RIP DTP: Microsoft Publisher support is ending
After decades of service, Microsoft Publisher is reaching end of life and will be dropped from Microsoft 365. For fans of the desktop publishing tool, there's still time left on the clock.
And there is more good news. Microsoft says that it is "exploring modern ways to achieve other common Publisher scenarios across applications like Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Designer".
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The company has been a little vague about just how the end of support will work, but says that the date to keep in mind is October 13, 2026.
The news was shared by XDA Developers who noticed a post from StephenCWLL on X including details of an email from Microsoft:
In the email Microsoft says:
In October 2026, Microsoft Publisher will reach its end of life. After that time, it will no longer be included in Microsoft 365 and existing on-premises suites will no longer be supported. Until then, support for Publisher will continue and users can expect the same experience as today.
The final sentence is curious as it suggests that when October 13, 2026 rolls around support will end, but also that the user experience will change in some way. Whether this means forced updates will switch Publisher into a reduced functionality mode, or even pull a kill switch, remains to be seen.
The email says that "Microsoft 365 customers will not be able to access Publisher from that date forward", but the implementation of this is unclear. The company concludes by saying that it "will share additional updates as the date approaches".
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