Microsoft advises customers to convert Publisher files before October 1, 2026. This checklist helps a church team decide what to preserve, what to rebuild, and which Microsoft app to use next. It does not convert PUB files.
The 12-check church Publisher retirement checklist
Discover
- Name the current owner and audience.
- Record size, fold, frequency, and deadline.
- Decide whether to rebuild, archive, or retire the piece.
Preserve
- Keep a read-only copy of the PUB file.
- Export an approved visual-reference PDF.
- Gather original images, text, and brand colors.
Rebuild
- Choose Word or PowerPoint intentionally.
- Replace unsupported or unlicensed fonts.
- Recreate live text, headings, tables, and links.
Verify
- Proof names, dates, contacts, and QR destinations.
- Check contrast, alt text, and reading order.
- Export a PDF and review one physical proof.
How to choose Word or PowerPoint
Use Word when text flow and recurring sections drive the publication: newsletters, programs, forms, and folded projects. Use PowerPoint when fixed object placement drives the page or screen: flyers, signs, event graphics, visual reports, and 16:9 announcements. Use PDF to preserve approved history and share fixed output.
A realistic first work session
- Inventory for 15 minutes. Find the current master and name its owner, audience, frequency, and next deadline.
- Preserve for 20 minutes. Export a reference PDF and gather the original text, images, and any approved brand values.
- Prioritize for 15 minutes. Choose one recurring piece needed in the next ninety days.
- Rebuild one piece for 40 minutes. Start in the right app and prove the workflow before tackling the entire archive.
Take the checklist with you
Download all three pages.
The PDF includes the checklist, app decision guide, and work-session plan shown above.
When the team needs actual replacement layouts
The free starter helps decide what to do. The paid FolioForward pack supplies the editable Word and PowerPoint layouts: a weekly bifold bulletin, monthly newsletter, event flyer, annual report, screen slides, and a detailed 48-check workbook. True Letter and A4 files are included where paper size matters.
See the complete $39 single-site pack
Source
Deadline and app guidance: Microsoft Publisher retirement and migration guidance.