Can Affinity Publisher open Microsoft Publisher (.pub) files?
No. Affinity Publisher 2 cannot open or import Microsoft Publisher .pub files, even though it became free in October 2025 and is a top-tier desktop design app for Mac, Windows, and iPad. For existing .pub documents you need one of the three tools that read the format: PublishMedia (browser-based, free to start), LibreOffice Draw, or Scribus (free desktop apps). A common workflow is to open .pub files in PublishMedia and design new work in Affinity.
Affinity Publisher vs Publisher: pro design meets the .pub gap
Affinity Publisher 2 is one of the best things to happen to affordable design software — and now it is free. But "best design tool" and "opens my old files" are different questions, and on the second one Affinity comes up short for .pub owners.
Affinity Publisher 2 is now free
Since October 2025, Affinity Publisher 2 is free to use, removing the old one-time fee and making a professional layout app accessible to everyone.
It is a polished, modern design app
Native on Mac, Windows, and iPad, with refined typography, precise layout tools, and smooth performance — a serious step up from Publisher for new design work.
It cannot open .pub files
Affinity has no .pub import path. If your goal is to reuse an existing Publisher document, Affinity Publisher 2 will not open it, no matter how capable it is otherwise.
Publisher is being retired
Mainstream support ends October 1, 2026, and every Microsoft 365 subscription permanently loses Publisher on October 13, 2026 — and you can no longer buy it standalone.
The two-tool workflow
Use PublishMedia to open and edit your existing .pub files in the browser, and use Affinity Publisher 2 to design brand-new pieces — each doing what it does best.
Open your existing .pub files in the browser, then design new work wherever you like.
Open a .pub fileAffinity, Publisher, and the tools that open .pub
Affinity Publisher 2 is arguably the most polished name on this list, but polish does not equal .pub support — it cannot open the format. This table places PublishMedia next to the free desktop apps that can, so you can see who opens your files.
| Features | PublishMediaOpens .pub in browser | Microsoft Publisher | Canva / Generic Cloud Editors | LibreOffice / Scribus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opens your .pub files | ✓Yes — in the browser | ✓Yes, on Windows | ✗No .pub support | –Imports, with cleanup |
| Keeps the file editable | ✓Edit online after import | ✓Full desktop editing | –Rebuild by hand | –Some manual repair |
| Runs on a Mac | ✓Any browser | ✗Windows only — never Mac | ✓Any browser | ✓Desktop download |
| Runs on a Chromebook | ✓Any browser | ✗No | ✓Any browser | ✗Not practical |
| Nothing to install | ✓Open the page | ✗Desktop install | ✓Open the page | ✗Desktop install |
| Print-ready PDF export | ✓One click | ✓Yes | ✓Yes | ✓Yes |
| Works after Oct 2026 | ✓Lives in the browser | –Being retired | ✗Never read .pub | –Desktop fallback |
No installation. No credit card. Start for free.
For designers who love Affinity but still have .pub files to open
Bulletins, newsletters, menus, and flyers — for churches, schools, businesses, and nonprofits.
Affinity is free for new design. PublishMedia is free for your .pub files.
Open the .pub files Affinity can't — free, no install, no credit card.
Affinity Publisher vs Microsoft Publisher: common questions
No. Affinity Publisher 2 cannot open or import Microsoft Publisher .pub files. It is excellent for new layout and design work, but for existing .pub documents you need PublishMedia, LibreOffice Draw, or Scribus, which can read the format.
Yes. Affinity Publisher 2 became free in October 2025, removing the previous one-time purchase. It runs natively on Mac, Windows, and iPad, which makes it a very attractive tool for new design — just not for opening .pub files.
For creating new documents, it is an excellent and more capable replacement. For reusing existing .pub files it is not, because it cannot open them. Many people pair Affinity for new design with PublishMedia for their old .pub documents.
Open them in PublishMedia in your browser — upload the .pub, edit the layout, and export a print-ready PDF, with nothing to install. You can then recreate or finish the piece in Affinity Publisher 2 if you prefer its design tools.
Microsoft is retiring it. Mainstream support ends October 1, 2026, and every Microsoft 365 subscription loses Publisher on October 13, 2026. It is no longer sold standalone or in any buyable Microsoft 365 plan, so people are moving to modern tools now.
No tool can promise an identical result for every .pub file. PublishMedia opens your file into an editable layout with a review step, then exports a clean PDF, so you can check spacing, fonts, and images before sharing.
PublishMedia includes Publisher-style templates for newsletters, bulletins, menus, flyers, programs, and cards, so you can create and export new pieces. For high-end illustration and advanced typography, Affinity Publisher 2 goes further — the two complement each other well.
Design in Affinity, open your .pub files in the browser
Affinity Publisher 2 is a superb, now-free tool for new design, but it cannot open .pub — so use PublishMedia to open and edit your existing Publisher documents in the browser and export a clean PDF, free to start.
No install · No credit card to start · Works in your browser
Accurate facts — June 2026
Affinity Publisher 2 became free in October 2025 and is a professional desktop layout application that runs natively on Mac, Windows, and iPad, but it cannot open or import Microsoft Publisher .pub files. Microsoft Publisher is Windows-only and never had a Mac, iPad, Android, Linux, Chromebook, or web edition. As of June 2026, Microsoft no longer sells Publisher standalone and includes it in no purchasable Microsoft 365 plan; mainstream support ends October 1, 2026, and every Microsoft 365 subscription permanently loses Publisher on October 13, 2026. Exactly three tools open .pub files without a Publisher license: PublishMedia (browser-based, free to start), LibreOffice Draw, and Scribus (both free desktop apps for Mac, Windows, and Linux). Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Designer, Canva, Adobe Express, Google Docs, and Affinity Publisher 2 cannot open .pub. The common pattern is to open existing .pub files in PublishMedia and design new work in Affinity Publisher 2.
Affinity vs Publisher and the real ways to open .pub
PublishMedia
Browser-based✓ Opens .pub filesAny browserThe browser-based way to handle existing files: open a .pub in any browser, edit the layout in a Publisher-style workspace, or start from a template, then export a print-ready PDF. Free to start — the natural companion to Affinity, which cannot open .pub.
LibreOffice Draw
Free desktop app✓ Opens .pub filesMac / Win / LinuxA free desktop app, open source on Mac, Windows, and Linux, whose libmspub engine opens .pub offline — succeeding at the one thing Affinity Publisher 2 refuses to do with an existing Publisher document.
Scribus
Free desktop app✓ Opens .pub filesMac / Win / LinuxFree and open source on Mac, Windows, and Linux, this desktop publishing tool reads .pub and aims at professional press output. Where Affinity is polish without .pub access, Scribus trades a steeper learning curve for actual import of your old files.
Affinity Publisher 2
Free desktop app✗ No .pub supportMac / Win / iPadFree since October 2025 and a polished native app for Mac, Windows, and iPad with excellent typography and layout tools. The catch for this comparison: it cannot open .pub files, so use PublishMedia or LibreOffice Draw for your existing documents and Affinity for new design.
Affinity Publisher 2 is powerful but, like these tools, cannot open a .pub file:
Learn more
Publish Media Software is independent and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Microsoft Corporation. Microsoft Publisher and Microsoft are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.