How do I set default when opening/starting a new file via right clicking "New" > "Microsoft Publisher Document" on the desktop?

Question

When I open Publisher via Start it automatically goes by "A4, empty (Portrait)" and then the page is always set to A4 (offcourse) and Publisher remembers that my preference is in mm, printing one page per sheet, ...

But when I open/start a new Publisher file on the desktop (or in any other folder) via right clicking "New" > "Microsoft Publisher Document" it always sets the default to inches and the page to Letter.

Although my preferences are set to mm, A4, one page per sheet, ... via the "File" > "Options" settings inside Publisher.

Why doesn't it use the same settings as I have set in the preferences ?

Answer 1

Hi, thank you for reaching out. My name is Deeksha and I'm a Microsoft user like yourself and I will try to help you as best as I can today.

Method 1: Set Default Page Size and Units in Publisher Open Publisher directly from the Start menu or desktop. Go to File > Options. In the Publisher Options dialog box, click on Advanced. Under the General section, set the following preferences: Measurement units: Millimeters Page unit: A4 Click OK to save the changes.

Method 2: Modify the Publisher Template You can modify the default Publisher template to set your preferred settings for new documents. Open Publisher and create a new document. Set your preferred settings (Measurement units to Millimeters, Page unit to A4, etc.).

Save this document as a template: Go to File > Save As. Choose Publisher Template (*. PUB) from the Save as type dropdown menu. Save the template in a location you can easily access, like the Desktop or a specific folder. Set this template as the default template for new Publisher documents:

Go to File > Options. In the Publisher Options dialog box, click on Advanced. Under the General section, click on Browse next to Default personal templates location. Select the template you saved earlier and click OK. Click OK again to save the changes.

Method 3: Modify Registry (Windows Only) Note: Modifying the registry can cause problems if not done correctly. Ensure you backup your registry before making any changes. Press Windows + R, type regedit, and press Enter to open the Registry Editor. Navigate to the following path:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Publisher

Note: The "16.0" in the path may vary depending on your version of Publisher.

Right-click on Publisher and choose New > Key. Name the new key New Document. Select the New Document key, and in the right-hand pane, right-click and choose New > String Value. Name the string value Page Size and set its value data to A4. Right-click again in the right-hand pane and choose New > String Value. Name the string value Measurement Units and set its value data to mm. Close the Registry Editor and restart Publisher. After following these steps, try creating a new Publisher document by right-clicking on the desktop and selecting New > Microsoft Publisher Document. Your default settings should now be applied to the new document.

Try these steps and hopefully, it resolves your issue. In case you need further help or assistance, please let us know. You can also contact Microsoft Support if the problem persists.

Best regards Deeksha