Microsoft Publisher Reviews & Product Details

Microsoft Publisher is a desktop publishing application designed to help users create professional-quality publications with ease. It offers a range of pre-designed templates and intuitive tools, enabling the creation of various materials such as brochures, newsletters, greeting cards, and more. With a focus on page layout and design, Publisher allows for precise control over text, images, and other elements, ensuring that the final product appears exactly as intended, whether in print, online, or via email. Key Features and Functionality: - Pre-Designed Templates: Access a wide array of customizable templates to quickly start projects like brochures, newsletters, and postcards. - Advanced Layout Tools: Utilize detailed rulers and guides for accurate placement of text and images, ensuring a polished and professional appearance. - Image Editing Capabilities: Incorporate high-quality images with built-in editing tools, allowing for adjustments and enhancements directly within the application. - Mail Merge Functionality: Personalize publications by merging text and images from databases, ideal for creating tailored marketing materials. - Versatile Publishing Options: Share publications through various formats, including print, email, or export to industry-standard non-editable formats. Primary Value and User Solutions: Microsoft Publisher empowers users, particularly small businesses and individuals without formal design training, to produce high-quality, professional publications in-house. By providing user-friendly tools and templates, it eliminates the need for expensive design software or professional designers, making it accessible for creating marketing materials, event invitations, and more. This accessibility ensures that users can maintain brand consistency and effectively communicate their messages to their target audience.

Seller

Microsoft

Discussions

Microsoft Publisher Community

Overview by

Gizelle May Carganilla

Value at a Glance

Averages based on real user reviews.

Time to Implement

2 months

Return on Investment

9 months

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Kim F.

Ministry Assistant

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

3/10/2026

"Publisher Makes Church Bulletins Easy with Flexible Templates and Page Editing"

5/5

What do you like best about Microsoft Publisher?

I use Publisher to create worship bulletins for church. I like that I can import images, change fonts and complete most actions right from the page while I am working and not have to go into settings, etc. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Microsoft Publisher?

I haven't really found any downsides to using Publisher. It's a lot easier than trying to set up in Word for example. the margins are easy to adjust and look more uniform than in Word. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What problems is Microsoft Publisher solving and how is that benefiting you?

It's a lot easier than trying to set up in Word for example. the margins are easy to adjust and look more uniform than in Word. Once the template is set as I want it, it is easy to duplicate the page if more space is needed. I use this weekly for bulletins and throughout the week for other projects as well! Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Verified User in Non-Profit Organization Management

Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)

3/10/2026

"Intuitive for Microsoft Users, Needs Better Text Handling"

3.5/5

What do you like best about Microsoft Publisher?

I use Microsoft Publisher to design different flyers and promotional items for events. I appreciate that it's easy to set up initial templates for our designs and then update them each year as needed. The interface is similar to other Microsoft software, so if you're familiar with Microsoft Word, it's not too difficult to figure out. I also found the initial setup very easy, as there isn't much setup involved apart from laying out our basic templates. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Microsoft Publisher?

I don't love how sensitive the text boxes are and sometimes words will get cut off and it is not always obvious when things need to be respaced. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Ignatius D.

Administrative Clerk

Government Relations

Enterprise (> 1000 emp.)

12/26/2025

"Flexible and Creative Tool with Impressive Templates"

4/5

What do you like best about Microsoft Publisher?

This tool allows for a great deal of creativity and feels much more flexible than Word, making it ideal for creating CVs thanks to its wide range of features. It also offers an impressive selection of templates, which makes it easy to design various types of promotional materials for businesses, including flyers, invitations, cards, and banners. The layout of Publisher is quite similar to Word, so if you are comfortable using one, you will likely find the other just as enjoyable to work with. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Microsoft Publisher?

We usually create files on a Windows computer and then export them as PDFs for users who don't have Macs, but this process completely eliminates the ability to edit the documents. This tool also lacks many professional-grade design features and isn't intended for modern web development. While Publisher can feel somewhat clunky compared to other available programs, those alternatives don't offer the same level of detail as Publisher, so each has its own strengths and weaknesses. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What problems is Microsoft Publisher solving and how is that benefiting you?

Microsoft Publisher makes it easy to create visually-rich publications. Beyond simple text editing, it serves as a desktop publishing tool with a strong emphasis on layout and design. You can precisely arrange text, images, shapes, and graphics on each page, resulting in a professional-looking final product. One of the main problems it addresses is allowing users to design materials from scratch, without the need for costly software or hiring a professional designer. Publisher also offers a wide selection of pre-designed templates for common business and personal documents, such as flyers, brochures, newsletters, business cards, labels, calendars, and greeting cards. This means you don’t have to begin with a blank page, which saves time and helps you achieve a polished look, even if you lack design experience. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Kyle T.

Assistant Director, Corporate Relations

Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)

10/14/2025

"Good Integration with Microsoft, but Publisher Lacks Unique Value and Modern Features"

2/5

What do you like best about Microsoft Publisher?

Publisher has some nice features and functions; and, I like that it's a part of the Microsoft program ecosystem making transfer of files and details much easier. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Microsoft Publisher?

I believe Publisher has lost its unique value proposition. There are similar programs and find that many of the other alternatives are easier to use, have more functions, etc. If Publisher was quicker at adapting and adding functionality, I think it would be more competitve compared to competitors. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Thomas S.

Director of Marketing & Community Engagement

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

1/20/2026

"Old and Clunky: Switching to Google Docs"

0.5/5

What do you like best about Microsoft Publisher?

I like the fact that it was once an industry standard software for document creation. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Microsoft Publisher?

It's old, clunky, and had it's day - I'm not surprised it is being sunset later this year. Have switched to Google Docs Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Janeth Q.

Civil Engineer

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

7/29/2025

"MICROSOFT PUBLISHER: HELPING HAND FOR EVERY WRITER"

5/5

What do you like best about Microsoft Publisher?

As a writer, Microsoft Publisher gives me full control over layout and design, especially for formatting my books. I also used it to create promotional materials like flyers and previews for my work. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Microsoft Publisher?

The only downside is that it's not available on my mobile phone, so I can only use it when I'm on my laptop. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Sarah K.

Child Nutrition Technician

Education Management

Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)

6/12/2025

"It's Great"

5/5

What do you like best about Microsoft Publisher?

It provides so many options to make great publications and it makes it easy to publish the information and put it together with other programs. I use it all the time, and implementing it with the needs of my department has been is super easy. We do not need a lot of customer support, but it is always there at the touch of a button. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Microsoft Publisher?

It is not always as user friendly as it could be, but it is definitely there. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Kevin H.

Director of Quality

Enterprise (> 1000 emp.)

9/21/2025

"I've used publisher for 25 years!"

5/5

What do you like best about Microsoft Publisher?

MS Publisher is my go to app for flyers, posters, brochures, memes and banners. It is easy to use, has the traditional Microsoft Office interface. I even create images by using the export or save as function to jpeg, etc. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Microsoft Publisher?

I always dislike changes, but each edition that is issued will have them. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Jai S.

Manager Key Accounts-International Business

Consumer Goods

Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)

10/6/2021

"Best tool for those who don't know coding"

4.5/5

What do you like best about Microsoft Publisher?

Our team likes irregular cropping, good control on layers in this software. We are using it in marketing department. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Microsoft Publisher?

The most important feature which is absent in Microsoft publisher is that we don't have any control on size of file. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Recommendations to others considering Microsoft Publisher:

I recommend MS publisher as it is very popular and having support material available over internet, moreover, it is having all the features required for designing & desktop publishing. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What problems is Microsoft Publisher solving and how is that benefiting you?

We are using this software to design marketing & promotional things. This software also have abundant of training material over internet so we don't have to wait for after sales support team. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Mark M.

Head Western Trainer

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

6/7/2024

"An old school classic for easy design"

4/5

What do you like best about Microsoft Publisher?

Really like the templates that are provided. Calendars have been very handy, business cards are useful, posters and fliers are good and I have even used the Resume in a pinch plus various other things I could do some editing to to make it my own. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Microsoft Publisher?

Trying to transfer to other Microsoft programs is glitchy Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What problems is Microsoft Publisher solving and how is that benefiting you?

Good template overview and selection. I used it when I had specific items, like calendars or business cards to produce quickly. Once something was set up, very easy to modify to new projects. Fliers and even more complex documents are possible in the system and it made it a "go-to" tool for publishing. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.