Announcement - Microsoft Publisher to be discontinued after October 2026

Updated and revised May 12, 2025

Dear fellow users,

Microsoft announced in late 2024 that it will discontinue and drop support for Microsoft Publisher after October 13, 2026. The announcement was posted on Microsoft's 365 admin center on February 15, 2024:

"In October 2026, Microsoft Publisher will reach its end of life. After that time, it will no longer be included in Microsoft 365 and existing on-premises suites will no longer be supported. Until then, support for Publisher will continue and users can expect the same experience as today."

Microsoft also stated that it will try to incorporate Publisher like features in other 365 apps:

"As we look ahead to the retirement of Microsoft Publisher, we are exploring modern ways to achieve other common Publisher scenarios across applications like Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Designer. We will update as we have more to share. "

Learn more on Microsoft's website

Publisher has been around since 1991 and has been used by millions for preparing newsletters/bulletins, brochures and cards for organizations, parishes, etc. Like you, many are wondering what to do. Your option is to either purchase other desktop publishing software (see below), or use Microsoft Word. I have used Word to create bulletins, although it involves more work and is some ways awkward to use. It is possible to print bulletins in booklet format and you can create text boxes and link them as in Publish. The only advantage is that Word offers better control and use of styles.

Can I still use Publisher on my computer?

Users who have the stand-alone edition can keep using the software and reinstall it forever. Publisher included with 365 will continue to run on your computer, except if you must reinstall or switch to a new computer. It's not clear yet whether Microsoft will automatically uninstall the software, or simply prevent the software from running after October 2026. For those using the 365 version of Publisher, Microsoft advises users to create PDF versions of their documents to preserve them.

Alternative Software

Unfortunately, Microsoft has already stopped selling licenses for the standalone version of Publisher. Other companies that sell Publisher licenses online have also stopped selling Publisher.

For a complete list of desktop publishing software available to users, visit these pages on Wikipedia:

Comparison of desktop publishing software:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_desktop_publishing_software

List of desktop publishing software:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_desktop_publishing_software

Be aware that publication software like Adobe InDesign and QuarkXPress are extremely expense and designed for the professional desktop publication industry, and involve a steeper learning curve. There are less expensive online-based or desktop-based publication desktop publication apps available.

What's the closest equivalent to Microsoft Publisher?

At this point, Microsoft 365 users who need a Publisher-like app should consider purchasing Affinity Publisher 2. It is easy to use and has more features than Microsoft Publisher (e.g., include footnotes, better text handling). You can purchase and download it directly from Affinity's website (or through Microsoft Store in Windows 10 or 11). For more information about Affinity Publisher, visit: https://affinity.serif.com/en-us/publisher/. Affinity Publisher has received generally favorable reviews and awards. A huge bonus is that the software is available for both the Windows AND macOS platforms (and lately an iPad version was released). Affinity Publisher is only available as a stand-alone desktop app. There is NO subscription. Cost is $86.99 CAD ($US cost will be less) and is one-time purchase. You will get updates, and you can always upgrade, when you need to. Affinity is a European-based software company that has been around for many years and continues to develop and update Affinity Publisher. Affinity also sells photo-editing software that works great with Affinity Publisher.

Ruperstland,

Canada

Screenshot of Microsoft Publisher: