Open a .pub file without Publisher
Read the text and save the pictures from a Microsoft Publisher file, right in your browser. Nothing is uploaded: the file is read on your own device.
Page 1 preview
Small preview image that Publisher saved inside the file. The text and pictures below are extracted at full quality.
Text
No text was found in this file.
Pictures
PUB Converter Pro: €12.99, one time
Viewing and copying are free. Pro unlocks the three download buttons for every .pub file you open in this browser (paste the same key to unlock another browser of yours):
- PDF with the text and pictures of the publication,
- Word (.docx) with the text, ready to edit,
- ZIP with every picture at its original resolution plus a .txt file.
Honest limits: this tool extracts content, it does not rebuild the original page layout, fonts or colours. Clip art in WMF format is redrawn as SVG (shapes and colours only, no text); EMF drawings are not exported. Try your file for free first: what you see above is what the exports contain.
Get PUB Converter Pro (€12.99)
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Why .pub files no longer open
Microsoft's support page says Microsoft 365 subscribers lose access to Publisher "on or shortly after October 1, 2026", and that support for the perpetual version ends on October 13, 2026 (Microsoft Support: Publisher will no longer be supported after October 2026). The same page recommends converting existing files to PDF to view them, or to PDF then Word to edit them. No other Microsoft 365 app opens .pub files, so this viewer lets you read and convert them without Publisher.
What this viewer does
- Reads the text and photos of Publisher files. Tested so far on 12 public sample files: 11 from the Apache POI test suite (saved by Publisher 98, 2000 and 2010) and 1 from the Apache Tika test documents. Other versions use the same file structure but are not yet tested.
- Shows all the text of the publication, paragraph by paragraph, so you can copy it.
- Extracts embedded photos (JPEG and PNG) at the resolution stored in the file.
- With Pro: exports a PDF, a Word document and a ZIP of the pictures.
It is not a layout editor: if you need the exact page design back, see all the ways to open a PUB file, including free desktop apps.
Private by design
The page loads its code once from this site; reading the file needs no further connection. Your file is read with JavaScript in this tab and never sent anywhere. The page's security policy blocks connections to any other site; the only request it can make is the optional check of a Pro license key with this site.
Questions
Is it free?
Opening, reading and copying text are free and unlimited. Downloads (PDF, Word, ZIP) need the one-time Pro key.
Does it work on Mac, Chromebook or phone?
It uses only standard browser features and nothing to install. So far it has been tested in Chromium-based browsers (Chrome, Edge).
My file shows no text.
Some publications are made only of pictures, or keep their text inside drawings. Damaged files and some unusual versions may not be supported yet.