Bulletin Rescue Free file check

Can't open your Publisher files after October 1? Here's what to do.

A plain guide for church secretaries, teachers, and anyone with a folder full of .pub files. Most of this is free.

The dates

Oct 1
2026

If you pay for Microsoft 365, you lose access to Publisher on October 1, 2026.

Oct 13
2026

If you bought Publisher 2021 (or Office 2021) outright, it keeps running, but support ends October 13, 2026.

Microsoft hasn't announced an extension.

First: find out which one you have

Open Publisher and go to File, then Account. If it says "Microsoft 365," your Publisher stops on October 1. If it says "Office 2021," "2019," or "2016," it will keep opening your files for now, but that one computer may be the only thing that can.

If Publisher still opens on your computer: save everything as PDF now

This is the single most useful thing you can do this week.

  1. Open a file in Publisher.
  2. Go to File, then Export (or Save As), and choose PDF.
  3. Save it next to the original, with the same name.

Have hundreds of files? Microsoft publishes a free script that converts a whole folder at once. It needs Publisher installed and working on that computer, so it stops helping Microsoft 365 users after October 1. Search Microsoft Support for "Convert-PubFileToPDF" to find it.

If Publisher is already gone

Your .pub files are still there. You need something else to open them.

  • LibreOffice (free). Install LibreOffice, then open a .pub file with LibreOffice Draw. It reads most Publisher files. From there, choose File, then Export as PDF. Newsletters where one story flows across several boxes sometimes come out jumbled.
  • Free online converters. Several websites turn one .pub file into a PDF for free. Be careful with anything that includes names, addresses, or prayer requests: you're uploading it to a stranger's server.
  • A colleague with an older Office. Someone with Publisher 2021, 2019, or 2016 can open your files and save them as PDF for you.

What about files you still edit every week?

A PDF is great for keeping and printing, but it's hard to edit. For your weekly bulletin or monthly newsletter, you'll want a new home. For most church offices and schools, that's Canva:

  • Free for many churches and nonprofits through Canva for Nonprofits (you apply, and it can take a few days).
  • Free for K-12 teachers and schools through Canva Education.
  • Full of bulletin and newsletter layouts to start from.

Word works too, but it's harder to move pictures and boxes around the page.

Ready to move your weekly bulletin? Our step-by-step Canva guide covers the folded booklet, fonts and printing. Want to keep the old ones in order? See what a good bulletin archive looks like.

If you have hundreds of files and no time

That's what we do. Send us the folder. We turn every file into a searchable PDF, remove the duplicates, sort everything by year and type, and rebuild the templates you still use in Canva. Fixed prices, all under $500, and you pay after delivery.

Not sure how many you have? Count your Publisher files free. It runs in your browser, and nothing is uploaded.

Get a free file check

Or call or leave a message: (207) 776-7530