Solving Major Problems in Serif Affinity Publisher

Affinity Publisher is a powerful desktop publishing tool, but like any complex software, it can encounter stability and workflow issues on Windows systems. Most problems stem from hardware acceleration conflicts, outdated frameworks, or permission restrictions that prevent the software from accessing essential system resources. This guide provides direct, actionable solutions to the most frequent errors reported by users in late 2024 and 2025.

Common Errors

• Setup Failed / Error 0x80073cfd: Installation halts due to version conflicts or residual files.
• Startup Crash (OpenCL): The application closes immediately after the splash screen due to GPU acceleration issues.
• PDF Export Hanging: The export process freezes indefinitely or fails without a specific error code.
• Font Missing / Substitution Error: Installed fonts fail to appear or trigger "Unsupported Character" warnings.
• File Corruption (Load Failed): Documents refuse to open, displaying a generic "File includes features..." or corruption message.

Fix 1: Setup Failed / Installation Error 0x80073cfd

This error typically occurs when the installer cannot overwrite existing temporary files or when the Windows App Installer service is outdated. It often blocks the installation before it truly begins.

1. Right-click the installer executable (.exe or .msix) and select Run as administrator.
2. If using the MSIX installer, open PowerShell as Admin and run: Get-AppxPackage -AllUsers *Affinity* | Remove-AppxPackage to strip partial installs.
3. Navigate to %temp% in File Explorer and delete the "AffinitySetup" folder if it exists.
4. Download the "Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable" (latest supported x64 version) from the official Microsoft site and install it before retrying.

Fix 2: Crash on Startup (Hardware Acceleration)

The most common cause of crashes immediately after the splash screen is the OpenCL hardware acceleration feature conflicting with specific GPU drivers. You must disable this feature before the app loads.

1. Hold down the Ctrl key immediately after clicking the Affinity Publisher icon to launch it.
2. Keep holding Ctrl until the "Clear User Data" window appears.
3. Check the box labeled Disable Hardware Acceleration (do not check "Clear" boxes unless necessary).
4. Click Clear to apply the setting and launch the program.
5. Once open, go to Edit > Settings > Performance to verify "Hardware Acceleration" remains unchecked.

Fix 3: PDF Export Hanging or Failing

If the export bar freezes or the application hangs during PDF generation, a specific layer or effect usually causes the bottleneck. This is often linked to complex vector layers or mismatched color profiles.

1. Open Edit > Settings > Performance and disable "Hardware Acceleration" if you haven't already.
2. In the Export window, click the More button to open advanced settings.
3. Change the "Rasterise" option to Everything temporarily to test if a vector element is the culprit.
4. If that works, revert to standard settings and use the Layer Visibility toggle to hide half your document pages, then export. Repeat this "halving" process to isolate the specific page causing the crash.

Fix 4: Fonts Not Appearing or Substitution Errors

Affinity Publisher on Windows strictly respects user permission levels. If a font was installed only for the current user, the software often fails to see it, leading to substitution errors.

1. Close Affinity Publisher completely.
2. Navigate to your font file (.ttf or .otf) in File Explorer.
3. Right-click the font file and select Install for all users (requires Admin privileges).
4. If the font is already installed, uninstall it first, restart your computer, and then use the "Install for all users" option.
5. Open Publisher and check the Font Manager (Document > Font Manager) to verify the status is now "OK".

Fix 5: Corrupted File Recovery

When a file refuses to open due to corruption, the data often remains intact but the file header is damaged. You can frequently bypass this by importing the content into a fresh container.

1. Create a New Document in Affinity Publisher with the same dimensions as your broken file.
2. Go to the Document menu and select Add Pages from File...
3. Locate and select your corrupted .afpub file.
4. Select "All Pages" and click OK.
5. If successful, immediately Save As a new filename to establish a clean file structure.

Prevention Tips

• Disable OpenCL: Keep Hardware Acceleration off unless you have a high-end workstation GPU, as it is the #1 cause of instability.
• Embed Images Carefully: For documents over 500MB, use the "Linked" resource setting instead of "Embedded" to reduce file bloat and corruption risk.
• Save History Sparingly: Disable "Save History with Document" (File menu) unless needed, as this bloats files and increases save error probability.
• Cloud Sync Caution: Pause OneDrive or Dropbox syncing while actively editing large Publisher files to prevent file locking conflicts.

When to Contact Support

If these steps fail, professional assistance may be required. Contact Affinity support if you encounter persistent "Unhandled Exception" errors in the Windows Event Viewer or if the software fails to launch even in a new Windows User Account. Before contacting them, locate your log files at %AppData%AffinityPublisher2.0Log.txt and have your Windows Build version (Settings > System > About) ready to expedite the process.