Convert PUB to PDF
Upload a Microsoft Publisher .pub file and get a PDF back in a few seconds, with a preview of the first page before you download. It works without Publisher, on Windows, Mac or a phone. Since 1 October 2026, Microsoft 365 no longer opens Publisher files, so converting them to PDF is the simplest way to keep the newsletters, flyers and bulletins they hold readable.
Unlike our PDF tools, this one uploads your file, because browsers cannot read the Publisher format. It is converted on our server and deleted as soon as you have the PDF.
What happened to Microsoft Publisher
Microsoft retired Publisher in October 2026. What that means for your files depends on how you got Publisher:
- Microsoft 365 subscription: since 1 October 2026, Publisher no longer opens or edits .pub files.
- One-time purchase: Publisher still opens and edits your files, but support ended on 13 October 2026.
Your .pub files are not deleted. They sit on your computer, OneDrive or SharePoint as before; you need something other than Publisher to read them. Searching for “.pub” in File Explorer or OneDrive finds them, and converting each one to PDF keeps it readable on any device.
What converts well, and what doesn’t
The converter reads Publisher files from Publisher 98 onward using LibreOffice’s open-source Publisher import, the same engine most online .pub converters run. We tested it on sample files saved by Publisher 98, 2000 and 2010:
- Converts well: flyers, brochures, cards, certificates and single-page layouts. Text, pictures, shapes and colours come through.
- Can go wrong: newsletters where one article flows through several linked text boxes. The continued text can overlap the next column.
- Fonts: Arial, Times New Roman, Calibri and Cambria are replaced with free look-alikes that have the same letter widths, so lines break in the same places. Other fonts are swapped for a similar one, which can change where lines break.
If a page comes out wrong and you still have a computer with Publisher, open the file there and use File › Save As › PDF. That is Microsoft’s own recommended route and gives an exact copy.
Other ways to open a .pub file
- Publisher, if you still have a one-time-purchase copy: File › Save As › PDF.
- LibreOffice Draw (free, Windows, Mac and Linux): opens .pub files directly and lets you edit text. It uses the same import engine as this converter, so expect the same layout quirks.
- Word, for editing: convert to PDF here, then open the PDF in Word. Word turns it into an editable document, reflowing the layout as it does.
Frequently asked questions
What is a .pub file?
A .pub file is a document made in Microsoft Publisher, the desktop-publishing program in some Microsoft Office editions. Newsletters, flyers, brochures, cards and church bulletins are the usual contents. The format is Microsoft-only: Word, Google Docs and Preview on a Mac cannot open it.
Why won’t my Publisher files open any more?
Microsoft retired Publisher. Since 1 October 2026, Microsoft 365 subscribers can no longer open or edit .pub files in Publisher. If you bought Publisher outright as a one-time purchase, it still opens your files, but Microsoft ended support for it on 13 October 2026, so it gets no further security updates.
Is my file uploaded?
Yes. This is the one tool on PDFNavigator that does not run in your browser, because no browser can read the Publisher format. Your file is sent over HTTPS to our conversion server, converted, and deleted as soon as the PDF is sent back to you. We keep no copy, and the server logs record only the file size and how long the conversion took, not the file name or its contents.
Will the PDF look exactly like the original?
It is usually close to the original but not always identical. Simple flyers, cards and brochures convert well. Newsletters that flow one story through several linked text boxes can come out with overlapping text, and fonts you do not have are swapped for ones with the same letter widths. The preview shows page 1 before you download, so you can see the result first.
How do I open a .pub file on a Mac?
There has never been a Mac version of Publisher. Convert the file to PDF here and open it in Preview, or install the free LibreOffice suite, whose Draw program opens .pub files directly.
Can I convert a Publisher file to Word?
Not directly. Microsoft’s own advice is to convert to PDF first, then open that PDF in Word, which turns it into an editable document. Expect the layout to move: Word reflows the text to make it editable, and pages with many images or text boxes shift the most.
Is there a limit?
Files can be up to 30 MB, and each visitor can convert 20 files an hour. There is no account, no watermark and no charge.