How to open a .pub file without Microsoft Publisher

You have a .pub file, maybe last year's bulletin or a flyer someone made years ago, and nothing on your computer will open it. The easiest route is to turn it into a Word or PowerPoint file with EditMyPub, so you can open and edit it in software you already know. Below that are the other ways, with what each one involves.

Why it won't open any more

A .pub file is a Microsoft Publisher file. Microsoft retired Publisher in October 2026. Microsoft 365 subscribers lost Publisher on or shortly after October 1, 2026, and Microsoft says they can no longer open or edit Publisher files in Publisher. Publisher was also never available for Mac, so Mac users have always needed another way in.

The easiest way: EditMyPub (nothing to install)

EditMyPub converts your .pub file into files you can open with what you already have. It works in any web browser, on Windows, Mac, Chromebook or a tablet.

Go to editmypub.com and upload your .pub file.
Look over the free watermarked preview to see how your pages came through.
If you are happy, pay and download one .zip file.

You get Word (.docx), PowerPoint (.pptx), LibreOffice Draw (.odg), a PDF and page images, plus a list of the fonts your file uses. Text stays editable and each page keeps its layout. On newsletters, stories that flow through linked text boxes are re-flowed in reading order instead of piling up.

It costs $12 for one file (USD, plus sales tax where it applies), or $39 for 10 and $99 for 50, with a full refund within 30 days. Tables, WordArt and some effects may come through as plain shapes or text, and it cannot save back to .pub. See the free preview of your file.

Other ways to open it

An older copy of Publisher, if you still have one

Some people bought Publisher once, as a perpetual (one-time purchase) version such as Publisher 2016, 2019 or 2021. Microsoft says you can keep installing and using those copies. Support has ended, so there are no more fixes or security updates, but they still open your files.

If you have one, use it now to save copies of everything you care about: open the file, choose File > Save As, and pick PDF. A PDF will open on almost any computer for years to come.

The trade-off: it is old software with no security updates, and it is Windows only. For files you want to keep editing, an EditMyPub conversion gives you Word and PowerPoint copies that do not depend on Publisher at all.

LibreOffice Draw (free, Windows, Mac and Linux)

LibreOffice is a free office suite. Its drawing program, Draw, can open .pub files.

Download LibreOffice from libreoffice.org and install it. (The current version when we wrote this was 26.8.1.)
Open LibreOffice, choose File > Open, and pick your .pub file. It opens in Draw.
Look over every page carefully.
To keep an editable copy, choose File > Save As and pick ODF Drawing (.odg).
To make a PDF, choose File > Export As > Export as PDF.

Things to watch for:

Which files it supports. LibreOffice's own list of file filters names "Microsoft Publisher 98-2010". Files from newer versions often open too, but check them closely.
Fonts. If the fonts from the original computer are not installed on yours, text will look different and may wrap onto extra lines. See fonts missing after converting.
Newsletters with linked text boxes. When a story flows from one box to the next (for example across three columns), LibreOffice can put the whole story into every box, so text piles up on top of itself. See why text overlaps in linked text boxes.
Tables and special effects may not come through exactly.
It is one way. LibreOffice can open .pub files but cannot save back to .pub.

The trade-off: it is free, but you have to install it, keep it updated and learn a new program. EditMyPub needs no install, re-flows linked newsletter stories, and replaces missing fonts with similar-width ones on our server while keeping the original font names in the files.

Scribus (free layout program)

Scribus is free desktop publishing software that can also import .pub files. It is closer to Publisher in spirit, but it takes more learning than Draw, and it saves in its own format. It suits people who want to keep making newsletters in a dedicated layout program.

The trade-off: another program to install and learn, and your files end up in a format few other people can open. With EditMyPub you edit in Word or PowerPoint, which most people already have.

An online converter, for a PDF or picture

If you only need to read or print the file, an online converter can turn it into a PDF or image without installing anything.

CloudConvert converts .pub to PDF, PNG, JPG or BMP. Its free plan gives a small number of conversion credits each day (10 per day when we checked).
Zamzar converts .pub to PDF, DOC and other formats. It says free converted files are stored for up to 24 hours.

A word of care: any online service, EditMyPub included, means sending your file to another company. If the file holds private details, read the privacy terms first. (EditMyPub deletes files 24 hours after upload.)

The trade-off: a PDF or picture is fine for reading, but hard to change. EditMyPub gives you editable Word and PowerPoint files as well as the PDF.

What about Google Drive?

Google Drive will store a .pub file, but Publisher files are not on Google's list of files Drive can preview, and not on its list of files Google Docs, Sheets or Slides can convert. So uploading a .pub to Drive will not let you open it. See getting a Publisher file into Google Slides for routes that do work.

Open it in software you already know

EditMyPub turns your .pub into Word and PowerPoint files you can open today, with nothing to install. Upload it, check the free watermarked preview, and only pay if you like what you see.