Open a .pub File Without Publisher
Publisher is gone, and your newsletters, menus and flyers are stuck in .pub files.
Drop one here and save it as a PDF that looks like the original, or as pictures. It all
happens in your browser. Nothing is uploaded.
Reads Publisher files with libmspub and pubshift (MPL-2.0) — licences and source.
How to use the Publisher converter
- 1
Drop the .pub file
Drag the Publisher file into the box, or click to pick it. The reader loads the first time you do this; the file stays on your computer.
- 2
Check page 1
The first page is shown as it will come out, with a list of anything that changed on the way — old clip art, an unusual font, text set at an angle.
- 3
Save it
PDF keeps the page looking like the original, for printing, sending or keeping. PNG gives a picture of each page, for a website or a social post.
Why won't my .pub file open?
Microsoft Publisher saved in its own .pub format, and only Publisher ever opened it
properly. Microsoft has now retired the program: Microsoft 365 subscribers lost it on
1 October 2026, and the bought-outright versions stop being supported on 13 October 2026. Word
won't open a .pub, and neither will Google Docs or a Mac. So years of church
bulletins, school newsletters and shop leaflets are sitting in files nothing on your computer
can read.
This tool reads the .pub file on your own device, rebuilds each page — text boxes,
pictures, tables, shapes — and writes it out in a format that opens anywhere. It tells you what
didn't make it across instead of hiding it. For every way round the problem, including the free
desktop options, see how to open a .pub file
without Publisher.
Your files never leave your browser.
All processing runs locally on your device. No uploads, no tracking of file content.
FAQ
Can I open a .pub file without Publisher?
Yes. This page reads the Publisher file in your browser and turns it into a PDF or PNG pictures, which open on any computer. Word, Google Docs and Mac Pages cannot open .pub files themselves.
Why can't I open my Publisher files any more?
Microsoft retired Publisher. Microsoft 365 subscribers lost access to it on 1 October 2026, and support for the bought-outright versions (Publisher 2016, 2019, 2021) ends on 13 October 2026. The .pub files you made with it are still yours, but nothing Microsoft ships opens them now.
Will it look exactly like the original?
Often close, not always. We tested it on 40 real Publisher files, saved by every version from Publisher 97 to Microsoft 365: 32 converted and 8 couldn't be read. Newsletters, notices and menus usually come across well; busy flyers with many overlapping text boxes can come out messy, so check page 1 before you download. The other weak spots are old Publisher clip art (stored in a Windows-only picture format that can't be read here, so it goes missing), text set at an angle, and fonts your computer doesn't have. The tool lists what changed for your file before you download it.
Can I get a Word file to edit?
Not here yet. We tested Word output in real Microsoft Word and it isn't good enough to offer: the layout falls apart. If you need to change the words, save the PDF and open it in Word, which turns most PDFs into editable text, or copy the text out of the PDF. If you still have Publisher 2016–2021, File → Save As → Word keeps more.
Is my file uploaded?
No. The Publisher reader runs inside your browser tab and the conversion happens on your computer. Only the reader itself is downloaded, about half a megabyte, the first time you drop a file. You can check in your browser's Network tab, or convert one file and then go offline and convert another.
Why couldn't my file be read?
Some real Publisher files come out empty from the reader this tool uses (8 of the 40 we tested) — the same one LibreOffice uses — and it can't be predicted from the file. Rather than hand you a blank document, the tool says so. If you still have a copy of Publisher 2016–2021, File → Save As → PDF works; LibreOffice Draw (free) opens many .pub files too.
What reads the file?
libmspub, the open-source Publisher reader from The Document Foundation's Document Liberation Project, compiled to run in the browser by the pubshift project. Both are MPL-2.0 licensed; the licences and source links are on our About page.
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Last updated: 2026-09-30