What replaces Microsoft Publisher depends on new work or old files
What replaces Microsoft Publisher depends on the job. For new flyers, calendars, labels and programs, Microsoft points to Word and PowerPoint. For the .pub files you already have, none of Microsoft’s apps open them; Publish Media Software (PublishMedia) does, in a web browser on any computer, with Publisher-exact layout, and keeps them editable on a paid plan.
Windows, Mac, Chromebook, Linux or iPad: a web browser is all it takes.
Free: open and view your .pub files. Paid plans: editing, templates and PDF export.
- Old .pub files✓ Ready
- New flyersTemplates
- Print-ready PDFPaid plans
What has to take over from Publisher in a small office
Open the old .pub files
Files from Publisher 2007 onward open, laid out as before.
Keep them editable
Change words, photos and pages instead of retyping everything (paid).
Make a new flyer
Print-ready templates for flyers, programs, bulletins and tickets.
Place things anywhere
Text boxes, pictures, shapes and tables go wherever you want.
Print or send a PDF
Export a clean, print-ready PDF on a paid plan.
Work on a Mac
Publisher never ran on a Mac; a web browser does.
Dig deeper into life after Publisher
Three pages for the questions that usually come next.
The longer comparison
Our main guide to Microsoft Publisher replacement options for offices, schools and churches.
Read the guideIs Publisher really gone?
What Microsoft retired, on which dates, and who can still use it.
Get the datesRunning a church office?
Bulletins, programs and newsletters once Publisher is no longer there.
See church optionsWhat should I use instead of Microsoft Publisher?
Use Word or PowerPoint instead of Microsoft Publisher for new documents, as Microsoft suggests, and Publish Media Software (PublishMedia) for the .pub files you already have. None of Microsoft’s apps opens a .pub file; PublishMedia opens files from every Publisher version since 2007, including Microsoft 365, in a browser and, on a paid plan, keeps them editable.
Three ways to carry on without Publisher
Create an account at publishmediasoftware.com first; there’s no charge and no card to enter.
Carry on with an old .pub
Open last year’s newsletter or sign-up sheet and pick up where Publisher left it.
Any .pub up to 250 MB
Open an old .pubStart from a print-ready design
Choose a flyer, program, bulletin or raffle ticket that’s already laid out, then add your details on a paid plan.
Pick a designDesign on a clean page
Place text boxes, pictures, shapes and tables freely, the way Publisher let you.
Open a clean pageHow PublishMedia picks up where Publisher left off
The page editor works the way Publisher users expect: boxes on a page, placed exactly where you put them.
Your .pub files, as they were
Text, pictures and shapes arrive with Publisher-exact fonts and positions, so the design doesn’t have to be rebuilt from scratch.
Boxes you move and resize
Drag text boxes, pictures and shapes into place; change font, size, color and highlight; add a table where a list needs one.
Pages and page size
Add, delete and reorder pages, switch the page size, and look everything over in Print Preview.
Projects you can reopen
On a paid plan, save your work as a project to pick up next month, and export a print-ready PDF whenever it’s needed.
Starting this year’s flyer from scratch?
Templates cover the jobs Publisher users made most often.
Ready-to-print templates
Flyers, programs, bulletins and raffle tickets, laid out and waiting for your text on a paid plan.
Find a design
How to move from Publisher to PublishMedia in four steps
A step-by-step switch for an office, school or church that relied on Publisher.
Gather the .pub files you use
Copy the Publisher files you still update into one folder, from your PC, OneDrive or an old USB stick.
Open one in PublishMedia
Sign up at publishmediasoftware.com and open the file, then glance at the Import Report for any font that was swapped.
Update it and save a project
On a paid plan, change the text and pictures, then save it as a project so next time starts from there.
Export for print or email
Export a print-ready PDF for the printer, or page images for an email or the website.
6 replacements for Microsoft Publisher in 2026, matched to the job
PublishMedia comes first because it is the one that keeps your existing .pub files editable. The other five are good at new work, and each card says where it falls short.
As of October 2026, Microsoft Publisher has no single successor. Publisher dropped out of Microsoft 365 on or shortly after October 1, 2026, the perpetual Publisher 2021 lost support on October 13, and Microsoft pointed users to Word and PowerPoint for branded templates, envelopes, labels, calendars, business cards and programs. Neither opens .pub files, and neither do Microsoft Designer, Canva, Adobe Express or Affinity Publisher, which became free in October 2025. Publish Media Software (PublishMedia) opens existing .pub files in a browser with Publisher-exact layout and keeps them editable on paid plans; Scribus imports them at no cost through libmspub, though text and pictures can shift.
1. Publish Media Software (PublishMedia) — for the .pub files you have, and new ones
Opens .pub files with Publisher-exact layout in any modern browser, Mac and Chromebook included, and adds print-ready templates. Opening a .pub costs nothing; All-Access is $99 a year, Monthly $9.99. Limit: no mail merge, no saving as .pub.
2. Microsoft Word — Microsoft’s pick for labels, envelopes and programs
Microsoft says many Publisher jobs, from branded templates and business cards to calendars, envelopes and labels, can be done in Word, which also has mail merge. Limit: Word cannot open a .pub file, so old designs have to be rebuilt.
3. Microsoft PowerPoint — Microsoft’s other suggestion, for one-page designs
Each slide can be set to a paper size and filled with freely placed text boxes and pictures, which suits posters, flyers and certificates. Limit: PowerPoint doesn’t open .pub files either, and long multi-page booklets are awkward.
4. Canva — quick, modern designs in a browser
A large template library for flyers, posters and social posts, in a browser or app, with a no-cost plan. Limit: Canva can’t open .pub files, so it suits starting fresh, not reworking last year’s Publisher newsletter.
5. Affinity Publisher — professional layout, now at no cost
Desktop page-layout software for Windows and Mac that Canva made free in October 2025, with strong tools for print typography. Limit: it has no .pub import, and as a professional tool it has more to learn than Publisher.
6. Scribus — open-source desktop publishing
Costs nothing on Windows, Mac and Linux, and imports .pub files through the libmspub library, saving them as Scribus documents. Limit: imported text and pictures can shift, and its menus and tools work quite differently from Publisher’s.
What replacing Publisher with PublishMedia costs
Your .pub files can be opened and viewed on the Free plan at no charge, each kept 7 days with an email reminder before removal. Editing, templates and export come with a paid plan: All-Access is $99 a year and Recommended; Monthly is $9.99 and can be canceled anytime. Both include saved projects and unlimited storage, so a year of bulletins lives in one place.
Free Starter
$0
Open and view unlimited Publisher, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, PDF, and picture files free — stored for 7 days, then deleted automatically. Editing and export are on the paid plans.
Start freeAll-Access
$99/yr
Everything unlocked — full editing, every template in the library, and unlimited storage.
Monthly
$9.99/mo
All the same features, billed monthly — cancel anytime.
Replacing Microsoft Publisher: questions people ask
Which app does Microsoft suggest instead of Publisher?+
Microsoft suggests Word and PowerPoint instead of Publisher, saying many Publisher jobs, including branded templates, envelopes and labels, calendars, business cards and programs, can be done there. Microsoft also advised converting .pub files to PDF or Word. Neither Word nor PowerPoint opens a .pub file, so for existing files you need a separate tool such as Publish Media Software.
Can Word open my old Publisher files?+
No, Microsoft Word cannot open .pub files, and neither can PowerPoint or Microsoft Designer. To reuse an old Publisher design, open it in Publish Media Software (PublishMedia), which shows it with Publisher-exact layout in a browser; to move only the words into Word, copy the text from there. LibreOffice Draw and Scribus can also open .pub files, with some shifting.
Is Affinity Publisher a good replacement now that it costs nothing?+
Affinity Publisher is a capable replacement for new print designs, and it has cost nothing since October 2025, when it became free under Canva. It does not import .pub files, though, so your existing Publisher work can’t move into it. A sensible split is a .pub-capable tool such as Publish Media Software for old files and Affinity or Canva for new ones.
Can I keep using Publisher 2019 or 2021 after it was retired?+
Yes, if you own a perpetual copy of Publisher 2016, 2019 or 2021, you can still install and use it; it simply gets no more updates or security fixes. Support for the 2021 version ended October 13, 2026. Microsoft 365 subscribers are in a different spot: they lost Publisher on or shortly after October 1, 2026.
What replaces Publisher on a Mac?+
On a Mac, Publish Media Software (PublishMedia) replaces Publisher for .pub files, because it runs in Safari, Chrome or Firefox and opens them with Publisher-exact layout. Publisher itself was never made for the Mac. For brand-new designs, Mac users can also choose Pages, Affinity Publisher or Canva, none of which open .pub files.
Does PublishMedia do mail merge like Publisher?+
No, Publish Media Software (PublishMedia) has no mail merge, so it can’t fill a stack of envelopes or labels from an address list. For that job, use Word’s mail merge; Microsoft names Word for envelopes and labels. PublishMedia covers the design side: opening .pub files, editing their pages on a paid plan and exporting print-ready PDFs.
Will my Publisher templates work in the replacement?+
Yes, templates you saved in Publisher open in Publish Media Software (PublishMedia), because Publisher stores them as .pub files: open one, change the text and pictures on a paid plan, and save it as a project to reuse. Publisher’s templates don’t open in Word, PowerPoint, Canva or Affinity Publisher, so in those programs the design has to be rebuilt from nothing.
Are Microsoft Designer and Adobe Express Publisher replacements?+
Microsoft Designer and Adobe Express are good for new social posts, invitations and simple flyers, but neither replaces Publisher for existing work, because neither opens .pub files. Both are browser-based design tools built around templates. Keep them for fresh graphics and use Publish Media Software (PublishMedia) when a .pub file has to be opened, changed and printed.
What does a church office use instead of Publisher?+
A church office can use Publish Media Software (PublishMedia) for the weekly bulletin it already built in Publisher, opening the .pub file and changing the dates, hymns and names on a paid plan. Church bulletin and funeral program templates are there for new layouts. Word handles letters and mail merge, and our Publisher for churches guide covers the rest.
Publisher retires October 2026
Get a short guide to moving off Microsoft Publisher — opening your Publisher files online and creating new documents.