Microsoft Publisher was retired on October 1, 2026. Microsoft 365 no longer opens .pub files, so old newsletters, flyers and cards made in Publisher suddenly won't open. Here are your options.
| Option | Cost | File leaves your PC? | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Ask the sender for a PDF | Free | No | A single file someone sent you |
| 2. A desktop PUB viewer | Free to view | No | Viewing and saving as PDF quickly |
| 3. LibreOffice Draw | Free | No | Editing, if you don't mind a full office suite |
| 4. An older Publisher you already own | — | No | Converting your own files |
| 5. Online PUB converters | Free | Yes, uploaded | Non-sensitive files |
If someone sent you a .pub file, ask them to send a PDF instead. Everyone can open a PDF. This doesn't help with old files you already have.
A viewer app opens the .pub file on your PC and shows each page. Look for one that shows the real layout, not just the extracted text.
Our own PUB File Viewer for Windows is free to open and read .pub files, with each page shown as close to the original as possible. A one-time Pro upgrade ($4.99) adds saving as PDF or PNG, saving all pictures, converting many files at once, and printing. Files never leave your PC. Get it from the Microsoft Store.
LibreOffice is a free office suite. Its Draw program can open many .pub files and lets you edit and export them. It is a large download if you only need to view a file, and layouts can differ from the original.
If a computer still has a standalone Publisher (2016, 2019 or 2021) installed, it may still open your files. Use it to save each file as PDF while you can. Publisher is no longer sold or supported.
Some websites convert .pub to PDF in the browser. They are convenient, but you upload your file to someone else's server. Avoid them for anything personal or confidential.
No. The formats are different inside. Renaming gives you an error.
Word never opened Publisher files. Only Publisher, or a separate viewer or converter, can read them.
Other files also use .pub, most often SSH public keys (for example id_rsa.pub). Those are plain text — open them with Notepad.