You double-click a flyer, a newsletter or a club certificate you made years ago, and Windows asks which app to use. Or Microsoft 365 tells you Publisher is no longer available. The file is still there, but the program that made it is gone.
The good news: you can still open it, for free. The honest news: only Publisher itself opens .pub files perfectly, so it helps to know which way gets closest, and what to check afterwards.
Why .pub files suddenly don’t open
A .pub file is Microsoft Publisher’s own format, and Microsoft never published how it works. Almost nothing else reads it: your browser can’t show it, your phone can’t preview it, and Google Docs, Word and most design programs refuse it.
Microsoft retired Publisher in October 2026, in two steps:
- From 1 October 2026, Publisher is no longer part of Microsoft 365. Subscribers can’t open or edit .pub files with it.
- Office 2021 and Office LTSC 2021, the last versions that include Publisher, were supported until 13 October 2026. Publisher keeps working where it is installed, but it has had no security updates since then. Office 2024 doesn’t include Publisher at all.
Microsoft’s own advice is to turn your publications into PDFs (and into Word documents if you need to keep editing). That is also the best long-term answer: a PDF opens on every computer and phone, and keeps the page exactly as it looked.
Way 1: Save as PDF in Publisher, if any computer still has it
This gives the best result, because Publisher reads its own files perfectly. Look for Publisher 2021, 2019 or 2016 on your own computers, an old laptop, or a family member’s or office computer. A copy installed from Office (not Microsoft 365) still opens, even though its support has ended.
- Open the .pub file in Publisher.
- Go to File, then Export, then Create PDF/XPS Document, and press Create PDF/XPS.
- Choose where to save it, check that Save as type says PDF, and press Publish.
If you have a lot of files, this is worth an afternoon now: every PDF you make while Publisher still runs is one less file you’ll struggle with later.
Way 2: LibreOffice Draw (free, Windows, Mac and Linux)
LibreOffice is a free office suite, and its drawing program, Draw, can open .pub files and save them as PDF. It is the most common answer for anyone without Publisher, and the only one that works on a Mac too (Publisher never existed for Mac).
- Download LibreOffice from its official site, libreoffice.org, and install it. It is free; you don’t need to pay or sign up anywhere.
- Open LibreOffice Draw, go to File, then Open, and choose your .pub file. (On Windows you can also right-click the file, choose Open with, then LibreOffice Draw.)
- Look through every page. If it looks right, go to File, then Export As, then Export as PDF, and save.
LibreOffice rebuilds the page from what it can read in the file, so check the result before you rely on it:
- WordArt (decorative text) often goes missing or comes out as plain text.
- Fonts your computer doesn’t have are replaced with others, so lines may break in different places.
- Some effects, complex tables and text that flows between boxes can come out changed, especially in files saved by the newest Publisher versions. LibreOffice lists Publisher 98 to 2010 files as the ones it reads; newer files usually open too, with more gaps.
You can edit the page in Draw before saving it, for example to fix a line that wrapped differently. It is fine for small corrections, but it isn’t a full desktop publishing program.
Way 3: An online converter, for files without personal details
Searching for this problem also turns up websites that convert .pub to PDF online, and paid viewer apps. They usually use the same kind of reader as LibreOffice, so expect the same gaps.
What sets it apart is privacy: an online converter uploads your file to someone else’s server. That is fine for a bake sale flyer. For anything with names, addresses, phone numbers or other people’s details, such as a membership list or a school newsletter with children’s names, use Way 1 or Way 2, which keep the file on your computer.
Things that don’t work
You will find these suggested online, so it is worth saying plainly:
- Renaming the file to .pdf or .docx doesn’t convert it. The file just stops opening anywhere.
- Word, Google Docs and Canva can’t open .pub files. They can open the PDF you make with Way 1 or Way 2, which is how you move a publication into them.
- Changing the file to .zip to get at the pictures doesn’t work either: a .pub file isn’t a zip archive, unlike a .docx.
What to do with the PDF next
Once you have a PDF, the rest is easy, and each of these works in your browser without uploading the file anywhere:
- Change a date or a few words: Edit PDF changes the existing text in place, keeping the layout.
- Email it or upload it: Compress PDF makes a file full of photos much smaller.
- Keep a collection in one file: Merge PDF joins your converted PDFs, for example a whole year of newsletters.
- Share it in a post or a chat: PDF to JPG turns each page into a picture.
If you need to keep designing
A PDF is for viewing, printing and small changes. If you keep reworking a design, you’ll need a new program, and none of them opens .pub files perfectly:
- Scribus (free) is a real desktop publishing program. Recent versions import .pub files with the same reader as LibreOffice, so expect the same gaps.
- Word is Microsoft’s suggested replacement for simple flyers and newsletters. It opens the PDF and turns it into a document you can edit, though a designed page may shift.
- Canva and Affinity Publisher can import the PDF and let you rework it from there. Fonts may need fixing by hand.
Whichever you choose, keep a PDF of every finished design. It is the one format you can be sure will still open in ten years.
Frequently asked questions
What is a .pub file?
A publication made with Microsoft Publisher: a flyer, newsletter, card, certificate or brochure. Only Publisher was ever built to open it.
Can I open a .pub file on my phone?
Not directly. No phone app reads it reliably. Convert it to PDF on a computer first (Way 1 or Way 2), and the PDF will open on any phone.
Can I convert many .pub files at once?
In Publisher, one at a time. LibreOffice can convert a whole folder in one go from the command line, which is quicker for a large collection if you are comfortable with that; otherwise, open and export them one by one.
Is it safe to keep using Publisher 2021 now that its support has ended?
It keeps working, but it has had no security fixes since 13 October 2026. Use it to convert your own files, and be careful opening .pub files that someone else sends you.
Will Microsoft convert my files for me?
No. Nothing converts automatically: your files stay in .pub format until you convert them yourself.