Just got this from Microsoft. We obviously can’t get free Skype calling if Skype doesn’t exist, so that makes sense. But Publisher is one of the single most godawfully incompatible file formats I’ve ever run into. We’re not going to be able to OPEN them in a year and a half.
Not as applicable to all-in Mac users, but I know some of y’all are dual-booting or using MS365 for work on non-Macs.
Beginning March 03, 2026, you will no longer have access to 60 minutes of monthly Skype calls to mobile phones and landlines. Learn more in these Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ).
Beginning October 01, 2026, Microsoft Publisher will no longer be supported as part of Microsoft 365. Many common Publisher scenarios are available in other Microsoft 365 apps, including Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Designer.
Action Recommended: Before October 01, 2026, convert your existing Publisher files to PDF or Word format. After this date, you will no longer be able to open or edit these files with Microsoft Publisher.
It never ceases to amaze me how many people need to do things that I might find bizarre.
For example, I’m in a nonprofit that will semi-routinely do things like forward a Publisher file from several years ago as a template for the current year’s conference program.
This reminds me to check in with my grandma! She has made her church’s weekly bulletin in Publisher since before I was born. Last time I set her up a new computer, she mentioned someone else taking it over so hopefully they get the message and convert to Word…
You would think for something like that the design would be amended on a cycle using the previous one as a template, e.g. month to Month, Quarter by Quarter or annually. On the assumption that the need persists, you’d find an alternative and for informational purposes, the PDF would suffice.
For people in a corporate environment, they can just convert them all to pdf via powershell.
It’ll be more annoying for the home enthusiasts who made their church handouts or whatever in Publisher for the last ten years. But they can print them to PDF. My memory of windows is fuzzy these days but I’m sure you used to be able to mass select and right click print, so it probably wouldn’t be too onerous even if you had hundreds.
Like so many of Microsoft’s products, Publisher has never truly been “supported” by the company. It has never needed to compete on the merits of capability and world-class UX. It has existed in its terrible state for years, mainly serving as the CIOs justification to reject requests for spending money on a sane solution.
To paraphrase the beloved ancient Britons:
“Nobody SELECTS Microsoft Publisher! Its chief weapon is surprising placement of images… surprise and fear of Paste with Formatting… fear and ruthless inefficiency!”
Affinity Publisher is an excellent solution for page layout. It has solid support for Adobe-formats, but does not support the Publisher format. You can place both DOCX files and XLXS tables / data though. It runs on Windows, Mac and iPad too.
