One of Microsoft Office’s longest-serving tools is being retired on 13th October.
Microsoft Publisher is a program designed for streamlined document layout, mixing images and text to create flyers, newsletters, and zines.
With the deadline approaching, much of Publisher’s user base may need a simple alternative to move across to in the near future.
What’s happening to Microsoft Publisher
Microsoft Publisher was first launched in 1991 as a competitor to Adobe PageMaker and QuarkXPress. After 35 years the tool will be retired.
Microsoft initially made the announcement in late 2024 that Publisher would be discontinued; one entry in a line of end-of-support announcements.
Microsoft 365 subscribers will lose access to the tool from 13th October and will no longer be able to open or edit .pub files.
Microsoft recommends converting existing .pub files to PDF or Word format before the deadline.
Office 2021 Standalone owners won’t be affected by the change, but the software will stop receiving security updates and support.
Why Microsoft Publisher support is ending
Publisher’s user base has declined with the rise of web-based alternatives like Canva, Adobe Express and Microsoft Designer. These offer simple-to-use design capabilities in an accessible format.
Microsoft hasn’t added significant features to Publisher in years, and the software has never made the leap to cloud-based architecture.
The company’s position is that Word and PowerPoint handle most of Publisher’s use cases, but change can be troublesome for entrenched users.
What to use instead
Many community services like churches, schools, and sports clubs use tools like Publisher to create newsletters, flyers and bulletins.
The good news is that there are several alternatives to switch to before Publisher support fully ends.
Canva (Free, browser-based)
Canva is the online tool that many users have already migrated to for newsletters and multimedia document layout. This is an easily accessible option for online document layout and editing.
Canva exports to PDF natively and has pre-built templates for most things Publisher handles. Since it’s an online tool, it’s easy to jump in and try to see if it’s suitable.
LibreOffice Draw (Free, desktop)
LibreOffice is one of our most recommended software suites here at CyberShack. It’s a fully-fledged alternative to Microsoft Office with all the tools a user could need when migrating away.
LibreOffice Draw is a great replacement for Publisher. It opens .pub files natively to make the switchover more seamless and features PDF export with preserved layouts. As a drop-in replacement, this is a good choice.
Affinity by Canva (Free, desktop)
Affinity is Canva’s most powerful tool available for local install on your machine. It brings together dedicated document layout, image adjustment, and vector graphic workspaces into one software, so if you need a more fully-featured option it’s a great choice.
Affinity operates under a freemium model where most functions are free with AI-powered editing behind a subscription. You can export to PDF natively, and the software has a lot of tutorials to help users get to grips with its tools.
What to do before 13th October
If you’re part of a community organisation that still uses Publisher, it’s time to get those .pub files converted to PDF. Microsoft’s own instructions are to click File, then Save As, then PDF.
Canva is the easiest option of our three recommendations to try. It’s available directly on the internet and doesn’t require installation.
LibreOffice is a good choice if you need the flexibility to keep editing your Publisher files without locking into the PDF format.
Affinity by Canva is a powerful tool that’s well worth a look if you want an upgrade while you’re making the effort to switch to a new software.
Publisher has had a solid run of 35 years. That’s longer than most software ever sees, but unfortunately it’s time to find an alternative.
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