2026

• Publisher help

As of September 17, 2026, the highest priority is not learning how to use the new Publisher, but ratherbefore October 1, .pubdiscovering assets and migrating them to the next master version, separating them into view-only and edit-only access.