How churches move from Publisher to Publish365
Open your existing .pub file
Upload your bulletin, newsletter, or flyer. The Rescue Report shows what converted cleanly — most Publisher files open with minimal cleanup needed.
Edit in the browser
Click any text to edit it. Swap photos. Change colors. No install, no IT ticket, no Publisher subscription. Works on the office Mac or any PC.
Download a PDF
Export a print-ready PDF for your printer, copier, or print shop. Or keep the project and edit it again next week.
Every document type Publisher users already make
Church bulletins
Weekly order-of-service bulletins, single-fold or flat. Multi-column layouts that match the Publisher format your congregation already knows. Edit the template once, swap copy each week.
Go to bulletin makerChurch newsletters
Monthly or quarterly newsletters with multi-column layouts, photo zones, and pastor's message sections. Upload an existing .pub newsletter and keep editing, or start from a template.
Browse newsletter templatesEvent flyers
Bible study, community outreach, worship night, picnic, and fundraiser event flyers. Pick a template, swap the text, download a PDF in minutes.
Browse church templatesFuneral & memorial programs
Dignified funeral programs, memorial cards, prayer cards, and bereavement thank-you cards. Purpose-built for pastoral care — every field is editable, photo zone included.
Browse memorial templatesCertificates & awards
Baptism certificates, volunteer appreciation, Sunday school, and youth award certificates. Formal bordered designs with signature lines and seal areas.
Browse certificate templatesRaffle & fundraiser tickets
Auto-sequentially numbered raffle tickets — 5 per page with perforated stubs. Church bazaar, silent auction, meat raffle, 50/50 drawings. Free numbered PDF download.
Make raffle ticketsPledge & appeal cards
Stewardship campaign pledge cards, annual fund appeal inserts, and capital campaign materials — compact designs that fit inside a bulletin.
Browse all templatesSchool newsletters & flyers
PTA newsletters, open-house flyers, classroom award certificates, field trip flyers, and fundraiser sheets. Publisher was the standard school tool — Publish365 replaces it.
Browse school templatesWhy churches relied on Publisher — and what happens next
Microsoft Publisher was the dominant desktop publishing tool for churches, schools, and nonprofits for over two decades — primarily because it was included in Microsoft Office/M365 Business plans, was simple enough for non-designers, and produced the exact documents these organizations need: multi-column bulletins, folded programs, formatted newsletters, and bordered certificates.
As of June 2026, Publisher is being discontinued. Support ends October 1, 2026. All Microsoft 365 subscriptions — including Business Standard and Premium, the plans that included Publisher — permanently lose access on October 13, 2026. No replacement has been announced by Microsoft. No other tool has cleanly positioned itself as the Publisher replacement for this audience.
Publish365 is purpose-built for this transition. It runs in any browser (Mac, Windows, iPad, Chromebook), opens existing .pub files directly, and includes templates for every document type churches and nonprofits already make in Publisher. The United Methodist Church, Methodist Church UK, ChurchArt, and Carleton College have all published official guidance for their communities about this transition.
Simple enough for a volunteer. Powerful enough for your program.
Canva is social-media-first. Affinity Publisher is professional-design-first. Publish365 is built around the same documents Publisher users already make — bulletins, newsletters, flyers, programs, certificates — with no learning curve for anyone who has used Publisher.
Upload your existing .pub files. Keep editing. Keep printing. When Publisher is gone after October 13, 2026, nothing changes in your workflow — except you no longer need a Publisher license or a Windows PC.
Questions from churches & nonprofits
Is Publish365 a free Publisher replacement for churches?
Yes — free to start. Upload your existing .pub files and open them in your browser at no cost for your first file. Paid plans give you ongoing access to all 200+ templates and unlimited file rescues. No Publisher license, no Windows PC, no IT department required.
Can I open my existing church bulletin .pub files?
Yes. Upload your .pub bulletin to Publish365 and it opens in your browser. The Rescue Report shows exactly what converted cleanly and what needs a small fix. Most Publisher bulletins open with minimal adjustments needed.
What is happening to Microsoft Publisher?
Microsoft Publisher is being discontinued. Support ends October 1, 2026. All Microsoft 365 subscriptions — including Business Standard and Premium — permanently lose Publisher on October 13, 2026. No Publisher replacement is included in M365. Publish365 is purpose-built as the browser-based replacement for the exact documents churches and nonprofits use Publisher for.
Does Publish365 have church bulletin templates?
Yes — the church bulletin maker has multiple multi-column bulletin designs matching the Publisher format. You can edit the template directly in your browser, swap the weekly content, and download a print-ready PDF. No design skills or software install required.
Can our volunteers use Publish365 without training?
Yes. Publish365 is designed for the volunteer who learned Publisher 15 years ago — click to edit text, click to swap a photo, download a PDF. There is nothing new to learn. If they could use Publisher, they can use Publish365.
Does it work on a Mac?
Yes. Publish365 works in any browser — Mac, Windows, iPad, Chromebook. Publisher never ran on Mac natively, so this is actually an improvement for churches with mixed-device volunteers.
Can we create funeral programs for pastoral care?
Yes. Publish365 has dedicated funeral program templates, memorial cards, prayer cards, and bereavement thank-you cards — designed for churches and funeral homes that use Publisher for pastoral care documents. Add a photo, name, dates, and order of service, then download for printing.
How is Publish365 different from Canva or Microsoft Designer?
Canva and Designer are social-media-first tools. Publish365 is a print-document tool — the same document types Publisher covered: multi-page bulletins, newsletters, programs, and certificates. It also opens your existing .pub files directly. Canva and Designer cannot open .pub files.
Related
Publish Media Software is independent and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Microsoft Corporation. Microsoft Publisher and Microsoft are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.