How to get a Microsoft Publisher file into Google Slides

Google Slides is free, works in a web browser, and is easy to share with other volunteers. It makes a handy home for flyers and one-page layouts. The catch is that Google cannot open .pub files, so you need a stepping stone. The easiest one is EditMyPub, which also runs in your browser.

Why uploading the .pub file does not work

You can store any kind of file in Google Drive, including a .pub file. But Publisher files are not on Google's list of files Drive can preview, and they are not on the list of files that can be converted into Google Docs, Sheets or Slides. So the file will sit in Drive, but you cannot open or edit it there.

What Google Slides can convert is a PowerPoint file (.pptx or .ppt) or an OpenDocument presentation (.odp). So the plan is: turn the .pub into something Slides understands, then upload that.

The easy way: EditMyPub, then Google Slides

EditMyPub turns a .pub file into a PowerPoint (.pptx) file with editable text boxes, one slide per page at the original page size. Like Google Slides, it works in any web browser, so it suits a Chromebook as well as Windows or Mac. Nothing to install.

Upload your .pub file at editmypub.com.
Check the free watermarked preview.
Download the .zip. Along with the .pptx, you get Word (.docx), LibreOffice Draw (.odg), a PDF and page images.
Upload the .pptx to Google Drive and double-click it. Google opens it in Slides.
To keep a Google Slides copy, choose File > Save as Google Slides.

For multi-column newsletters, EditMyPub re-flows each linked story through its boxes in reading order, so the text does not pile up. You also get a list of the fonts your file uses. One file is $12 ($39 for 10, $99 for 50), with a full refund within 30 days. Many files? Use bulk upload.

Some things to expect:

Pictures arrive as picture-filled shapes, not ordinary pictures.
Text that wrapped around a picture follows its outline in small steps, using extra text boxes.
Tables, WordArt and effects may come through as plain shapes or text.
If the original fonts are not available, text may wrap differently. See fonts missing after converting.

Google lists a few things that do not carry over from Office files, such as macros, and says embedded charts and videos become images. Google also says presentations converted to Slides can be up to 100 MB.

Other ways

Page pictures plus new text

The old text becomes part of a picture, so this only suits jobs like changing a date or a name and reprinting.

Install LibreOffice (free for Windows, Mac and Linux) and open the .pub file in LibreOffice Draw. See how to open a .pub file.
Export each page as a picture: File > Export, then choose PNG.
In Google Slides, set the slide to your page size: File > Page setup, choose Custom, and enter the size (for example 8.5 by 11 inches).
Insert the picture and stretch it to fill the slide.
Add text boxes on top for the words you want to change.

The trade-off: you have to install and learn a desktop program, and none of the original text stays editable. EditMyPub gives you page images too, but also a .pptx where the text is still in text boxes.

Rebuild the slide by hand

For a simple flyer, you can copy the text out of LibreOffice Draw and rebuild it in Slides. Save the pictures out of the old file first so you can reuse them. The trade-off: it takes time for every page, and you still need LibreOffice to get the text out. EditMyPub starts you with the layout already in place, so you only change what you need.

Another online PUB to PPTX converter

Aspose offers a free online PUB to PPTX converter. Its page says files are deleted after 24 hours. When we tried it on October 21, 2026, it returned server errors. The trade-off: stories that flow through linked boxes are the main thing free converters get wrong, so check newsletters closely. EditMyPub re-flows those stories in reading order.

What about LibreOffice files?

LibreOffice opens .pub files in Draw and saves them as .odg drawings. Google's conversion list does not include .odg, and Draw does not save to PowerPoint format. So a Draw file alone will not get you into Slides.

Ready to try it?

Upload your .pub file and look at the free watermarked preview before you decide. Converting a whole folder of flyers? Bulk upload takes up to 50 files or one .zip.