The Document Foundation, responsible for LibreOffice, recommends using its free suite as a substitute for those who need to access files created in Microsoft Publisher, given the recent closure of the application.
Publisher was discontinued this month and was used to create various designed materials, such as posters, newsletters, brochures, and cards. This end directly impacts access to files within the Microsoft 365 ecosystem. However, users who have a permanent license can still operate the program without official support.
The developing entity emphasizes that the LibreOffice Draw component allows for the opening and editing of documents with the ".pub" extension. In a statement released on Wednesday, October 14th, the foundation advises that the correct procedure is to import the file into the application intended for drawing and organizing graphic elements. After this import, the user has the option to save an editable copy in the OpenDocument Drawing format, with the ".odg" extension, or export the finished material to PDF.
This functionality ensures that other software can read the documents without depending on the original Microsoft application. It is important to note that this support existed before the retirement of Publisher; LibreOffice 4.0, released in February 2013, was already capable of reading such files, and the recent announcement only reinforces this capability.
Although the foundation itself admits that Draw is not ideal for complex typesetting work, it is suggested for smaller documents, such as newsletters or single-page materials. Furthermore, Scribus, another open-source typesetting program, is also mentioned as a viable alternative for importing Publisher files.
Microsoft had begun issuing alerts about the discontinuation of Publisher before its closure. On the support page, the company differentiates the impact for Microsoft 365 subscribers from those who purchased a definitive license. For Microsoft 365 subscribers, the loss of access is expected on October 1, 2026, or shortly thereafter. Support for the permanent version ceased on October 13th, along with Office 2021 and Office LTSC 2021. Microsoft clarifies that this last edition can remain installed and used, including for accessing and modifying existing files.
Before removal, Microsoft advised converting documents to PDF. To make edits to the content using Word, the recommendation was to open this PDF in the word processor. The company also suggests using Word and PowerPoint for routine tasks that were done in Publisher, but warns that this conversion may alter the layout of elements, especially when there is a large number of images.
Finally, it is worth mentioning that The Document Foundation had already criticized Microsoft due to compatibility difficulties with Office formats. LibreOffice is available free of charge for Windows, macOS, and Linux operating systems on its official website.