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Open a PUB file online, without Publisher

Microsoft has retired Publisher, but your .pub files still open here: see every page in your browser and save it as PDF or PNG. The file is read on your device and never uploaded.

Drop your .pub file here

or

Your file stays on this device: it is read here, in your browser, and never uploaded.

Microsoft Publisher files (best from Publisher 2002 on), up to 150 MB. Choose several files to convert them all to PDF at once (a paid feature). During the launch, that is free too.

How it works

  1. Choose the .pub file

    Drop it on the box above or choose it. It is read by code running in this page; nothing is sent anywhere.

  2. Look through the pages

    Every page is drawn with its text, pictures and shapes. Zoom in, go from page to page, or show the text of a page to copy it.

  3. Save it

    Save the page you see as a PNG image, or the whole file as a PDF. Files of up to two pages are free as PDF; longer files, all pages as PNG and batches of files need a paid plan (free during the launch).

Publisher files, explained

What a .pub file is

A .pub file is a document made with Microsoft Publisher, Microsoft’s page-layout program for Windows: newsletters, flyers, brochures, greeting and business cards, church bulletins, menus, certificates and event programs. It keeps every text box, picture and shape where it was placed on the page.

Microsoft never published the format: the open-source readers, including the one this page uses, were built by reverse engineering. Only Publisher for Windows opens it fully; Word, PowerPoint, Pages, Google Docs and phones cannot open it at all, which is why a .pub file you receive or find in an old folder often just won’t open.

Publisher was retired in October 2026

Publisher reached its end of life in October 2026. Microsoft 365 subscribers could use it until October 1, 2026, and lost it on or shortly after that date: they can no longer open or edit .pub files in Publisher. Support for Publisher 2021, the last one-time-purchase (perpetual) version, ended on October 13, 2026; Publisher 2016 and 2019 had already lost support on October 14, 2025. Copies that are still installed keep opening and editing your files, but get no more security updates.

Microsoft’s advice is to convert your Publisher files to PDF (and, to edit them, open the PDF in Word). If you still have Publisher, File → Save As → PDF gives the most faithful result. If you don’t, this page shows your files and turns them into PDF or PNG.

What this viewer does

  • Opens files from Publisher 98 to Publisher for Microsoft 365. Files from Publisher 2002 and later give the best results; files from Publisher 98 and 2000 lose their font names and the text of their tables. Older files, from Publisher 97 and before, may not open.
  • Draws every page: text with its sizes, colors, bold and italic, alignment and columns; shapes, lines and fills; pictures (JPEG, PNG, GIF, BMP) and clip art in WMF or EMF; tables.
  • Shows the text of each page, so you can select and copy it.
  • Saves the page you see as a PNG image, free.
  • Saves the whole file as a PDF with selectable text, free for files of up to two pages. Text in a script the PDF fonts do not cover, such as Chinese or Arabic, is placed in the PDF as a picture.
  • Longer files as PDF, all pages as PNG images in one ZIP, and many .pub files converted at once are paid: a 30-day pass or a yearly plan. During the launch they are free too.

What can look different

Publisher lays out its pages itself, and the file does not record everything it does. The pages here are rebuilt from what the file contains, and some things come out differently. The viewer lists the ones it finds in your file; in general:

  • Fonts. So that the page on screen, the PNG and the PDF match, text is drawn with Arial (or Helvetica), Times New Roman or Courier New instead of the fonts the file names: narrower for condensed fonts, in italic for script fonts. Lines can break in slightly different places, and a box that would overflow is drawn with slightly smaller type.
  • Linked text boxes. When a story continues from one box to another, the file does not say in which order. The viewer fills the boxes page by page, in the order they were created, which is usually right. Where the chain cannot be matched, the same story may repeat in each box.
  • Shapes look the same, but each is saved as a plain drawing: in the PDF, a rounded rectangle or a star can no longer be edited as that shape.
  • Effects. Simple shadows on shapes are drawn with a hard edge. Soft and perspective shadows, text shadows, glow, reflection, soft edges and 3-D effects are not reproduced.
  • Colors. CMYK and spot (Pantone) colors are shown as screen colors (RGB). For commercial printing, use a PDF made by Publisher itself.
  • Missing: WordArt text, hyperlinks (the text stays, but it no longer links anywhere) and anything left in Publisher’s scratch area outside the pages. Automatic page numbers show as #.
  • Master pages are merged into each page, and text wrapping around pictures is recreated approximately.
  • Pictures in TIFF or PICT format are shown as gray boxes. Clip art in WMF/EMF is redrawn by this viewer and can differ in small details. Tables in Publisher 98 and 2000 files lose their text.

What it does not do

  • It does not edit your file or save it back as .pub.
  • It does not convert to Word (.docx). To edit the content, save a PDF here and open it in Word, as Microsoft suggests, or open the .pub file in LibreOffice Draw.
  • It does not repair damaged files. It shows what it can read, and says when a file is damaged.

Other ways to open a .pub file

  • Publisher itself, if a perpetual version is still installed somewhere: File → Save As → PDF.
  • LibreOffice Draw (free, for Windows, Mac and Linux) opens many .pub files with the same open-source reader this page uses, and can export them to PDF or edit them, though not always faithfully.
  • Ask the sender for a PDF if the file was sent to you: anyone with Publisher can make one in a minute.

Your file stays on your device

Newsletters and flyers often carry names, addresses and phone numbers. Here the file is read by code running in your browser; no code on the page sends the file or its name anywhere, not even to our own domain. The PDF and PNG files are made in the page too.

Microsoft and Publisher are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. CantOpen is not affiliated with Microsoft.

Frequently asked questions

How do I open a .pub file without Publisher?

Drop it on this page: its pages appear in your browser, and you can save them as PDF or PNG. It works on Windows, Mac, Chromebook, iPad and phones, with nothing to install. LibreOffice Draw, a free desktop program, opens many .pub files too.

Can I convert a PUB file to PDF for free?

Yes, for files of up to two pages, such as flyers, cards and two-sided brochures: open the file and press “Save as PDF”. Each page can also be saved as a PNG image for free, whatever the number of pages. Longer files need a paid plan (free during the launch).

Is my file uploaded?

No. It is read by code running in your browser and never leaves your device. No code on the page sends the file or its name anywhere, not even to our own domain.

Why does my file look a little different from Publisher?

Publisher lays out pages itself, and the file does not carry everything it does. The fonts are replaced with similar ones, so lines can break differently; linked text boxes are filled in the most likely order; and a few things are lost: WordArt text, automatic page numbers (shown as #) and CMYK colors, which become screen colors. The viewer lists what it noticed in your file under “What may look different in this file”, above the page.

What happened to Microsoft Publisher?

Microsoft retired it in October 2026. Microsoft 365 subscribers lost it on or shortly after October 1, 2026, and support for Publisher 2021, the last one-time-purchase version, ended on October 13, 2026 (Publisher 2016 and 2019 had lost support in October 2025). Installed copies still work, without updates. Microsoft recommends converting Publisher files to PDF.

Can I edit the file or convert it to Word?

Not here: this is a viewer. Save a PDF and open it in Word (Word converts PDFs into editable documents, with some layout changes), or open the .pub file in LibreOffice Draw, which can open and edit it, though not always faithfully.

Which Publisher versions can it open?

Files from Publisher 2002 to Publisher for Microsoft 365 give the best results. Files from Publisher 98 and 2000 open, but their font names and the text of their tables are lost. Older files, from Publisher 97 and before, may not open.

My .pub file is not a Publisher file. What is it?

Other programs use .pub too. The most common is an SSH public key (id_rsa.pub or id_ed25519.pub): one line of text that opens in any text editor, such as Notepad or TextEdit. If you are not sure, the “What is this file?” tool on our home page looks at its contents.

Why are some pictures gray boxes?

Those pictures are stored as TIFF or PICT, which browsers cannot draw, or they are damaged. Everything else on the page is still shown. If you need them, open the file in Publisher or LibreOffice.

Can I convert many .pub files at once?

Yes: choose several .pub files together and you get one PDF per file in a ZIP. It runs in your browser like the viewer. Converting batches is paid (a 30-day pass or a yearly plan); during the launch it is free too.

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