Microsoft Publisher Is Retiring: My Last-Minute Family History File Rescue

Microsoft Publisher Is Retiring: My Last-Minute Family History File Rescue

Microsoft Publisher Is Retiring: My Last-Minute Family History File Rescue

​I have spent part of the last couple of days doing something I definitely did not have on my genealogy to-do list: opening hundreds of old Microsoft Publisher files and making sure anything important was saved in a format I could still use in the future.
And when I say hundreds, I mean hundreds. 😉
I actually started working on this a couple of months ago, but with Microsoft Publisher's retirement now just weeks away, I realized it was crunch time.
At first, I didn't think Publisher's retirement would affect me very much. I barely use it anymore.
I have a few old business items and templates created in Publisher—things like invoices, business flyers, cards, and other materials—but most of what I create today is done with newer tools.
Then I remembered my books.​
And suddenly, Publisher's retirement became a much bigger project.

More Than a Few Old Business Files

Over the years, I have published books and created family heirloom books, and many of the photograph and picture pages in those books were originally designed in Microsoft Publisher.
Some of those files go back more than a decade.
Although many had already been saved or exported as PDFs or images somewhere along the way, not all of them had.
So, there I was, going through old folders and Publisher files one by one, checking what I had, opening files, and saving anything I might want or need again as a PDF and, for some of the individual picture pages, JPEGs as well.
It wasn't particularly exciting genealogy work.
But it was definitely family history preservation work.
And that is what made me realize this was worth sharing.

Microsoft Publisher Is Retiring in October

If you still have Microsoft Publisher files tucked away on your computer, external drives, or cloud storage, this is a deadline you should know about.
Microsoft is officially retiring Publisher in October 2026.
For Microsoft 365 subscribers, Publisher can continue to be used through October 1, 2026. After that date, Publisher will no longer be available through Microsoft 365, and subscribers will no longer be able to use Publisher to open or edit their PUB files.
Microsoft has specifically recommended converting existing Publisher files into other formats before then.
But there is an important distinction if you own a perpetual version, such as Publisher 2021.
Your copy will not suddenly stop opening on October 1.
Microsoft says perpetual versions of Publisher can continue to be installed and used after retirement. However, support for Publisher 2021 ends in October 2026 along with Office 2021. Once support ends, Microsoft will no longer provide security updates, bug fixes, or technical support.
So although Publisher 2021 may continue working, that doesn't mean I want important family history material to exist only as a Publisher file.
Future Windows changes, computer replacements, software compatibility issues, or simply not having Publisher installed someday could eventually make those files difficult—or impossible—to use.
And there isn't going to be a Publisher 2024 waiting for us. Microsoft did not include Publisher in Office 2024.
Publisher really is reaching the end of the road.

That's When My Little Backup Project Became a Big One

Once I understood what was happening, I started thinking beyond the handful of Publisher files I use—or used to use—for my business.
What old files did I have that I hadn't opened in years?
What had I created in Publisher that existed nowhere else?
What would happen if ten years from now I wanted one of those family heirloom book pages and could no longer open the original file?
That led me straight to those old book folders.
Many of the picture pages contained family photographs arranged into carefully designed layouts. Some had captions and other information incorporated into the page. They weren't simply photographs that I could pull from my photo collection and instantly recreate.
Yes, I still have my original photographs.
Yes, I still have my published books.
And yes, many pages had already been saved in other formats.
But I didn't want to assume everything important had been preserved.
So I checked.
And checked.
And checked some more. 😉
What I Saved
For anything I might want to view, print, share, or reference in the future, I made sure I had an accessible version outside Publisher.
For me, that primarily meant:

• PDFs for complete layouts and pages where preserving the appearance was important
• JPEGs for some individual picture pages that I might want to easily view or reuse
• The original PUB files, which I am keeping rather than deleting

That last part is important.
I'm not throwing away my original Publisher files simply because the program is retiring. Those are still the original working files, and I may be able to open and edit them for years.
I'm simply making sure they are not my only copies of the content.
For family history preservation, I would much rather have the original proprietary file and an accessible copy than depend entirely on software that is reaching the end of its supported life.

Do You Have Forgotten Publisher Files?

​If you have ever used Microsoft Publisher, this is probably a good time to find out.
Publisher was popular for all kinds of projects genealogists and family historians might have created over the years:
family history books, reunion booklets, newsletters, pedigree charts, photo pages, memorial programs, cemetery or society publications, flyers, invitations, calendars, certificates, family reunion materials, and more.
And because some of these files may be 10, 15, or even 20 years old, you may not remember everything you created.
Microsoft recommends searching your computer or storage for Publisher files by looking for the .pub file extension.
That's essentially what I did—although in my case, I already knew exactly which folders were going to cause me trouble. 😉

A Quick Publisher Preservation Checklist

​If you have old Publisher files, I would do this before October:
1. Search for your PUB files.
Look through your computer, external drives, backup drives, and cloud storage.
2. Identify anything you would hate to lose access to.
Don't worry about every old flyer or abandoned project unless it matters to you. Concentrate first on irreplaceable family history, genealogy, photographs, books, and personal material.
3. Open important files while you still have Publisher available.
Make sure they actually open correctly and that photographs, fonts, and layouts still appear as expected.
4. Save or export important items as PDFs.
For visually designed pages, PDFs are particularly useful because the goal is often to preserve how the finished page looks.
5. Save images separately when appropriate.
Depending on the project, you may also want JPEG or other image copies of individual pages or elements.
6. Keep the original PUB files too.
Converting something to PDF doesn't mean you need to destroy the original.
7. Back everything up.
Of course, converting a file isn't much help if your only copy is still sitting on one aging computer.

The Bigger Family History Lesson

This whole experience reminded me of something that goes far beyond Microsoft Publisher.
Digital preservation isn't just about backing up our files. It is also about making sure we will still be able to access those files.
Genealogists spend an enormous amount of time preserving old photographs, scanning documents, downloading records, building family trees, writing family histories, and organizing decades of research.
But our digital family history can become dependent on a particular program, file format, website, device, or technology without us even realizing it.
Today, for me, it was Microsoft Publisher.
Years from now, it will undoubtedly be something else.
A file can be perfectly backed up in three different places and still become a problem if none of the computers in your family can open it.
That is why part of digital preservation needs to include occasionally asking:
What software do I need to open this?
Will this format still be usable years from now?
Do I have an accessible version of the finished material in addition to the original working file?
Apparently, this week my own answers to those questions involved several hundred Publisher files and quite a bit more time than I originally expected. 😉
But my published books, family heirloom books, photograph pages, and other important Publisher creations (including many my children created when they were little and are priceless) now have preservation copies outside the program.
And I can finally cross "rescue old Publisher files before October" off my list.
If you've ever used Microsoft Publisher—especially for genealogy, family books, photographs, newsletters, or other family history projects--now might be a very good time to search for those old PUB files and make sure anything important isn't trapped inside them.
October is almost here.

Learn more at Microsoft Publisher retirement and preparation information.

More on Software for Genealogy & Organization

Learn about more family history and genealogy software and organization under the Genealogy Software and Organization categories and on my dedicated Genealogy Resources page.