Pricing

How to open a .pub file without Publisher

Microsoft removed Publisher from Microsoft 365 on October 1, 2026. Your .pub files are still on your computer, but no current Microsoft app opens them. Here are your options, free ones first.

Option 1: Use a computer that still has Publisher

One-time-purchase copies of Publisher (2016, 2019, 2021) should still launch even though support ended on October 13, 2026. If any computer in your office has one:

  1. Open the .pub file in Publisher.
  2. Choose File > Save As (or Export) > PDF for a copy that keeps the layout.
  3. Save again as Word document (.docx) if you'll need to edit it.

Do your templates and anything you reuse first, while that computer still works.

Option 2: Open it in LibreOffice (free)

LibreOffice is a free office suite for Windows and Mac. Its Draw app reads most .pub files.

  1. Install LibreOffice from libreoffice.org.
  2. Open LibreOffice, choose File > Open and pick your .pub file. It opens in Draw.
  3. Check each page against a printout or an old PDF if you have one.
  4. Choose File > Export as PDF.
What to watch for: fonts you don't have get swapped for similar ones, which can push text out of its box. Very old files (Publisher 95 to 98) can lose formatting. Some files come in with an extra blank page at the end.

Option 3: Ask whoever sent it

If someone emailed you a .pub file, ask them for a PDF. It's the format almost everyone can open.

If you have a lot of files

Opening files one at a time is fine for a few. For a folder of years of newsletters or bulletins, it adds up fast, and every file still needs checking.

Rather not do it yourself? Send us your .pub files and get back a PDF and a Word copy (text editable) of each one, checked page by page. $19 for up to 10 files, $49 for up to 100.

See pricing

More guides