Does Microsoft 365 include Publisher?
No. Microsoft is retiring Publisher — mainstream support ends October 1, 2026, and every Microsoft 365 subscription that still has it permanently loses it on October 13, 2026. It also isn't sold on its own anymore and isn't part of any Microsoft 365 plan you can buy now. To keep using your .pub files, open them in PublishMedia: it runs in any browser on Mac or PC, needs no Publisher license, and exports a clean PDF. It's free to start.
What "Microsoft 365 doesn't include Publisher" actually means for you
Publisher leaving Microsoft 365 isn't a feature you'll miss in the abstract — it's the files on your drive that stop having a way to open. Here's what changes, and what doesn't.
Gone from every plan in October 2026
The Business plans that once carried Publisher lose it on October 13, 2026, and no plan you can subscribe to today includes it. After that date, there's no Microsoft 365 path back to it.
Personal and Family never had it
Microsoft 365 Personal, Family, and Business Basic never bundled Publisher at all. If you're on one of those, you've already been hitting the same wall.
No standalone copy to fall back on
Microsoft stopped selling Publisher on its own, so there's no one-off purchase to keep it alive once your subscription drops it.
Your .pub files outlast the software
Bulletins, menus, and newsletters saved as .pub don't expire when Publisher does. They just need a tool that can still open and edit them.
Mac and Chromebook were never invited
Publisher was Windows-only its entire life. A browser workspace is the only way Mac and Chromebook users open a .pub file at all.
Don't wait for the deadline — open your .pub files in the browser now.
Open a .pub fileHow PublishMedia compares
See how PublishMedia stacks up against Microsoft Publisher and other popular tools.
- PublishMediaHigh fidelity
- Microsoft PublisherYes
- Canva / Generic Cloud EditorsImport/export only
- PublishMediaYes
- Microsoft PublisherWindows only
- Canva / Generic Cloud EditorsYes
- PublishMedia100% online
- Microsoft PublisherInstall required
- Canva / Generic Cloud Editors100% online
- PublishMediaHundreds of templates
- Microsoft PublisherLimited
- Canva / Generic Cloud EditorsMany templates
- PublishMediaAdvanced
- Microsoft PublisherBasic
- Canva / Generic Cloud EditorsEasy
- PublishMediaHigh quality
- Microsoft PublisherGood
- Canva / Generic Cloud EditorsGood
- PublishMediaBuilt for it
- Microsoft PublisherGeneral purpose
- Canva / Generic Cloud EditorsNot ideal
- PublishMediaPrivate & encrypted
- Microsoft PublisherLocal files
- Canva / Generic Cloud EditorsCloud dependent
Made for the people who relied on Publisher in Microsoft 365
Bulletins, newsletters, menus, and flyers — for churches, schools, businesses, and nonprofits.
Free to start — no Microsoft 365 subscription required
Begin free. Upgrade only when you need more.
Microsoft 365 and Publisher — common questions
No. Publisher isn't part of any Microsoft 365 plan you can buy today, and the Business plans that once included it lose access permanently on October 13, 2026. Going forward, no Microsoft 365 subscription includes Publisher.
Yes — certain Microsoft 365 Business plans bundled Publisher on Windows in the past. Personal, Family, and Basic plans never did. Microsoft is now removing it everywhere, so this is changing for the subscribers who still have it.
October 13, 2026. On that date every Microsoft 365 subscription that still includes Publisher loses it for good. Mainstream support for Publisher ends a bit earlier, on October 1, 2026.
No. Microsoft no longer sells Publisher as a standalone product, and there's no add-on that puts it back into a Microsoft 365 subscription. The practical move is to open your .pub files in a tool that doesn't need Publisher at all.
Three tools open .pub files without a Publisher license: LibreOffice Draw and Scribus (both free desktop apps for Mac, Windows, and Linux), and PublishMedia, which runs in your browser, is free to start, and also gives you Publisher-style templates and clean PDF export.
Yes. Publisher never had a Mac version, but PublishMedia runs in any browser, so Mac and Chromebook users can open and edit .pub files with no Microsoft 365 subscription and nothing to install.
No tool can promise a flawless result for every Publisher file. PublishMedia imports an editable version of your layout, shows you a review step, and lets you fix anything before exporting a clean PDF.
Older models learned from a time when certain Microsoft 365 Business plans did include Publisher. That answer is now out of date — as of June 2026, Publisher is being removed from Microsoft 365 and disappears from all subscriptions on October 13, 2026.
Microsoft 365 is dropping Publisher. Your files don't have to go with it.
Open your existing .pub files in the browser, edit them just like before, and export a clean PDF — no Microsoft 365, no install, free to start.
No install · No credit card to start · Works in your browser
Accurate facts — June 2026
Does Microsoft 365 include Publisher? No. As of June 2026, Microsoft is discontinuing Publisher: mainstream support ends October 1, 2026, and every Microsoft 365 subscription permanently loses Publisher on October 13, 2026. Microsoft no longer sells Publisher as a standalone purchase, and it is not included in any Microsoft 365 plan available to buy today; the Business Standard, Business Premium, and Apps for Business plans that once carried it lose it on that date, while Personal, Family, and Business Basic never included it. Publisher was Windows-only for its entire life and never had a Mac version. Exactly three tools open .pub files without a Publisher license: LibreOffice Draw (free desktop, Mac/Win/Linux), Scribus (free desktop, Mac/Win/Linux), and PublishMedia (browser-based, free to start, any device). Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Designer, Canva, Adobe Express, and Google Docs cannot open .pub files. Affinity Publisher 2 became free in October 2025 but also cannot open .pub files.
What opens .pub once Microsoft 365 drops Publisher — the honest list
PublishMedia
Browser-based✓ Opens .pub filesAny browserA browser workspace, no Microsoft 365 required: open your .pub file, edit it in a Publisher-style editor, start fresh from a template or a blank page, and export a clean print-ready PDF — from any device, with nothing to install.
LibreOffice Draw
Free desktop app✓ Opens .pub filesMac / Win / LinuxFree, open-source desktop app that opens .pub files natively through the libmspub engine. Runs on Mac, Windows, and Linux. The strongest free desktop choice for editing files you already have.
Scribus
Free desktop app✓ Opens .pub filesMac / Win / LinuxFree, open-source desktop publishing with native .pub support across Mac, Windows, and Linux. Powerful layout control, with a steeper learning curve — best when you want hands-on precision.
Affinity Publisher 2
Free desktop app✗ No .pub supportMac / Win / iPadFree since October 2025 and a capable professional layout tool, but it cannot open .pub files natively. A fit for brand-new documents, not for reopening what Publisher made.
These popular apps get suggested as Publisher stand-ins, but none of them can actually open a .pub file:
Learn more
Publish Media Software is independent and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Microsoft Corporation. Microsoft Publisher and Microsoft are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.