Microsoft Publisher retirement · October 2026

Find every .pub file before it becomes a surprise.

Use the free private checker to count Publisher files and match same-folder PDFs. Then use the $9 offline companion to assign future needs, owners, and notes and export a file-by-file migration manifest.

Check a folder free Get the offline companion — $9

No upload · no Microsoft login · one-organization license · immediate ZIP after verified payment

Microsoft saysFind `.pub` files

Search PCs, OneDrive, and SharePoint before the supported Publisher window closes.

For viewingConvert to PDF

Microsoft’s guidance recommends PDF when the future need is viewing rather than editing.

For editingExpect layout risk

Microsoft warns that Word conversions are optimized for text editing and graphics-heavy layouts may vary.

Free private checker

Count the queue. Check PDF coverage.

Choose a folder

Your browser reads file names, relative paths, sizes, and modified dates. Nothing is uploaded. The free checker does not open or convert document content.

Choose the highest-level folder you are authorized to inspect.

Local result

0Publisher files

0same-folder PDFs

0PDFs missing

0duplicate-name risks

0% same-folder PDF coverage

A filename match is evidence that an output exists—not proof that the conversion is visually correct.

Inside the paid offline app

Turn a count into an accountable migration plan.

File-by-file manifest

See exact path, size, modified date, PDF coverage, editable-copy coverage, and possible matches elsewhere.

Future-need decision

Mark each publication as view only, must stay editable, archive/remove, or still undecided.

Owner + note

Assign the person or team and preserve context such as annual program, mail merge, or reusable template.

Duplicate-name risk

Flag repeated basenames so one `Newsletter.pub` is not mistaken for another.

CSV + JSON exports

Keep a portable manifest and detailed plan with your migration records.

Print summary

Produce a straightforward review packet for a staff meeting or migration checkpoint.

The honest boundary

Inventory evidence is not conversion proof.

It does

read local file metadata
match same-folder basenames
flag possible and duplicate matches
organize decisions and owners
export migration records

It does not

open `.pub` document content
bulk-convert Publisher files
verify visual fidelity
replace source backups
guarantee future compatibility

Primary source

Built around Microsoft’s current guidance.

Microsoft: Publisher support ends after October 2026 →

That page contains the current preparation guidance, recommended replacement apps by document type, and Microsoft’s sample PowerShell bulk-conversion script.

Save the migration reminder

Two visual references for the deadline.

Editorial reminder that Microsoft Publisher ends in October 2026 and organizations should find their Publisher files now. — Start with the inventory, not the replacement-app debate.

Guide showing that view-only Publisher files can be converted to PDF while editable files need a separate migration decision and visual review. — Separate view-only files from layouts that must stay editable.

One-time purchase

A nine-dollar migration control sheet that builds itself.

private offline single-file browser app
folder scan or inventory CSV import
same-folder and possible-match evidence
future-need, owner, and note fields
CSV manifest, JSON plan, and print summary
one-organization use license

$9

Download the companion

Microsoft Publisher is a Microsoft product. This independent tool is not affiliated with or endorsed by Microsoft.