How-to guide
How to open a .pub file without Microsoft Publisher.
A .pub file is a Microsoft Publisher document, and with Publisher shutting down in 2026, plenty of people need to open one without it. There are a few ways. Which is right depends on one question: do you want to keep the file exactly as it is, or keep editing it?
Short answer: to keep a .pub exactly as it looks and read or share it anywhere, convert it to PDF. To keep editing it, open it in a Publisher alternative or the PubKeep desktop app. For a folder of files, convert them in bulk rather than one at a time.
Five ways
Every method, honestly.
Ranked by how well each one keeps your work. The first is best if you mainly need your pages preserved.
Convert it to PDF
Best for keeping your pagesThe most reliable way to keep a Publisher file. A PDF holds every page exactly as Publisher drew it and opens on any phone, computer, or tablet, with no special app. PubKeep makes exact PDFs, page for page and font for font, and takes a whole folder at once.
- Nothing to install. Drop your files in the browser and download PDFs.
- Bulk by design: a folder of .pub files, subfolders and all, in one go.
- Exact output, with bleeds and rotated frames intact, nothing re-flowed.
- First 2 files free with just your email. A $49 pack covers 250 files, about 20 cents each.
Open it in LibreOffice Draw
Free, editable, imperfectLibreOffice is a free, open-source office suite, and its Draw app can open and edit many .pub files. It is a real option if you want to keep editing and do not mind fixing things up. Because it reads the closed Publisher format from the outside, fonts get substituted and spacing shifts, so complex bulletins and booklets often need cleanup.
- Free and available for Windows, macOS, and Linux.
- Good for simple, one-off files you are willing to touch up.
- Fidelity varies file to file, and it opens one at a time.
Use an old copy of Publisher, if you have one
StopgapIf a perpetual Publisher 2016, 2019, or 2021 is still installed somewhere, it opens .pub files perfectly, because it is the real thing. Treat it as a bridge, not a plan: Microsoft ends support on October 13, 2026, and the app is tied to that one aging machine. Use it to open your files and convert them while you still can.
Convert to Word
Microsoft's suggestion, with caveatsMicrosoft points people toward Word. It can work for a plain, text-heavy document, but Publisher layouts do not map onto Word, so multi-column pages, precise placement, and fold-over booklets tend to fall apart. If your file is a designed page, a PDF will keep it far more faithfully than Word will.
Keep editing natively with PubKeep desktop
Early accessIf you need to keep changing your files after Publisher is gone, the PubKeep desktop app opens the .pub format on its own, with no copy of Publisher and no Windows required. It keeps your layouts editable and exports print-ready PDF. It is in early access now.
Still deciding?
Pick by what you need.
You want to read, share, or archive the file. Convert it to PDF. It is the one format that keeps the page exactly and opens everywhere, and it is the format Microsoft itself recommends for keeping your work.
You have a whole folder of files. Do not open them one at a time. Convert the folder in bulk so you keep the same structure and get a report of anything that needs a second look.
You need to keep editing. Use a Publisher alternative for new work, or the PubKeep desktop app to reopen your existing .pub files. See Microsoft Publisher alternatives for the full rundown.
Questions
Opening .pub files, answered.
Yes. LibreOffice Draw is free and will open most .pub files, though the layout may shift. PubKeep converts your first 2 files to exact PDFs free, with just your email.
Only if you keep it as a fixed page. Converting to PDF keeps every page exactly as Publisher drew it, page for page and font for font. Tools that reopen the file for editing, like LibreOffice Draw or Word, usually reflow the text and break the design.
Most tools open one file at a time. PubKeep takes a whole folder at once, subfolders included, and returns a matching zip of PDFs plus a report of anything that failed.
A PDF is a finished page, not an editable layout. To keep editing your .pub files, use the PubKeep desktop app, which opens the Publisher format natively without needing Publisher installed.
No. None of these methods require Publisher. PubKeep converts your files without it, and the PubKeep desktop app reads the .pub format on its own.
Keep reading
Related guides.
Microsoft Publisher end of life
The dates, what changes, and the three ways to keep your work.
Microsoft Publisher alternatives
What to move to, for editing versus just keeping your files.
Publisher for churches and nonprofits
Save years of bulletins and newsletters before the deadline.
Convert .pub to PDF
The bulk converter, pricing, and how it works.
Ten minutes
Open your .pub files by converting them.
First 2 files free, just your email. See how the converter works.