Microsoft did not name a single app to use instead of Publisher. It split Publisher's jobs between Word and PowerPoint, dropped an earlier mention of Designer, and pointed to Affinity for old files. This guide goes through each one, with Microsoft's own words, so a church office, a school or a small business can choose with open eyes.
What does Microsoft recommend instead of Publisher?
According to Microsoft's support article on the Publisher retirement, common Publisher scenarios "are already available in other Microsoft 365 apps such as Word and PowerPoint." The article has a table that maps each task to an app. This is Microsoft's table, with its rows in its order, checked on November 4, 2026:
| I want to create | Microsoft recommends |
|---|---|
| Ads or flyers | Word or PowerPoint |
| Brochures | Word or PowerPoint |
| Banners, signs, posters | PowerPoint |
| Certificates | Word or PowerPoint |
| Business cards | Word or PowerPoint |
| Business invoices, applications and forms | Word |
| Calendars | Word or PowerPoint |
| Envelopes | Word |
| Labels | Word |
| Letterhead | Word |
| Newsletter | Word |
| Programs, folded paper projects | Word |
| Cards (greeting, compliment) | Word or PowerPoint |
The same article says to try "3rd party programs, such as Affinity, which may be able to import native Publisher files." For existing files, it says to convert them to PDF or Word format. Microsoft calls its recommendations "starting points for common Publisher scenarios". They are apps for new work, not a way to keep editing old files.
What happened to Microsoft Designer?
Designer was on the first list and is not on the current one. According to a January 2025 archived copy of the same Microsoft article, Microsoft was "exploring modern ways to achieve common Publisher scenarios across applications like Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Designer." The current version of the article, with the task table above, names only Word and PowerPoint.
If an older article tells you Designer is Microsoft's pick, check its date. If you are planning a move, plan it around Word and PowerPoint, which are the apps Microsoft's current guidance names.
Where does Word fall short for Publisher users?
Word is the app Microsoft recommends most often in the table. It is a strong choice for new letters, forms, labels and envelopes. It is a weaker choice for the documents people made in Publisher because of the layout.
Can Word open a .pub file?
Not directly in Microsoft's guidance. Microsoft's route into Word has two steps: open the .pub file in Publisher and save it as a PDF, then open that PDF in Word. Microsoft notes that "The converted Word document will be optimized for text editing," and that its layout may vary from the original, "particularly if the document includes many graphics."
Why does the first step need Publisher?
Microsoft's steps start with "Open Publisher file." On a computer where the Microsoft 365 copy of Publisher was removed, that first step is gone. You then need another program that reads .pub files to make the PDF.
Why does a Publisher layout not fit in Word?
A Publisher page is a set of boxes placed at exact spots: a masthead here, a photo there, a sidebar in its own column. Word lays text out as a flow from page to page. Moving a bulletin or a newsletter into Word means deciding where every box goes in that flow, and then fixing what moved.
What is Word good for after Publisher?
Microsoft's table sends invoices, forms, envelopes, labels and letterhead to Word only. Those are text documents with a fixed structure, which is what Word is built for. If a file was really a letter that happened to be made in Publisher, retype or paste the text into Word once and move on.
Where does PowerPoint fall short?
PowerPoint is the only app in Microsoft's table for banners, signs and posters, and it shares many other rows with Word. It is good at one page with free placement of text and pictures.
Can PowerPoint open a .pub file?
Microsoft's article gives no route from a .pub file into PowerPoint. The conversion steps it gives end in PDF or Word. In practice, a poster or a flyer moves to PowerPoint by rebuilding it, with the old PDF open beside it as a reference.
What about multi-page documents in PowerPoint?
Microsoft's table points newsletters, programs and folded paper projects to Word, not PowerPoint. So a weekly bulletin or a monthly newsletter goes to Word in Microsoft's plan, not to PowerPoint.
What does Affinity do with .pub files?
Affinity is the one third-party program Microsoft names. Affinity's own page on Publisher end of life says it provides native .pub file import, including files created in Publisher 97 and later. Opening a .pub file imports its content into a new Affinity document that you keep editing, saving and exporting.
Where does Affinity fall short?
- It does not save back to .pub. Affinity says so on the same page. Your edited file is an Affinity document from then on.
- Some content changes on import. Affinity lists the gaps itself: tables come in as text rather than as a table, decorative borders and gradient fills do not carry over, and some older clip art may not appear.
- It is a desktop install. Affinity says it runs on PC or Mac. That is a fine fit for a designer and a bigger step for a volunteer who edits the bulletin once a week.
Affinity says the core app is free. Check its current terms before you roll it out to a team.
Can any of them open your existing .pub files?
This is the question most Publisher users actually have. The answer differs by app:
| App | Opens an existing .pub file | Saves back to .pub |
|---|---|---|
| Word | No. Microsoft's route is a PDF from Publisher, then Word | No |
| PowerPoint | No route in Microsoft's article | No |
| Designer | Not in Microsoft's current guidance | No |
| Affinity | Yes, says Affinity, from Publisher 97 onward | No |
| stillPUB | Yes, in the browser, best from Publisher 2000 onward | No |
No tool in this table writes .pub files. Whatever you choose, keep the original .pub files next to the new copies.
Where does stillPUB fit?
stillPUB is a free page layout app that opens .pub files directly in the browser. The stillPUB app needs no install and no account, and the files are not uploaded: the converter runs on your computer. It keeps the page as boxes you can edit, the way Publisher did, and exports PDF, JPG and PNG.
- It saves edits as .stillpub, its own format. It does not write .pub files.
- It does not export Word files. If you need the text in Word, copy it out box by box. The Publisher to Word guide covers what each route keeps and loses.
- It opens Word .docx files too, as a page layout you can arrange and export.
- Import is not perfect. Some WordArt, master page and linked text details can be flattened or lost. Read the import report and check every page.
For a side-by-side measurement against LibreOffice Draw and Scribus on real .pub files, see the benchmark comparison.
Which one should you use?
Pick by what the file has to do next, not by which app is most familiar:
- Files you only need to read or reprint: make a PDF of each one. The .pub to PDF guide shows how, with or without Publisher.
- New letters, forms, labels and letterhead: use Word, as Microsoft recommends.
- New posters, signs and one-page flyers: use PowerPoint, as Microsoft recommends.
- Existing layouts you keep editing, such as the weekly bulletin or the monthly newsletter: open the .pub file in stillPUB or Affinity, check it, and keep it as a layout.
- All of them: keep the original .pub files.
Frequently asked questions
Did Microsoft name one direct replacement for Publisher?
No. Microsoft's retirement article maps common Publisher tasks to Word or PowerPoint, one task at a time, and suggests third-party programs such as Affinity for opening native Publisher files.
Does Microsoft Designer replace Publisher?
Not in Microsoft's current guidance. An earlier version of the retirement article named Designer next to Word and PowerPoint. The current article's table of recommended apps lists only Word and PowerPoint.
Can I still use a Publisher copy I bought outright?
Yes. Microsoft says that with the perpetual version, although support ends, you can still install and use the app. Support ended October 13, 2026, so it gets no more updates.