Microsoft Publisher has been around for decades. In its heyday, it was widely used to create newsletters, flyers, brochures, business cards and other marketing materials. Newer software has now largely taken its place, but some businesses still rely on it.
If that’s you, there’s an important deadline to be aware of.
Microsoft Publisher is being retired on 1 October 2026
From this date, Microsoft 365 subscribers will no longer be able to access Publisher, and Publisher files will no longer be openable or editable in the application.
For businesses with years of .pub files and templates, this could cause problems – so now is the time to start planning.
What do you need to do?
Start by searching your files for anything ending in .pub. Think about what those files are used for – newsletters, brochures, posters, forms, event materials and, importantly, any templates you regularly reuse.
Once you know what you have, you can decide which alternative software will best meet your needs.
Microsoft recommends converting important Publisher files to another format before it is retired. If you only need to retain a document for reference or printing, exporting it as a PDF may be all you need. For documents you’ll want to edit in the future, you’ll need to recreate them in another software application.
What can you use instead?
There isn’t a direct replacement for Publisher, so the best option depends on what you’re creating.
- Microsoft Word: For many straightforward documents, Word may be enough. Microsoft specifically recommends Word for things such as brochures, flyers, forms, business cards, calendars and letterheads. If your business already uses Microsoft 365, this could be the easiest transition.
- Microsoft PowerPoint: Don’t overlook PowerPoint. Although it’s designed for presentations, its flexible page layouts can make it surprisingly useful for posters, flyers, banners and other graphic-heavy documents.
- Canva: this is another popular option, particularly for businesses producing social media graphics, flyers, posters and marketing materials. Its drag-and-drop approach can make the transition relatively painless and you don’t need to be a professional graphic designer to use it.
- LibreOffice Draw: If you’re looking for a free alternative, LibreOffice Draw is worth investigating. It’s part of the open-source LibreOffice suite and can be used for basic page layouts, flyers and other visual documents. It works offline and doesn’t require a Microsoft 365 subscription. It isn’t a perfect one-for-one replacement for Publisher, particularly for more complex publishing projects, but for smaller businesses with relatively simple requirements it could be a useful option.
- Scribus: For more advanced desktop publishing, Scribus is another free, open-source option. It’s specifically designed for page layout and can be a good choice for newsletters, brochures and other print publications.
Don’t leave it until October
A little preparation now could save you a lot of frustration later.
1. Find your Publisher files
Search your computers, shared drives and cloud storage for .pub files.
2. Identify the important ones
You probably don’t need to migrate everything you’ve ever created. Focus on documents and templates you still use.
3. Convert what you need
Save files as PDFs for reference and recreate anything you’ll need to edit in the future.
4. Choose your replacement
Word, PowerPoint, Canva, LibreOffice Draw, Scribus or a professional publishing package could all be suitable.
5. Test it now
Don’t wait until Publisher disappears to discover your new software doesn’t do what you need.
Need help preparing?
For many businesses, Publisher’s retirement will be a relatively small change – but it’s worth dealing with before it becomes a problem.
We can help you review your existing software, files and Microsoft 365 setup and find a practical solution that works for your business – without recommending software you don’t actually need.
If you’re still using Microsoft Publisher, now is a good time to start planning the move.