Feb 18, 2024 at 9:29 PM Microsoft Publisher set for retirement in October 2026
Microsoft has officially announced that Microsoft Publisher will reach its end of life in October 2026. Post this date, the software will cease to be a part of Microsoft 365 and will no longer receive support for existing on-premises suites. However, until the specified date, Microsoft assures continued support and maintenance for Publisher.
The company further explained that “Many common Publisher scenarios including the creation of professionally branded templates, envelope and label printing, and producing customized calendars, business cards, and programs are already available in other Microsoft 365 apps such as Word and PowerPoint.”
Microsoft Publisher, a desktop publishing solution for Windows, was first launched in 1991 as a competitor to market leaders like Adobe PageMaker (formerly Aldus PageMaker) and QuarkXPress. Despite its long history, Publisher never achieved the same level of popularity and was only included in the pricier versions of the Microsoft Office suite.
Looking forward, Microsoft is investigating modern approaches to incorporate common Publisher functionalities across applications like Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Designer.
How many people actually used Publisher for making flyers and advertisements? Because I remember having to learn how to use it in elementary school computer lab and in my 9th grade Digital Literacy class, and I haven't really used it ever since.