With Publisher retired, there are really two jobs: rescuing the files you already have, and choosing a tool for the documents you'll make next. Do them in that order. The old files are the urgent part, and the new tool is easier to choose once you can see what you actually used Publisher for.
Only some programs read Publisher's .pub format, so convert your archive before you switch. LibreOffice Draw opens .pub files for free: save each one as a PDF for the record, and as an ODG if you'll edit it again. Our guide to opening .pub files covers the steps, and a batch service can do whole folders at once.
Microsoft's own guidance points Publisher users to Word for documents like newsletters and letters, PowerPoint for posters and flyers, and Microsoft Designer for quick graphics. They're a natural choice if your organisation already pays for Microsoft 365, but none of them opens an existing .pub file, so rescue the old ones first.
LibreOffice Draw is free and open source, and it opens your old .pub files, so the same program handles both the rescue and new work. It's good for flyers, certificates and simple newsletters. It isn't a full desktop-publishing suite, but for many offices it covers what Publisher was used for.
For layout-heavy work, such as magazines, booklets and programmes with many pages, dedicated desktop-publishing apps are the closest match to how Publisher worked. Scribus is free and open source. Affinity Publisher and Adobe InDesign are professional tools with a steeper learning curve. Check each one's current pricing and features on its own website.
Canva and similar tools work in a browser and offer thousands of templates, which suits flyers, social posts and newsletters made by volunteers. They're quick to learn and easy to share across a team.
Look at the last year of files you made in Publisher. Mostly text with a header? Word or LibreOffice Writer. Flyers and certificates? LibreOffice Draw, PowerPoint or a browser design tool. Multi-page booklets? A desktop-publishing app. Many layout tools can import a PDF as a starting point, so the PDFs you rescue now may save you rebuilding layouts later. Check each tool's own documentation for what it imports.
Everything above works one file at a time, which is the right answer for a handful. For an archive, PubRevive converts everything at once: every file comes back as a PDF and an editable ODG copy, your folders stay as they were, and a report shows exactly what converted.
Upload the folder and you'll see page one of one of your files rescued, with the exact price, before you pay anything. If fewer than 80% of your files rescue, you get a full refund.
For opening and editing old .pub files, LibreOffice Draw. For new multi-page layouts, Scribus is the best-known free desktop-publishing app.
Not through Microsoft 365. Owners of a perpetual Office 2021 licence can still run Publisher 2021, though it no longer gets fixes.
Yes, while you still have something that opens them. Convert them to PDF for the record, and to ODG where you'll keep editing.
Not exactly. Most offices end up with a word processor for text-heavy documents and a design tool for flyers and certificates.
Last updated 16 October 2026.