Is there a replacement program for Publisher?

Question

What is the best way to convert all my Publisher files? I use it all the time as a teacher and don't want to lose all my documents. I also don't have time to recreate them all in another program. I am very disappointed that it is being discontinued and hope you will reconsider.

Answer 1

Take a look at Affinity Publisher. It's free.

You can supposedly use it to import and edit your Publisher files for free, if you first convert them to PDF. See https://www.affinity.studio/

You may get better results, however, if you convert the Publisher files directly to Affinity using https://markzware.com/markzportal/converting-microsoft-publisher-to-affinity-publisher/

Answer 2

Dear @Debbie Wilson,

Thank you for posting your question in the Microsoft Q&A forum.

I completely understand your frustration, especially as a teacher who has invested years building materials in Microsoft Publisher.

Microsoft has officially confirmed that Publisher will no longer be supported after October 2026. After that date, it will be removed from Microsoft 365 subscriptions, and Publisher files (.pub) will no longer be opened or edited in the app. Until then, Publisher will continue to work as it does today, but Microsoft strongly recommends preparing your files ahead of time to avoid data loss.

At this time, Microsoft has not announced a direct replacement for Publisher. Instead, they recommend using other Microsoft 365 apps depending on the type of document:

• Word or PowerPoint for newsletters, programs, certificates, and classroom handouts
• PowerPoint or Designer (web) for flyers, posters, and visually designed materials

For more information and instruction, please refer to the Microsoft Official Guide: Microsoft Publisher will no longer be supported after October 2026

For existing Publisher documents and to avoid recreating everything, I highly recommend you convert your existing files to another format before 10/1/2026. After this date, you will no longer be able to open or edit these files in Microsoft Publisher.

How to prepare your files for Publishers retirement by saving them in another format.

1/ View content after Publishers retirement by converting to PDF format

2/ Edit content after Publishers retirement by either converting a Publisher file to PDF, and then a Word file.

3/ Using a third-party conversion tool to convert directly from Publisher to another file type​​​​​​​.

Note: These services vary in quality and capabilities, and Microsoft does not provide support for them.

Moreover, I agree this is a very helpful and important tool, therefore, to ensure your feedback reaches the right teams, I highly recommend submitting your feedback directly to Microsoft Ideas · Community, where our product development team can know your requirements and ideas for product improvements.

Note: As Microsoft Community moderators, please note that we are not involved in product design decisions and do not have direct access to the development roadmap, we want to assure you that your feedback has been acknowledged and is valued.  

I hope this information is helpful. If you have any other questions, please feel free to reach out

Thank you for your patience and understanding. I'm looking forward for your reply.

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