Can I still buy a stand alone version of Publisher from Microsoft in order to keep using my files.

Lotti 65

I am horrified that my subscription to Microsoft 365 is going up 40% and yet the programme I use more than any other is being discontinued in October next year.

Many of the other "benefits" of Microsoft 365 are of no benefit to me. I have no family to share it with, I don't use the cloud storage and I find Powerpoint good for presentations - but not for anything else.

Why is Publisher being discontinued when so many of us rely on it every day?

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Janet 15 Reputation points

2025-11-11T01:01:09.8666667+00:00

I too am dismayed and at a bit of a loss as to how I will be able to access and use my Publisher files after October 2026. Saving them to Pdf would be completely pointless, as they will then be unusable and uneditable. There doesn't seem to be any alternative being offered by Microsoft to replace Publisher. Neither Word nor PowerPoint have the features or the ease of use that Publisher has. Does Microsoft recommend any alternatives?
Mary Power 0 Reputation points

2026-01-12T00:01:50.3166667+00:00

where can i get a version - ANY version - of publisher that i can download and save as-is on my new windows 11 laptop??
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Answer recommended by moderator

WordWizzard 1,240

Affinity Publisher is free.

You can supposedly use it to import and edit your Publisher files, if you first convert them to PDF. See

https://www.affinity.studio/page-layout-software

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

For the few cases were the conversion is not acceptable, you can convert the Publisher files directly to Affinity using https://markzware.com/markzportal/converting-microsoft-publisher-to-affinity-publisher/

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sun up 5 Reputation points

2026-03-30T07:39:14.4966667+00:00

That markzware site is very expensive to use, and the result didn't look great to me. I just tested importing a PDF that had been created using Publisher into Affinity Publisher 2, and it's fine. It works in a similar way to MS Publisher, learning curve is not steep.

5 additional answers

Mary Power 0 Reputation points

2026-05-14T10:57:36.44+00:00

I have the same question too! Plus Microcosft started charging me a subscription for office 365 when i already HAD a fully paid-for version of Office 2019 - and threatened to cut off my access to my old emails claiming i did not have enough space on OneDrive... So i started paying the subscription - even though (like many others here) Microsoft has pulled the plug on my favourite MS app and won't listen to it's loyal customers who now have to search elsewhere for suitable alternative(s). Mary
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Stefan Blom 357.2K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator

2026-05-14T11:20:20.03+00:00

@Mary Power

If your version of Office 2019 included Publisher, you can still make use of that product. Install from your account at https://account.microsoft.com/services . You may have to activate by telephone; use the number from the article at https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/-telephone-activation-is-no-longer-supported-for-your-product-error-when-activating-office-9b016cd2-0811-4cb3-b896-5a6a13177713 (even if you don't encounter the error message mentioned in the article).