Publisher functionality

Question

Please provide a way forward that lets Publisher continue to work on my PC. I have a church newsletter deadline to meet. There is nothing else that works like Publisher. Certainly, not Word or PowerPoint, and I have no knowledge of Designer, whatever that is. Yes, I'm a mature age user. I've been paying for and using Publisher for many years. I need it to work TODAY. please point me to the checkout that you wish me to use to restore its usability.

Answer 1

Hi @Alan Thierry

I'm sorry this landed right on your newsletter deadline. The hard part first: Microsoft retired Publisher in October 2026, and Microsoft 365 customers can no longer use it from that date. There's no checkout or add-on that brings it back, so paying more won't restore it.

What will get this newsletter out today:

1. Open Word and go to File > New. Search for newsletter. Word has ready-made newsletter templates with columns, pictures and headings, and they work much like a Publisher page.
2. Copy your text and pictures from your last newsletter into the template.
3. Save the finished newsletter as a PDF with File > Save As > PDF, so it prints and emails exactly as it looks.
4. If you'd like more designed layouts, Microsoft Create (create.microsoft.com) has free templates for newsletters, flyers and programs that open in Word.

If you have someone with an older computer that still runs Publisher, ask them to save your past .pub files as PDF now, so you keep a copy of each issue.

Would it help if I walked you through setting up the newsletter template in Word step by step?

If this got your newsletter out, please consider accepting it as the answer. If something in Word doesn't behave the way Publisher did, let me know and I'll be happy to keep helping.

Reference:

• https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/microsoft-publisher-will-no-longer-be-supported-after-october-2026-ee6302a2-4bc7-4841-babf-8e9be3acbfd7