Microsoft Publisher alternatives in 2026: which ones open your .pub files
Updated
What happened to Publisher
Microsoft 365 stopped including Publisher on 1 October 2026, and the one-time-purchase versions in Office 2021 and Office LTSC 2021 lost support on 13 October 2026 (Microsoft's support page: Microsoft Publisher will no longer be supported after October 2026). Office 2024 has no Publisher at all. Your .pub files still exist; the question is what opens them.
Which alternatives open .pub files
| Program | Opens .pub files? | Price | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Affinity (by Canva) | Yes, according to Affinity: native .pub import. We have not tested it. | Core app free | Editing a publication again in a full layout program |
| LibreOffice Draw | Yes, one file at a time. Tested by us. | Free | Opening, small fixes, export to PDF |
| Scribus 1.6 | Yes, with the same open-source reader as LibreOffice. We have not tested it. | Free | Rebuilding a layout in a dedicated publishing program |
| Word, PowerPoint, Designer | No | Microsoft 365 | New flyers and newsletters; Microsoft suggests converting old files to PDF first |
| Canva | No, it imports PDF instead | Free and paid | New designs from templates |
| Adobe InDesign | Not without a paid third-party plug-in | Subscription | Professional print work |
LibreOffice and Scribus both use libmspub, an open-source library that reads the Publisher format from reverse engineering, so they get similar results. Simple layouts usually come through well. Newsletters with stories running between linked text boxes can shift, and fonts you do not have are replaced. Test a few of your own files before you commit to one program.
Pick by what you need
- Keep editing a few publications: try the free Affinity app, or LibreOffice Draw for quick fixes. Save in their own format afterwards: none of them saves back to .pub.
- Read and print old files: convert them to PDF. A PDF opens on any computer, tablet or phone, now and in twenty years.
- A whole archive, such as years of club, school or church newsletters: convert every file to PDF in one go with the free PowerShell command or PUB Lifeboat, then rebuild only the few you still need in a new program.
- New publications from now on: Word or PowerPoint if you already pay for Microsoft 365; Canva or Affinity for more design freedom; Scribus for free professional layout.
Before you switch
- Keep the original .pub files next to the PDFs. A better reader may come later.
- Install the fonts your publications used, so the new program does not have to replace them.
- Open one complex file, such as a newsletter with linked text boxes, before you convert hundreds.
Affinity's .pub import and the dates are taken from Affinity's page on Publisher's end of life, and Scribus from its 1.6.0 release notes, both checked on 13 November 2026. LibreOffice Draw was tested by us with 23 public sample files on 9 November 2026.
FAQ
Is there a free Publisher replacement that opens .pub files?
Yes. LibreOffice Draw and Scribus are free and open .pub files, and the core Affinity app is free and, according to Affinity, imports them natively.
Can Word open a .pub file?
No. Microsoft suggests converting the publication to PDF and opening the PDF in Word, with a warning that the layout may shift.
Will the layout stay exactly the same?
Not always. Simple flyers, cards and certificates usually come through well; long newsletters with linked text boxes and pictures that text flows around need checking. Missing fonts are replaced.
More guides
How to open .pub files without Publisher after October 2026
Your .pub files are not gone, only the program that opened them. Open them in the free LibreOffice Draw one at a time, or convert whole folders to PDF with LibreOffice's command line or PUB Lifeboat.
Read the guide →How to batch convert Publisher (.pub) files to PDF, sub-folders included
Install the free LibreOffice, paste one PowerShell command, and every .pub file under a folder becomes a PDF in a matching folder tree. For thousands of files, PNG pages or a list of what failed, use PUB Lifeboat.
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