Microsoft Publisher Is Going Away – What’s Next?
Do you use Microsoft Publisher? If so, you may be surprised to learn that Microsoft has announced it will discontinue Publisher in October 2026.
I first learned of this news from two Facebook groups I follow: Small Museums Network and Small Church Media. The announcement sparked a lot of discussion among members, many of whom rely on Publisher for creating newsletters, flyers, and signage.
Curious to learn more, I turned to Google. One of the AI-generated responses suggested saving Publisher files as Word documents. Since I often use Publisher to precisely position images and text on a page, I was skeptical. To test it, I tried converting a Nemaha County Historical Society newsletter from Publisher to Word—and it didn’t go well. The formatting didn’t hold, and the layout was lost with only the text being saved.
Members of the Facebook groups recommended converting existing Publisher files to PDFs to preserve their formatting. This seems to be the most reliable method for archiving past projects.
As for alternatives, there are several options out there. A helpful article from Intellezy titled Top 5 Microsoft Publisher Alternatives explores some of the best tools available.
For my work with the historical society, I’ve started transitioning to Canva. Canva offers free accounts to nonprofit organizations, which makes it an attractive and budget-friendly option. While I’m still learning the platform, I’ve already created a few display placards using Canva. Unlike Word or PowerPoint, Canva lets me design based on the exact size I need—making it a great fit for signage and exhibits.
If you’re a Publisher user, now’s a good time to start exploring your options. Change is coming, but thankfully, there are some great tools out there to help you adapt.