MS Publisher EOL - After Oct 2026 what alternative software can open .pub files?

[Fazza]

We have Microsoft Publisher installed on all of our Staff and Student computers.  We are a Cyber Secure Essentials accredited MAT and to remain so all installed software must be supported by the manufacture with updates etc. so as of October 2026 we will have to stop using MS Publisher.  We're preparing for this now by no longer installing Publisher as part of our software builds so if a computer gets re-imaged via SCCM/MECM then Publisher will no longer be part of it and will only be installed as a last resort when requested and we will block the .exe as soon as it has gone EOL.

 

We've been warning staff for many months now so they are all fully aware of what's going on.  Using my magic IT Services Crystal Ball I predict that at some point after it has gone EOL someone will need to open up a .pub publisher file as it will contain 'urgent' information.

 

How can they open up a .pub files without using Microsoft Publisher?   Microsofts answer is to convert it to a PDF file BEFORE October 2026!  Unless we invent a time machine we wont be able to do that so is there an Open Source program that can handle the opening of .PUB files?

[Cat_Jam148]

It's been a long time since I've used it so your mileage may vary but I believe LibreOffice Draw can open Publisher files.

 

It can't save as .PUB, so they would have to be saved as another format.

 

I've also read that Scribus might be another option which can open Publisher files. Not had any experience with that one though.

 

[Dos_Box]

Apparently LibreOffice Draw can work with Publisher files, but the advice I've seen is to ensure to check layouts etc. first.
I don't think you'll ever get something that will be 100% compatible, but it's a start.

[Dos_Box]

Beaten to it by a nose by @Cat_Jam148

[Fazza]

Thanks for the quick replies!

 

I've installed both Scribus and LibreOffice and I am now uninstalling Scribus!

 

On the two Publisher files I tested they both opened up in Scribus but lots of things were missing including several duplicated images (why some were displayed and others not I've no idea) and WordArt was just a placeholder.  In LibreOffice Draw both Publisher files opened up and all images/clipart were displayed correctly as was 99% there as the only thing missing was the WordArt parts.

 

My question now is, can you install LibreOffice Draw on it's own or do you have to install the whole thing?  If you can just install LibreOffice Draw, is there a silent install command?

[Steve101]

https://www.freeconvert.com/pub-converter

[Fazza]

9 minutes ago, Steve101 said:

https://www.freeconvert.com/pub-converter

 

Thanks, but I doubt they would pass a DPIA so I think we're going to go down the route of LibreOffice as at least you can easily edit a Publisher file this way.

[psydii]

48 minutes ago, Fazza said:

We have Microsoft Publisher installed on all of our Staff and Student computers.  We are a Cyber Secure Essentials accredited MAT and to remain so all installed software must be supported by the manufacture with updates etc. so as of October 2026 we will have to stop using MS Publisher.  We're preparing for this now by no longer installing Publisher as part of our software builds so if a computer gets re-imaged via SCCM/MECM then Publisher will no longer be part of it and will only be installed as a last resort when requested and we will block the .exe as soon as it has gone EOL.

 

We've been warning staff for many months now so they are all fully aware of what's going on.  Using my magic IT Services Crystal Ball I predict that at some point after it has gone EOL someone will need to open up a .pub publisher file as it will contain 'urgent' information.

 

How can they open up a .pub files without using Microsoft Publisher?   Microsofts answer is to convert it to a PDF file BEFORE October 2026!  Unless we invent a time machine we wont be able to do that so is there an Open Source program that can handle the opening of .PUB files?

Can one still buy a perpetual licence to Publisher?  If so get that to have available to install into an isolated VM? Work with SLT to agree some sort of SLA for converting old .pub to pdf after the deadline. Something along the lines of get slt buy-in that all staff have been given ample warning to convert to pdf or seek alternative resources, and after October pdf conversion can be done by IT Services, but at the absolute lowest priority, so for example *a doc* might be converted in a few minutes if nothing else is on, but *10* might take 6 weeks.

[andy_b]

Could batch convert them to pdf:

 

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/msoffice/forum/all/i-have-some-old-pub-files-which-i-want-to-convert/68229a54-7668-48d6-9b19-34d9d3b4d6ad

 

 

[psydii]

...but don't let anyone find out about the back-stop otherwise they will rely on it. Stick to the line "contents of publisher documents will  be lost if not saved to pdf by October 2026"

[Steve101]

8 minutes ago, Fazza said:

 

Thanks, but I doubt they would pass a DPIA so I think we're going to go down the route of LibreOffice as at least you can easily edit a Publisher file this way.

Pretty sure it would, they don't view your file and it's deleted automatically after 8 hours. -

 

Note that we do not access or view your files. We will only access or view your files with your explicit and written consent, unless such action is necessary to comply with legal procedures. You retain all rights and ownership of your files.

 

Files uploaded to FreeConvert are automatically and permanently deleted after 8 hours. You also have the option of permanently deleting the files manually before they are automatically deleted.

 

 

[3s-gtech]

Perpetual license won't work for this purpose, because it'll still reach EOL in October next year for support, even if it's still validly licensed.

 

I'm also pushing out Office 2024 without it, and 2021 where staff need a window to convert. They have been told repeatedly, and next October Office 2024 will be installed automatically.

 

I have my PC here for conversion duties, but I can't do that forever! We have a few copies of Affinity Publisher out there but no compatibility sadly.

[psydii]

It would still work, particularly if you had it installed on a win 11 24h2 vm that wasn't taking updates. The idea is not to keep it working for users, but to have an emergency method of converting a file to pdf that "somehow" got missed before the deadline.

[Fazza]

To retain our Cyber Essentials accreditation (that we pay annually for) we cannot use any unsupported software so we're not going to look at work arounds of still using Microsoft Publisher as this would be a slippery slope to all the other unsupported software we have had to remove from our computers.

 

We told all staff in emails and in the Trusts newsletter several times that Publisher will go EOL in 2026 so they've not have 2 weeks notice, nor 2 months but at least 2 years to stop using it and find an alternative!

[Fazza]

25 minutes ago, andy_b said:

Could batch convert them to pdf:

 

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/msoffice/forum/all/i-have-some-old-pub-files-which-i-want-to-convert/68229a54-7668-48d6-9b19-34d9d3b4d6ad

 

 

 

This needs to be done before October 2026 - what I'm talking about is what to do with the files that people didnt save as PDF files after Octover 2026.  I can't imagine anyone going through years and years of publisher files and batch converting them just in case - I know I have loads of Publisher files on my PC and I've not done this to a single one and nor do I intend to as I don't have the time!

 

LibreOffice is the way forward for us.

[psydii]

I didn't mean make it generally available, but to keep an isolated vm around (for use by IT Services only) specifically for the purpose of being able to access/recover legacy data. 

 

But the slippery slope argument certainly resonates, sometimes you have to be inflexible to protect users from themselves.

 

I'd suggest though that you don't even look at solving the "i forgot to convert before the deadline" problem for staff in general. If you do, they wont bother and then you'll have to have libreoffice etc on your computers forever more!  

[paulkerton]

All you're doing is storing up future pain. All you'll do is kick the can down the road and make people reliant on LibreOffice Draw.
Get the conversions done. Let them know while they have nearly 18 months remaining to do so, and take the pain now.

[synaesthesia]

This is why modern IT is sh....ockingly bad. (see my recent blog post!). Long gone are the days of "Ah yes, I can use this bit of software I've tucked away since 1988 that Just Ruddy Works" - it has to be updateable, compliant with silly laws and part of a system designed purely to keep a load of overpaid consultants in well pressed trousers and posh coffee.

Edited May 8, 2025 by synaesthesia

[psydii]

TBH I like a bit of posh coffee and  good tailoring, and better pay wouldn't hurt.

[Fazza]

10 minutes ago, paulkerton said:

All you're doing is storing up future pain. All you'll do is kick the can down the road and make people reliant on LibreOffice Draw.
Get the conversions done. Let them know while they have nearly 18 months remaining to do so, and take the pain now.

 

I've spoken to nearly a dozen admin people I know to use Publisher and all said they had been made aware that Publisher was ending sometime next year (they couldnt remember it was October) and not a single one (just like me) had saved any as PDFs.

 

LibreOffice is a 2 minute Silent Install so I will put it in the Software Center in SCCM/MECM - unless of course you know something I dont and LibreOffice is going to be unsupported soon too?...

[synaesthesia]

Libre should be absolutely fine, that's something I'll be using here for publisher files too  (just personally though for ID badge printing, saves using the diabolical software that most printers use for it! )

[paulkerton]

2 minutes ago, Fazza said:

 

I've spoken to nearly a dozen admin people I know to use Publisher and all said they had been made aware that Publisher was ending sometime next year (they couldnt remember it was October) and not a single one (just like me) had saved any as PDFs.

 

LibreOffice is a 2 minute Silent Install so I will put it in the Software Center in SCCM/MECM - unless of course you know something I dont and LibreOffice is going to be unsupported soon too?...

I'm not sure why you asked advice, if you've already decided...
Good luck.

[Fazza]

4 minutes ago, paulkerton said:

I'm not sure why you asked advice, if you've already decided...
Good luck.

 

Thanks for the luck!

 

I asked for advice.  I was given advice.  I took said advice.  I said which advice I was taking to prevent people giving me advice that was no longer required as a decision was made.

 

Sorry if you feel like your advice has fallen on deaf ears but a decision has already been taken from the previous advice given as clearly documented in this thread.