Microsoft Publisher — a legacy program for creating calendars, templates, business cards, etc. — is no longer supported by Microsoft and is being removed from Office 365 as of Oct. 1, 2026.
If you have used Publisher in the past and still have files saved in the .pub format, please take action to ensure you can access them in the future. After this date, you will not be able to open Publisher files.
- Use the below steps to convert your existing files to PDF format as soon as possible. Digital Strategies and Services recommends you do so by May 1.
- Once you have created PDF files, you can open and edit them in Microsoft Word or Canva.
- Please note: New or replacement divisional computers will not have Publisher installed on them, so it is best to convert your files soon in case your current device fails.
Steps for converting files:
- Open the file in Publisher.
- Go to File > Save as.
- Choose a location to save the file.
- For file type, select PDF, then select Save.
Alternatives to Publisher:
- Microsoft Word, PowerPoint or Canva are excellent alternatives to Publisher and should meet your needs for creating documents in the future.
- These apps have many pre-existing templates that can be adapted.
For more information or specific recommendations on alternatives to Publisher, see this Microsoft knowledge base article. If you have questions or need assistance opening .pub files, please reach out to the DSS Service Desk at 517-353-1691 or via ticket or chat on dss.sle.msu.edu (Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.).