Can I keep Publisher (inc with Office 2021) while installing Office 2024 or later

Hi folks
I want to keep Publisher included with Office 2021 but now deprecated and not available in Office 2024 -- No interest in Office/365 BTW.



Is it possible to have Publisher as a stand alone app from Office 2021 while having latest versions of Office -- Office 2021 comes to EOL in October 2026 BTW -- apparently there will be at least one more non subsdcription version of office -- maybe called Office 2025 or 2026.

Any ideas - so far there's not been much that I need the latest Office (LTSC 2024) for -- my biggest use is EXCEL and that still works just fine even as a power user.

I know alternative software is out there for doing some of this stuff but for waht it does publiosher just WORKS !!! without having to make major changes to all sorts of stuff. I haven't got the time or inclination to mess around with perfectly working applications !!!!. Often newer stuff is so full of "Featuritus" -- none of which you really want and usually is PAY -- often disguised as "Go Pro" !!!!.

Cheers
jimbo

jimbo45 said:

Can I keep Publisher (inc with Office 2021) while installing Office 2024 or later

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Short answer: Yes..., but...,
if you're running 2024 and try to open Publisher, it'll probably throw an error and make you switch your license back to 2021.
(What happens come October is anybody's guess!)

Do you have an older version of Publisher like 2019 or older that does not use "Click-to-Run" technology?

Publisher is available as a stand-alone product. I have a LOT of documents created in painstaking detail with Publisher so I'm seriously considering getting a standalone copy because I simply cannot see converting everything that I have to something else anytime soon.

If anyone stumbles upon cheap but legit license keys, let me know .

If you use Microsoft 365 (as do I), then Publisher will simply cease functioning. You need a permanent license version to keep using it after October 1st this year.

hsehestedt said:

You need a permanent license version to keep using it after October 1st this year.

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You can get Office Pro 2019 for 20 bucks on StackSocial.

I'm not sure if, after October, you'll be able to collaborate with .pub files.
@hsehestedt
What's involved with publishing your files?

I would personally just keep Office 2021 and not upgrade to 2024 unless you have to.



Google AI search results . . . (cannot vouch for accuracy)

Recommended Method: Use the Office Deployment Tool (ODT)

This is the only technical way to keep Publisher 2021 and Office 2024 on the same PC.

1. Uninstall Everything First: To avoid installer conflicts, perform a clean uninstall of all current Office versions.
2. Download the ODT: Get the official Office Deployment Tool from Microsoft.
3. Create a Configuration File: Use the Office Customization Tool to generate an XML file.
   • Add Office 2024 to the products list.
   • Add Publisher 2021 (Standalone or aspart of the 2021 suite).
   • Ensure both are set to the same architecture (e.g., 64-bit).
   • Run the Install: Open Command Prompt as Administrator in the folder where you saved the ODT and your XML file, then run:
     setup.exe /configure yourconfigfile.xml.

Alternative: Virtual Machine (Safest)

If the ODT method is too complex, the most reliable way to keep Publisher working is to run your old Office 2021 suite inside a Virtual Machine (like Oracle VirtualBox or Windows Sandbox). This keeps it completely isolated from Office 2024, preventing any software conflicts or accidental deletions.

jimbo45 said:

Is it possible to have Publisher as a stand alone app from Office 2021 while having latest versions of Office

Click to expand...

Yes. (You will still need a legitimate key for 'both')



Here is the standalone installer for Publisher:


It says OfficeSetup.exe but, it only installs Publisher...





It's clean!!!

I wonder if Affinity 3 would be a viable solution/alternative?
I had to export the .pub file to a PDF, then load it in Affinity and save as an .af (Affinity template), then I could work with it.

I used to love Publisher back when I used to use it. It was so easy to use.