PLEASE PROVIDE A STAND ALONE COPY OF PUBLISHER!

Question

PLEASE PROVIDE A STAND ALONE COPY OF PUBLISHER!

JY 10

Dear Microsoft,

If Publisher must be discontinued, I respectfully ask that you provide a stand‑alone version for those of us who still rely on it every day. I have thousands of Publisher files created over many years, and as a senior who volunteers for our local Food Bank and other non‑profit groups, Publisher remains an essential tool for my work.

I fully understand that a stand‑alone version would not receive updates or fixes. All I’m hoping for is the ability to continue opening my existing files and making small changes without losing access to decades of work.

Please, please consider offering a working copy so users like me aren’t stressed or left behind by this change. It would make an enormous difference.

Hoping for good news,
Janis

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3 answers

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Answer 1

Stefan Blom 348K MVP Volunteer Moderator

To make sure that Microsoft sees your feedback, you have to post it in the portal at https://feedbackportal.microsoft.com/feedback/ . Decision makers and developers at Microsoft do not follow Q&A. They will see what you post in the feedback portal, though.

That said, my guess is that it is unlikely that Publisher will remain available. It has been over two years since the discontinuation of the software was announced. If you want to think about a replacement, Affinity by Canva appears to have a good reputation (I haven't tested it much myself).

Note that if you have an older perpetual license which includes Publisher, such as Office Professional 2021, you can still continue using the app after October 2026.

JY 10 Reputation points

2026-08-04T19:53:41.9733333+00:00

Thanks Stefan. I posted on the Feedback site. The older perpetual licence is what I'm asking Microsoft to provide. Just a stand alone copy of 2021 of 2019 that I can run on my PC. I realize there are companies that sell Microsoft 2021 or 2019 but I would prefer getting it directly from Microsoft as there are so many scams out there. I have Affinity, but it's more than I need for many of the files that I've already created and just need small updates to continue using.
Stefan Blom 348K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator

2026-08-04T20:10:52+00:00

Thanks Stefan. I posted on the Feedback site. The older perpetual licence is what I'm asking Microsoft to provide. Just a stand alone copy of 2021 of 2019 that I can run on my PC. I realize there are companies that sell Microsoft 2021 or 2019 but I would prefer getting it directly from Microsoft as there are so many scams out there. I have Affinity, but it's more than I need for many of the files that I've already created and just need small updates to continue using.

File conversion is obviously the real challenge, if you have many Publisher files. In my limited testing, I have been able to confirm that Affinity can indeed edit PDF files, but it means that the Publisher files must be converted to PDF first, of course.

Earlier this year, Microsoft actually sold Office Professional 2021 on their web site, although this is an older version, but they stopped doing so a while back.

Answer 2

JY 10

Thank you to everyone who has viewed this thread. If you are also a long‑time Publisher user, or if you have older files you still rely on, please consider adding a comment or upvoting this request.

Many of us — volunteers, seniors, small organizations, and community groups — depend on Publisher to maintain decades of work. A simple stand‑alone version would help so many people continue supporting their communities without losing access to important files.

Your voice truly matters. Please join in if this affects you too.

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Answer 3

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