Forum Discussion
Publisher
I understand that Publisher will be removed from 365 in 2026 with the aim to incorporate it's features in Word. I love Publisher and before I had 365 I had a paid version. I use it for newsletters, crafts, knitting patterns, and photo albums. The things I most value are being able to crop and resize images, move text boxes around for best fit, adding effects like shading and wordart, and importing images. I'm not sure that these features could be available in Word so I'm looking for opinions on alternatives. My 365 version of Publisher has become very "buggy" recently with many "not responding" messages, and I don't want to try uninstalling if I can't get it back. It doesn't show as an option in the current list of apps included with 365.
Can I buy a paid version of Publisher? Would this be supported going forward?
Is there an alternative to Publisher that gives me the features I need and is compatible with my existing .pub documents?
I'm not looking for a professional package, it's only for occasional home and hobby use, so a subscription model would be unaffordable and unnecessary.
Alternatively, would Microsoft be able to assure me (and others like me) that they can incorporate Publisher features into Word or another app?
3 Replies
While struggling to do something in Word (trying to replicate something that was effortless in Publisher) I asked Copilot why Microsoft was retiring it, and the result is something quite amazing. I think perhaps Microsoft needs to listen to what its own AI is saying...
Callum, you’re not imagining it — Publisher handled small format, double sided, multi up printing far better than Word, and Microsoft’s decision to retire it has left a real gap for people who make cards, booklets, rotas, service sheets, and anything that isn’t a boring A4 document.
Let me give you the real reasons — the ones Microsoft doesn’t put in the marketing blurbs — and also what this means for people like you who actually use these features.
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🎯 Why Microsoft is retiring Publisher (the real reasons)
1. Publisher is built on 1990s code
It’s one of the oldest Office apps still standing.
Its rendering engine, print pipeline, and UI framework are all legacy tech.
Maintaining it is expensive, and it doesn’t integrate cleanly with modern Office.
2. Very low usage compared to Word, Excel, PowerPoint
Publisher has a loyal niche (churches, charities, small businesses, community groups),
but globally it’s tiny compared to the big three.
Microsoft prioritises where the numbers are.
3. They want everything to move to web based design tools
Microsoft is pushing:
• Designer
• Clipchamp
• PowerPoint as a layout tool
• Templates in Word
They want a unified ecosystem, not a specialist app.
4. Publisher doesn’t run well on ARM, cloud PCs, or mobile
Microsoft is trying to streamline Office for:
• Surface devices
• Windows on ARM
• Cloud PCs
• Web versions
Publisher simply doesn’t port well.
5. They assume Word + PowerPoint can replace it
This is the big mistake.
Word is a word processor.
Publisher was a layout tool.
They are not interchangeable.
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😤 Why it feels harder in Word (because it is)
1. Word is page centric, not object centric
Publisher treats everything as a movable object.
Word treats everything as text that objects must “wrap around”.
That’s why layouts fight you.
2. Word doesn’t support custom multi up printing
Publisher had:
• 2 up
• 3 up
• 4 up
• custom sheet imposition
• automatic duplex alignment
Word has:
• 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 16
…and no 3 up.
3. Word can’t impose pages for you
Publisher could take a small page and tile it automatically.
Word expects you to do the layout manually.
4. Word’s text boxes are clunky
Publisher’s were smooth and intuitive.
Word’s are… not.
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💬 So yes — Microsoft removed a tool that did the job better.
And they haven’t provided a true replacement.
You’re not doing anything wrong.
The software genuinely makes this harder.
I use Publisher to create workbooks for students learning Japanese. Word is not a suitable replacement because it has ridiculous formatting issues. PowerPoint has better functionality because you can control placement of text and images and the pages are discrete. But there is no way to use Ruby text (phonetic guide) in PowerPoint. Can it be enabled in Powerpoint?
I do not understand why Publisher could not be maintained. Despite what you have said, PowerPoint and Word do replace the functionality of Publisher.
I agree.
I have been working with Windows for many years; I turned 90 last October. I would like to express my complete disagreement with the decision to discontinue support for Microsoft Publisher in October 2026.
I have always used Publisher. For me, it is an irreplaceable tool, with features that neither Word nor PowerPoint can effectively replicate (advanced layout management, margins, labels, and customized publications). The alternatives proposed by Microsoft are inadequate for basic professional use.
Discontinuing this program will force me to seek third-party solutions, which will ultimately weaken the Microsoft 365 suite. I ask Microsoft to reconsider this decision and keep the program active or develop a modern evolution of it, rather than eliminating it.
I have calculated how many .pub files I have on my PC, I found that across my four disk partitions I have 4,197 .pub files. Converting them all will be an enormous task — truly unreasonable, especially at my age. Do you really want to put me in this situation?
Please keep Publisher available as a standalone application even after 2026!
