What can I replace Microsoft Publisher with before Oct. 2026?

Question

What can I replace Microsoft Publisher with before Oct. 2026?

DianeHoitenga-4806 195

My husband and I have thousands of Publisher documents and I cannot find an adequate replacement. What other software can you recommend? I tried transferring into Word but the format is completely changed, so I need something outside of Microsoft Office.

Locked Question. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

Zoevi-V 4,015 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-11-15T07:02:08.64+00:00

Hi DianeHoitenga-4806,

I haven't received any updates since your message. Has everything been resolved yet?
Knneth Todd 135 Reputation points

2025-12-07T21:27:42.16+00:00

I really think that it is lousy that Microsoft is doing this. More time is needed to move, transfer or convert literally decades of files. Its ridiculous. I don't understand why some of my publisher files work and others do not. It is not OCTOBER 2026 yet? SO frustrating....
Marion Greaves 75 Reputation points

2026-02-18T11:18:32.7666667+00:00

If you no longer want Publisher why can't you sell it onto another company so we can still use it
Daryl Stedman 80 Reputation points

2026-02-18T13:52:03.9733333+00:00

Please sell software! Only reason I use 365 is use of Publisher. You canceled Money on me years ago, now Publisher! I can not count on Microsoft for my needs. Maybe it is time to find new operating system I can count on.
Muriel Foster 30 Reputation points

2026-02-24T15:06:20.9466667+00:00

The reason they are doing this is because publisher is not a cloud-based application and doesn't fit their preferred model to make money going forward. They dont want you to store your docs locally anymore period. They will advertise the benefits of "collaboration" and other things that no one asked for to push their objectives onto us all. It's the same gripes I've had with Microsoft for awhile now. Users report issues that go unresolved and its only gotten worse. This announcement is just the latest in a long line of headaches they've dished out. If the best predictor of future behavior is past behavior, look forward to more inconveniences to come.
Anonymous

2026-03-07T23:14:03.58+00:00

Please allow existing subscribers to use Publisher for another year. That is the only program I use in Microsoft. I will have to cancel my yearly subscription if I am not allowed to use Publisher. Sorry for your decision. We have been using it for more than 12 years. Sadly, we will lose more than 20,000 products, templates, and photos. We are angry, sad, and helpless at not being able to run our business anymore. We can't produce the products in PDF or Word; those programs are incompatible with the production. We hope you reconsider extending the use of Publisher for another year.
Elizabeth Benn 110 Reputation points

2026-04-02T21:26:45.8566667+00:00

I'm in the same situation. PLEASE at least sell the software so I can keep the 1000's of file I have in Publisher. Publisher works just fine. None of the "alternatives" do what it does.
Randall Hamer 30 Reputation points

2026-04-07T20:23:57.7166667+00:00

Like Dianne, I have thousands of Publisher documents and it is ridiculous for Microsoft to put the burden on the customer to "convert" our files. There is nothing to convert them to. I chose to use Microsoft solely for the use of Publisher. It is the first program of its kind I ever used and when I tried others they did not give me the control I wanted or were too complicated for the level of use I needed. I am a speaker, and everything i use my Publisher notes I tweak tweak them.

Your customers have paid monthly charges because you would not sell the program anymore. I believe you have a legal responsibility, and even greater, a moral responsibility to allow your custo.ers a full download if your Publisher program.

Thinking about it, seems like the Coca-Cola marketing scheme. You are going to tell us we can't have it so that you can sell us on a new product next year. That's just wrong.
Randy Mueller 10 Reputation points

2026-04-07T21:00:50.12+00:00

So, your telling us to drop our MS sub and move on??
David P 25 Reputation points

2026-04-07T22:36:47.9333333+00:00

Perhaps the only way to get some action on this is if someone has good contacts with the press to make public, beyond the Publisher user community, how Microsoft disregards the position it has placed thousands of customers in.
Dave-o 25 Reputation points

2026-04-20T13:01:38.2966667+00:00

I am.

When a product provider no longer meets my needs, they are no longer of any use to me and at that point, undeserving of my dollars.
Dave-o 25 Reputation points

2026-04-20T13:06:34.5366667+00:00

They dont want you to store your docs locally anymore period.

If you store them locally, they can't mine them for data and advertising opportunities. They also can't sell your data to others wishing to do the same thing (see: FB, TikTok, etc).

Personally, I don't trust Microsoft to do the ethical thing, let alone the right thing and serve the needs of their customers that have already paid for a product.
David P 25 Reputation points

2026-04-20T13:15:14.9166667+00:00

Unfortunately, it all falls on deaf ears, this is their MO, develop a great piece of software, then when it gets boring pull the plug regardless of the impact on the customer base e.g SyncToy, MS Money to name two. It could have followed the same development route as the rest of Office, so it seems this has been on the cards for a long time. I suspect MS Access is the next app to follow this route. Maybe, that perfectly good Windows 10 machine they forced you to replace could be kept off-line with Publisher loaded so that it can't be auto deleted come October?
Elizabeth Benn 110 Reputation points

2026-04-24T15:32:43.36+00:00

DianeHoitenga-4806 I wish I did have a good option. People have suggested Affinity, Libre, Powerpoint, etc. I did have someone back up all my publisher files to .pdf, but that's all. I'm going to be 79 years old in a few months, and I'm thinking of just retiring from all my volunteer activities!
DianeHoitenga-4806 195 Reputation points

2026-04-25T02:46:25.4733333+00:00

Elizabeth Benn: You have a ways to go to catch up with me, I'm 83, as is my husband. We both have over a thousand documents on our computers, many of which are from ministries, and organizations, plus many of mine are family oriented, ie: picture collages, family trees, obits, recipes, etc. which were to go to the kids someday. The only suggestion that looked promising is Affinity and it's not available in my region for some unknown reason, not even through Microsoft Store... I've tried so many and none compare to Publisher. I do have an idea I may try, after I do another backup. If it works, I'll definitely be letting others know...
DianeHoitenga-4806 195 Reputation points

2026-04-25T02:51:45.3633333+00:00

Great idea David P, I'll have to dust off my "old" desktop and fire it up and see if it still works. Not quite what I planned to do, but will find out. I have something else I was thinking of trying, but will try this idea first.

Answer recommended by moderator

WordWizzard 1,240

If you have a desktop non-365 version of Publisher that has a perpetual license (e.g., Microsoft Office Professional 2021), it won't be deleted from you computer. You can continue to use it after Oct 2026, but it won't be getting any more updates.

If you have the 365 version of Publisher that is a subscription, then you'll no longer be able to use it to open or edit Publisher files after support ends in Oct 2026. You will need to use another application. I do not recommend using PowerPoint or Word since those applications lack the features found in Publisher. Here are some better options:

Purchase Microsoft Office Professional 2021 which has Publisher with a perpetual license. See https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/d/office-professional-2021/cfq7ttc0hhj9/0003?activetab=pivot:overviewtab However, you typically cannot have both Office 365 and Office 2021 installed on the same computer. You'll have to choose which one to use, or install them on separate computers.
Download and install LibreOffice. See https://www.libreoffice.org/. LibreOffice installs on your computer, and it is a free complete office suite of applications (Writer, Calc, Impress, Draw, Base, and Math). Draw will open Publisher files and allow you to edit them.
Download and install Affinity Page Layout. See https://www.affinity.studio/page-layout-software. Affinity Page Layout is also free (without AI) and installs on your computer. But it currently does not open Publisher files directly. You first need to convert the Publisher file to PDF. (There are several online file converters that will do the conversion for you for free.) Then use Affinity Page Layout to open the PDF as described here: https://www.affinity.studio/help/get-started-import-pdf/.

Which of these three options to use depends on your needs. If you want to continue using Publisher, then Microsoft Office Professional 2021 is your best choice. You avoid a learning curve, but you may need a 2nd computer.

If you are looking for a free option, and only create simple, single-page items (flyers, signs, basic forms), or have a massive archive of old Publisher files that all need to be frequently opened/edited, then choose LibreOffice Draw. However, it lacks precision alignment and advanced commercial print controls like bleed setup and robust CMYK color profiles required by professional printing presses.

On the other hand, if you routinely design complex, multi-page layouts (newsletters, booklets, catalogs) and need a highly professional tool that functions similarly to Adobe InDesign, then choose Affinity Page Layout.

There are a number of YouTube videos that describe the features and how to use LibreOffice Draw and Affinity Page Layout. Many features work very similar to Publisher.

Steve Galloway 25 Reputation points

2026-05-18T07:39:56.88+00:00

The problem is, as you say, that you can't run a 365 office suite and a hard disk version on the same computer. Microsoft should address that anomaly before they discontinue the 365 cloud-based Publisher option. They should either sell Publisher as a hard disk stand-alone programme or sell it to a third-party provider.
Sandra Barron 10 Reputation points

2026-05-18T16:28:34.75+00:00

A question: if you have a hard disk based publisher currently, will they discontinuation in October affect you? I have always had a purchased hard drive based publisher. Never had 365.
DianeHoitenga-4806 195 Reputation points

2026-05-19T01:16:05.2133333+00:00

WordWizzard: I've heard negatives about using the MS Professional Plus 2019. Why are you saying if I do use it that I may need a 2nd computer?? As a backup computer?
DianeHoitenga-4806 195 Reputation points

2026-05-19T01:36:10.1666667+00:00

Oh WOW!!! I just checked the MS Professional Plus 2019... It's only $439.99 for 1 person... That's not what I paid, by a long shot.

I have LibreOffice but opening my publisher documents, with pictures and text boxes, come out distorted.

I will try Affinity Page Layout. I've heard of Affinity, but not Affinity Page Layout.
WordWizzard 1,240 Reputation points

2026-05-20T06:13:30.1033333+00:00

Sandra Barron,

if you have a hard disk based publisher currently, will they discontinuation in October affect you? Never had 365.

If you have not been paying for a monthly/yearly subscription, then it sounds like you have a perpetual license, so you can continue using it after Oct 2026.
DianeHoitenga-4806 195 Reputation points

2026-05-21T01:59:03.5566667+00:00

WordWizzard:

What is the difference between MS Office Professional and MS Office Professional Plus?
WordWizzard 1,240 Reputation points

2026-05-21T08:22:48.2966667+00:00

DianeHoitenga-4806,

The main difference is the license. Office Professional 2021 is a perpetual license for individuals and you are given a product key. Once installed, the product is in your Microsoft account, and you can download and reinstall it again at a later time, if you need to.

Office Professional Plus is for volume licensing for organizations, and its installation is quite different. There is no product key, and once installed it does not appear in your Microsoft account. You can't reinstall it, if you need to. It's not a subscription, but it may not necessarily be a perpetual license.

In my earlier post I provided a link to Microsoft Office Profession 2021, but I mistakenly said it was Microsoft Office Profession Plus 2021. I corrected that.

5 additional answers

Zoevi-V 4,015 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-11-15T07:02:08.64+00:00

Hi DianeHoitenga-4806,

I haven't received any updates since your message. Has everything been resolved yet?
Knneth Todd 135 Reputation points

2025-12-07T21:27:42.16+00:00

I really think that it is lousy that Microsoft is doing this. More time is needed to move, transfer or convert literally decades of files. Its ridiculous. I don't understand why some of my publisher files work and others do not. It is not OCTOBER 2026 yet? SO frustrating....
Marion Greaves 75 Reputation points

2026-02-18T11:18:32.7666667+00:00

If you no longer want Publisher why can't you sell it onto another company so we can still use it
Daryl Stedman 80 Reputation points

2026-02-18T13:52:03.9733333+00:00

Please sell software! Only reason I use 365 is use of Publisher. You canceled Money on me years ago, now Publisher! I can not count on Microsoft for my needs. Maybe it is time to find new operating system I can count on.
Muriel Foster 30 Reputation points

2026-02-24T15:06:20.9466667+00:00

The reason they are doing this is because publisher is not a cloud-based application and doesn't fit their preferred model to make money going forward. They dont want you to store your docs locally anymore period. They will advertise the benefits of "collaboration" and other things that no one asked for to push their objectives onto us all. It's the same gripes I've had with Microsoft for awhile now. Users report issues that go unresolved and its only gotten worse. This announcement is just the latest in a long line of headaches they've dished out. If the best predictor of future behavior is past behavior, look forward to more inconveniences to come.
Anonymous

2026-03-07T23:14:03.58+00:00

Please allow existing subscribers to use Publisher for another year. That is the only program I use in Microsoft. I will have to cancel my yearly subscription if I am not allowed to use Publisher. Sorry for your decision. We have been using it for more than 12 years. Sadly, we will lose more than 20,000 products, templates, and photos. We are angry, sad, and helpless at not being able to run our business anymore. We can't produce the products in PDF or Word; those programs are incompatible with the production. We hope you reconsider extending the use of Publisher for another year.
Elizabeth Benn 110 Reputation points

2026-04-02T21:26:45.8566667+00:00

I'm in the same situation. PLEASE at least sell the software so I can keep the 1000's of file I have in Publisher. Publisher works just fine. None of the "alternatives" do what it does.
Randall Hamer 30 Reputation points

2026-04-07T20:23:57.7166667+00:00

Like Dianne, I have thousands of Publisher documents and it is ridiculous for Microsoft to put the burden on the customer to "convert" our files. There is nothing to convert them to. I chose to use Microsoft solely for the use of Publisher. It is the first program of its kind I ever used and when I tried others they did not give me the control I wanted or were too complicated for the level of use I needed. I am a speaker, and everything i use my Publisher notes I tweak tweak them.

Your customers have paid monthly charges because you would not sell the program anymore. I believe you have a legal responsibility, and even greater, a moral responsibility to allow your custo.ers a full download if your Publisher program.

Thinking about it, seems like the Coca-Cola marketing scheme. You are going to tell us we can't have it so that you can sell us on a new product next year. That's just wrong.
Randy Mueller 10 Reputation points

2026-04-07T21:00:50.12+00:00

So, your telling us to drop our MS sub and move on??
David P 25 Reputation points

2026-04-07T22:36:47.9333333+00:00

Perhaps the only way to get some action on this is if someone has good contacts with the press to make public, beyond the Publisher user community, how Microsoft disregards the position it has placed thousands of customers in.
Dave-o 25 Reputation points

2026-04-20T13:01:38.2966667+00:00

I am.

When a product provider no longer meets my needs, they are no longer of any use to me and at that point, undeserving of my dollars.
Dave-o 25 Reputation points

2026-04-20T13:06:34.5366667+00:00

They dont want you to store your docs locally anymore period.

If you store them locally, they can't mine them for data and advertising opportunities. They also can't sell your data to others wishing to do the same thing (see: FB, TikTok, etc).

Personally, I don't trust Microsoft to do the ethical thing, let alone the right thing and serve the needs of their customers that have already paid for a product.
David P 25 Reputation points

2026-04-20T13:15:14.9166667+00:00

Unfortunately, it all falls on deaf ears, this is their MO, develop a great piece of software, then when it gets boring pull the plug regardless of the impact on the customer base e.g SyncToy, MS Money to name two. It could have followed the same development route as the rest of Office, so it seems this has been on the cards for a long time. I suspect MS Access is the next app to follow this route. Maybe, that perfectly good Windows 10 machine they forced you to replace could be kept off-line with Publisher loaded so that it can't be auto deleted come October?
Elizabeth Benn 110 Reputation points

2026-04-24T15:32:43.36+00:00

DianeHoitenga-4806 I wish I did have a good option. People have suggested Affinity, Libre, Powerpoint, etc. I did have someone back up all my publisher files to .pdf, but that's all. I'm going to be 79 years old in a few months, and I'm thinking of just retiring from all my volunteer activities!
DianeHoitenga-4806 195 Reputation points

2026-04-25T02:46:25.4733333+00:00

Elizabeth Benn: You have a ways to go to catch up with me, I'm 83, as is my husband. We both have over a thousand documents on our computers, many of which are from ministries, and organizations, plus many of mine are family oriented, ie: picture collages, family trees, obits, recipes, etc. which were to go to the kids someday. The only suggestion that looked promising is Affinity and it's not available in my region for some unknown reason, not even through Microsoft Store... I've tried so many and none compare to Publisher. I do have an idea I may try, after I do another backup. If it works, I'll definitely be letting others know...
DianeHoitenga-4806 195 Reputation points

2026-04-25T02:51:45.3633333+00:00

Great idea David P, I'll have to dust off my "old" desktop and fire it up and see if it still works. Not quite what I planned to do, but will find out. I have something else I was thinking of trying, but will try this idea first.
Steve Galloway 25 Reputation points

2026-05-18T07:39:56.88+00:00

The problem is, as you say, that you can't run a 365 office suite and a hard disk version on the same computer. Microsoft should address that anomaly before they discontinue the 365 cloud-based Publisher option. They should either sell Publisher as a hard disk stand-alone programme or sell it to a third-party provider.
Sandra Barron 10 Reputation points

2026-05-18T16:28:34.75+00:00

A question: if you have a hard disk based publisher currently, will they discontinuation in October affect you? I have always had a purchased hard drive based publisher. Never had 365.
DianeHoitenga-4806 195 Reputation points

2026-05-19T01:16:05.2133333+00:00

WordWizzard: I've heard negatives about using the MS Professional Plus 2019. Why are you saying if I do use it that I may need a 2nd computer?? As a backup computer?
DianeHoitenga-4806 195 Reputation points

2026-05-19T01:36:10.1666667+00:00

Oh WOW!!! I just checked the MS Professional Plus 2019... It's only $439.99 for 1 person... That's not what I paid, by a long shot.

I have LibreOffice but opening my publisher documents, with pictures and text boxes, come out distorted.

I will try Affinity Page Layout. I've heard of Affinity, but not Affinity Page Layout.
WordWizzard 1,240 Reputation points

2026-05-20T06:13:30.1033333+00:00

Sandra Barron,

if you have a hard disk based publisher currently, will they discontinuation in October affect you? Never had 365.

If you have not been paying for a monthly/yearly subscription, then it sounds like you have a perpetual license, so you can continue using it after Oct 2026.
DianeHoitenga-4806 195 Reputation points

2026-05-21T01:59:03.5566667+00:00

WordWizzard:

What is the difference between MS Office Professional and MS Office Professional Plus?
WordWizzard 1,240 Reputation points

2026-05-21T08:22:48.2966667+00:00

DianeHoitenga-4806,

The main difference is the license. Office Professional 2021 is a perpetual license for individuals and you are given a product key. Once installed, the product is in your Microsoft account, and you can download and reinstall it again at a later time, if you need to.

Office Professional Plus is for volume licensing for organizations, and its installation is quite different. There is no product key, and once installed it does not appear in your Microsoft account. You can't reinstall it, if you need to. It's not a subscription, but it may not necessarily be a perpetual license.

In my earlier post I provided a link to Microsoft Office Profession 2021, but I mistakenly said it was Microsoft Office Profession Plus 2021. I corrected that.

Answer 1

WordWizzard 1,240

DianeHoitenga-4806,

You can't install two different version of Office on the same computer. If you want both 365 and non-365 versions, then you need a separate computer for each.

The link I provided was to MS Professional 2021, not 2019. It includes Publisher plus the entire Office suite.

0 comments

Answer 2

Bill Witthans 10

I do not believe that if you have a stand alone version of MS Publisher it will be automatically deleted, its only if you have MS 365 subscription that it will be deleted during the update process. I have two Stand alone Office suites and will use these to be able to continue to use my MS Publisher files. I'm canceling my MS Office subscription as I to am tired of them "retiring" products that we have paid for, invested hundreds if not thousands of hours building documents and materials only to have them just drop programs with out any respect to their customers!!! MS is a bloated, uncaring, corporation nowadays.... it wasn't always like that. It like changing the mouse click for spellcheck so touch screen users had it easier while ignoring most of the rest of the world didn't like it!

DianeHoitenga-4806 195 Reputation points

2026-05-19T01:04:33.1733333+00:00

I agree with you Bill. Not only thousands of hours building documents, but all the money they received over the years, only to drop out from under everybody that has used it for years. I do have an MS Office Professional Plus 2019 that a friend got for me, but, I've heard some negatives regarding using it, like it being for businesses and can be deleted at any time. And so many warnings about buying MS online I haven't attempted that, other than the one my friend got, so not sure I should use it. Has anyone tried Affinity?
Bill Witthans 10 Reputation points

2026-05-19T15:59:05.2233333+00:00

While I'm not a "expert" in these matters I do know some stuff. If you bought a "Stand alone MS program it has a perpetual license and can be used by you for your lifetime" Just because it says "Business" only means it has more functions than say a "home" or "educational" version, not that you have to use it for business or else...lol! Now the educational version is different since you are required to prove it is going to be used by a student or educational entity at time of purchase (I'd stay away from these). You also must be careful to not do "updates" that might affect it although it wont wipe your files and you should be able to reinstall the Publisher program. I used to use stand alone versions, went to MS365 subscription but now will be dropping

MS365 and I will be installing a stand alone version soon and will post updates on how it goes!
DianeHoitenga-4806 195 Reputation points

2026-05-20T04:34:45.34+00:00

Thanks Bill for your input, I am getting more confident now. AWESOME picture BTW...

It box does not say business, I was told it was for business, it is Office Professional Plus, so maybe they figured it was for business, because it says office...?

Answer 3

Jesus Rodriguez Jr 100

Maybe using an Adobe Pro trial and exporting PDF copy of your Publisher files to Powerpoint as I have been doing this and Powerpoint seems to preserve most of the formatting and has been easiest to manage my converted Publisher documents with.

0 comments

Answer 4

Erik Juul Madsen 15

Hi Diane Hoitenga

It is frustrating, so what is next.... Microsoft should at least allow users to purchase the Publisher program, as we used to do in the old days, where we had to purchase the programs everytime a new updated version was released.. Most people can live with lack of future updates. Please consider that option.

DianeHoitenga-4806 195 Reputation points

2026-03-26T14:38:20.5733333+00:00

Thank you Erik, for your suggestion..

.It is very frustrating to say the least and "YES" they should and most likely could let those of us that use it constantly, to purchase just the Publisher program. I DO NOT need all their fancy dancy layouts, forms, etc.. I make my own for my purpose and use... At 83 I may not have enough time to convert them all to PDF one at a time so my family can access them. My husband has over a thousand on his computer as well... Their suggestion of Power Point, Word, etc. do not work for us.

Come on Microsoft, think about what your doing to so many of your customers... This isn't a bit funny... I'll wager you lose more customers than you'll gain by doing this...
Lilianne Fuller 0 Reputation points

2026-05-17T22:33:14.2533333+00:00

I write a newsletter for a group of seniors. There is no way that I can change all of this over to another format. I feel Microsoft is robbing me of my creativity. All the other programs design using AI and I don't want to!!