Free ways to convert Microsoft Publisher (.pub) files: an honest roundup

There are several free ways to get into a .pub file, and we compare them fairly below. First, though, the easiest route: EditMyPub. It is not free, but you can see a free preview of your own file before paying anything. Here is what each option gives you and where each falls short, as of October 2026.

The easiest option: EditMyPub (free preview, then paid)

What you get: one .zip with Word (.docx), PowerPoint (.pptx), LibreOffice Draw (.odg), a PDF and page images (PNG), plus a README and a list of the fonts your file uses. Text stays in editable text boxes and each page keeps its layout. Nothing to install; it works in any web browser.

How: upload the .pub at editmypub.com, look over the free watermarked preview, then pay and download if you are happy.

Good for: editing in Word or PowerPoint, and especially newsletters. Linked-text-box stories are re-flowed in reading order instead of piling up, the main thing free converters get wrong. Missing fonts are swapped for similar-width ones, keeping the original font names.

Price: $12 for one file, $39 for 10, $99 for 50 (USD, sales tax where it applies), with a full refund within 30 days. No free tier beyond the preview.

Watch for: text wrap around pictures is stepped rather than smooth, and tables, WordArt and some effects may become plain shapes or text. It cannot save back to .pub. See the free preview of your file.

The free alternatives

1. LibreOffice Draw

What you get: the .pub file opened in a free editing program for Windows, Mac and Linux. You can edit it, save it as a LibreOffice drawing (.odg), or export a PDF or pictures.

Good for: flyers, posters and simple one-page layouts, which often come through well.

Watch for: LibreOffice's filter list names Publisher 98 to 2010 files, so check newer files closely. Missing fonts change line breaks. Tables and effects may not come through exactly. On newsletters where stories flow through linked text boxes, each box can get the whole story, so text piles up. It cannot save to PowerPoint or back to .pub.

Compared with EditMyPub: you have to install and learn a new program, and you end up in Draw rather than Word or PowerPoint. EditMyPub fixes the linked-story pile-up and gives you a .pptx.

More: how to open a .pub file, convert a whole folder.

2. Scribus

What you get: a free, open-source desktop publishing program that can import .pub files. It uses the same Publisher import library as LibreOffice.

Good for: people who want to keep designing newsletters in a dedicated layout program.

Watch for: it takes some learning, and it saves in its own format rather than a standard office format.

Compared with EditMyPub: because it shares LibreOffice's import, the same newsletter problems can appear, and you have new software to learn. EditMyPub hands you files for programs you already know.

3. Keep using a perpetual copy of Publisher

What you get: the real thing. Microsoft says perpetual (one-time purchase) copies can still be installed and used after October 2026, and you can still open and edit your files.

Good for: saving clean PDFs of everything now. Microsoft also publishes a sample PowerShell script to convert many files to PDF, which needs Publisher installed.

Watch for: support for the last perpetual version ended on October 13, 2026, so there are no more security updates. Use it to export your files, not as a long-term plan.

Compared with EditMyPub: it only helps if you still have a copy, and only for as long as you keep running unsupported software. EditMyPub gives you Word and PowerPoint copies that do not need Publisher.

4. The PDF route (Publisher to PDF, then elsewhere)

What you get: a PDF, which you can then bring into other programs.

Word can open a PDF and turn it into an editable document. Microsoft says the layout may differ from the original, especially with lots of graphics.
Canva can import a PDF and says text and images may be separated into editable elements, with some layout shifts possible.
Google Docs can convert a PDF uploaded to Google Drive into a document, mostly as text.

Watch for: a PDF made in LibreOffice carries any linked-text-box pile-up with it. A PDF from Publisher itself does not.

Compared with EditMyPub: two conversions, and layout can shift along the way. EditMyPub goes straight from .pub to Word and PowerPoint, with each page kept in positioned text boxes.

5. Aspose free online converter

What you get: a free web page that converts .pub to PowerPoint (.pptx), Word (.doc, .docx), PDF, images and other formats. Its page says uploaded files are deleted after 24 hours and does not list size limits. When we tried it on October 21, 2026, it returned server errors.

Good for: trying a direct .pptx or .docx conversion with nothing to install.

Watch for: we have not judged its quality across many files, so check your result closely. You are uploading your file to another company.

Compared with EditMyPub: it is free and needs no install. We can't speak for its handling of linked newsletter stories; EditMyPub is built to re-flow them, and our free preview lets you compare on your own file.

6. Zamzar and CloudConvert

What you get: quick online conversions. Zamzar converts .pub to PDF, DOC, RTF, images and more; free converted files are kept for up to 24 hours, and free uploads have a size limit. CloudConvert converts .pub to PDF, PNG, JPG and BMP, with a free daily allowance of conversion credits (10 per day when we checked).

Good for: a readable PDF or picture of a few files.

Watch for: these give you a fixed picture or mostly text, not an editable layout. You are uploading your file to another company.

Compared with EditMyPub: fine for reading, but not for editing. EditMyPub gives you an editable layout in Word and PowerPoint, plus the PDF and images.

Which option fits your file?

You want to keep editing it in Word or PowerPoint: EditMyPub. Upload it and check the free preview.
It is a multi-column newsletter: EditMyPub, since linked stories are where the free routes most often go wrong.
You have many files: EditMyPub's bulk upload takes up to 50 files or one .zip with a pack.
You only need to read or print it, and don't mind installing software: LibreOffice Draw or CloudConvert can give you a PDF.
You still have Publisher: save everything as PDF now, while it still runs.

Try EditMyPub on your own file

The free options can work, but most mean installing and learning new software, or settling for a PDF you can't easily edit. EditMyPub gives you Word and PowerPoint files you already know, with newsletter stories in reading order. Upload your .pub and see the free preview. For a whole folder, use bulk upload.