Publisher to Affinity Publisher: The Complete Migration Guide

Now that Microsoft has retired Publisher (Microsoft 365 subscribers lost access on October 1, 2026), Affinity Publisher 2 is the most popular destination for people who need to keep editing their layouts. This guide walks through the complete migration — from getting IDML files out of Publisher to opening them cleanly in Affinity.

Why the bridge format is IDML

Publisher and Affinity Publisher use different native formats. There's no direct .pub → .afpub converter with good fidelity. The migration path that works is:

IDML (InDesign Markup Language) is an open layout format that Affinity Publisher 2 reads natively. It preserves text frames, image placement, columns, and most styling. Getting your .pub files into IDML is the critical first step.

Step 1: Get IDML from your .pub files

Publisher does not export IDML natively. Your options:

If you still have Publisher installed:

You'll need third-party automation to produce IDML. A conversion service handles this for you — upload your .pub files, and receive IDML back.

If you no longer have Publisher:

A service that runs Publisher on its own machine is the most practical path. Publisher Conversion uploads your files to a Windows machine with Publisher, converts them, and emails you the output (PDF + IDML) when the job is done — most files take 1–2 minutes each. $5/file, no subscription.

Step 2: Install Affinity Publisher 2

If you don't have it yet, Affinity is available for free from affinity.studio (Mac and Windows, no subscription) — Canva relaunched Affinity as a single free app in October 2025, merging what used to be the separate Affinity Publisher, Designer, and Photo apps.

If you already have an older paid install, make sure it's Affinity Publisher 2 — version 1 has weaker IDML support. New installs get the current free app automatically, so this only matters if you're running something you installed a while ago.

Step 3: Open the IDML file

1. Open Affinity Publisher 2
2. File → Open
3. Navigate to your .idml file and open it
4. Affinity will import the file directly — no conversion step required

Step 4: Fix the pasteboard and canvas clipping

Publisher allows content to sit outside the page boundary — on the “scratch area” or pasteboard. This content is preserved in the IDML file, but Affinity Publisher's default settings hide it. Two things to fix:

After both steps, any content that was on Publisher's pasteboard will appear and can be moved onto the page or deleted.

Step 5: Handle fonts

If your Publisher files used fonts that aren't installed on your current machine, Affinity Publisher will either prompt about missing fonts or substitute them silently. To handle this:

• Install the original fonts if you have them — Affinity will pick them up automatically
• If fonts are unavailable, use Affinity's Find & Replace (Text → Find & Replace) to swap substituted fonts systematically
• For print, check your PDF export at full resolution — font rendering at screen size can mask substitution issues

What to check after opening

Most files come through cleanly. A few things worth reviewing (for a full element-by-element breakdown of what carries over — photos, fonts, off-page content — see Will My Publisher File Look the Same After Converting?):

• Text frame overflow — if text is cut off, the text frame may need to be resized
• Linked images — images that were linked (not embedded) in Publisher may show as missing; re-link them from their original location
• Master pages — Publisher's master pages come through as master pages in Affinity; check that headers/footers look correct
• Tables — simple Publisher tables generally import well; complex tables with merged cells may need adjustment

What doesn't migrate well

A few Publisher features don't have direct equivalents in IDML and may not come through:

• Publisher WordArt effects — these are Publisher-specific and will typically be converted to a basic text object
• Some Publisher-specific border styles
• Mail merge fields — these are removed in conversion

For most newsletter, flyer, and brochure layouts, the migration is clean. Documents that rely heavily on Publisher-specific effects will need some manual cleanup.