End of Microsoft Publisher Alternatives

Question

Any good solutions for alternatives for Microsoft Publisher for churches who use Publisher for bulletins and newletters?

Answer 1

If you purchased a perpetual license for Publisher, and it is installed on your desktop, you can continue to use it beyond 2026. You just won't be getting updates anymore.

If you are looking for alternative desktop apps similar to Publisher you may want to look into these free alternatives:

LibreOffice Draw will open your publisher files directly, but editing them may not always be as precise as you may like.

https://www.libreoffice.org/discover/draw/

I recommend Affinity Layout. But you first have to convert your publisher file to PDF. https://www.affinity.studio/page-layout-software

https://www.affinity.studio/help/get-started-import-pdf/

Answer 2

Hello @Cindy Jones,

Thank you for your question.

As Microsoft has announced that Microsoft Publisher will no longer be supported after October 2026, most common Publisher use cases can already be handled effectively using Microsoft Word and PowerPoint. This guidance is also outlined clearly in Microsoft’s official documentation: Microsoft Publisher will no longer be supported after October 2026 - Microsoft Support

According to Microsoft, Word and PowerPoint can be used to create many of the same types of content previously built in Publisher, such as flyers, brochures, banners, certificates, calendars, newsletters, and church bulletins. These apps are widely available in Microsoft 365 and familiar to most users, which helps make the transition easier.

 

In addition, you may find Microsoft Create to be especially helpful. Microsoft Create provides a large collection of customizable templates for newsletters, flyers, programs, posters, and other church‑related materials. These templates are designed for Word and PowerPoint, allowing you to start with a professionally formatted layout and then easily edit text, images, and colors to match your needs without requiring advanced design skills.

I hope this helps point you in the right direction. Please feel free to reach out if you’d like additional guidance.

Kind regards,

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Answer 3

For church bulletins and newsletters that are currently created in Microsoft Publisher, the recommended alternatives within Microsoft 365 are primarily Word and PowerPoint.

Practical options based on the official guidance:

1. Use Word for newsletters and bulletins
   • Newsletters are explicitly recommended to be created in Word.
   • Word also works well for:
     • Letterhead
     • Programs and folded paper projects (e.g., multi-page bulletins)
     • Business-style forms or inserts (if needed).
   • A wide range of customizable templates (including newsletters, church-style bulletins, and similar layouts) is available at Microsoft Create: Microsoft Create.
2. Use PowerPoint when layout and visuals matter more
   • For more visual, graphic-heavy church communications (announcement sheets, event highlights, posters that accompany bulletins), PowerPoint is recommended.
   • It is also a recommended app for:
     • Ads or flyers
     • Brochures
     • Banners, signs, and posters
     • Certificates and cards.
3. Template mapping from Publisher tasks
   For typical church use cases:
   • Weekly bulletin / multi-page newsletter → Word (Newsletter, Programs, Folded Paper Projects).
   • Event flyers, youth or ministry promos → Word or PowerPoint (Ads or Flyers, Brochures, Cards).
   • Special event posters or signage → PowerPoint (Banners, Signs, Posters).
4. Planning for Publisher retirement
   • Publisher will reach end of life in October 2026 and will no longer be included in Microsoft 365; Microsoft 365 subscribers will not be able to open or edit Publisher files after that date.
   • Before 10/1/2026, existing .pub bulletins and newsletters should be converted:
     • For view-only archives (past bulletins/newsletters): convert to PDF via File → Save As → PDF in Publisher.
     • For content that needs future editing:
       1. Convert the Publisher file to PDF.
       2. Open Word → File → Open → select the PDF → Word converts it to an editable Word document (note that layout may change, especially with many graphics).
   • For churches with many years of bulletins/newsletters in .pub format, bulk conversion to PDF can be automated with a PowerShell script as described in the guidance; this avoids opening each file manually.

These paths keep work inside the Microsoft 365 ecosystem and are the officially recommended replacements for Publisher scenarios like church bulletins and newsletters.

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References:

• Microsoft Publisher will no longer be supported after October 2026
• I have thousands of Publisher files; I'm not opening each one individually to convert them. What is this BS about retiring publisher and losing access to all those files? This is 20 years of work that my business is going to lose, we won't recover from th - Microsoft Q&A