What happened to Microsoft Publisher
Microsoft retired Publisher in October 2026. It is no longer included in Microsoft 365, and the standalone versions no longer get updates or security fixes. Copies that are already installed may keep running for now, but nothing new will be built for them, and Microsoft does not convert your existing .pub files into any other format.
That leaves two jobs: choosing a replacement for making new documents, and making sure your old .pub files stay readable.
First, save your existing .pub files
None of the alternatives below open .pub files perfectly, and most cannot open them at all. Before you do anything else, convert your Publisher files to PDF. A PDF keeps the layout, opens on every device, and can be imported into most of the tools below as a starting point.
Free alternatives
- Microsoft Word and PowerPoint: Microsoft's own suggestion. Word has page layout tools, text boxes and templates for flyers, newsletters and certificates. PowerPoint works surprisingly well for posters and single-page designs. Both are included in Microsoft 365.
- Canva: browser-based design with thousands of templates for flyers, invitations, menus and social posts. The free plan covers most needs, and it can import a PDF so you can edit an old publication.
- Affinity: Affinity's desktop publishing tools are now free from Canva, for Windows and Mac. They are the closest to a professional page layout app, and can open PDFs for editing.
- Scribus: free, open-source desktop publishing for Windows, Mac and Linux. Powerful, with a steeper learning curve, and suited to print work.
- LibreOffice Draw: free, and the only common tool that can import many .pub files directly for editing. Layouts sometimes shift, but it is a good way to recover the content of a publication.
- Google Docs and Slides: free and fine for simple notices and one-page flyers, especially when several people edit together.
Paid alternatives
- Adobe InDesign: the industry standard for professional print and magazine layout, by subscription. More than most former Publisher users need.
- Canva Pro: adds brand kits, more templates and premium images to Canva, by subscription.
- QuarkXPress: long-standing professional layout software, sold as a licence.
Which one should you choose?
- Newsletters, notices and letters: Word. It is familiar, and you probably already have it.
- Flyers, posters, invitations and social posts: Canva, for its templates and ease of use.
- Brochures, booklets and anything going to a commercial printer: Affinity or Scribus.
- Editing an old .pub file rather than starting again: LibreOffice Draw, or import the PDF into Canva or Affinity.
Whichever you pick, keep a PDF of every old publication. It is the record of how the original looked, and it will open long after any particular app has changed. To reuse the wording, see Publisher to Word; for images of pages to drop into a new design, use PUB to PNG.