Convert a PUB file to Word
Get the text of a Microsoft Publisher .pub file into an editable Word document, without Publisher and without uploading the file. Microsoft's own advice for editing old Publisher files is to convert them, first to PDF then to Word (Microsoft Support); this tool skips the PDF step for the text.
Steps
- Open the PUB viewer and pick your .pub file. It is read in your browser.
- Check the text shown on screen. You can copy it for free.
- Click Download Word (.docx) to get one paragraph per paragraph of the publication (Pro key, €12.99 one time).
What you get in the .docx
All the text of the publication, in reading order, as plain editable paragraphs. The .docx opens in Word, Google Docs, Pages and LibreOffice Writer. Layout, columns, fonts and pictures are not carried into the Word file. Pictures come separately at full resolution in the ZIP export.
Free ways to do it
If you have time to install software, LibreOffice can open many .pub files in Draw (LibreOffice reads .pub files through the open-source libmspub library), and you can copy the text from there. If you still have Publisher 2016 to 2021, you can copy the text into Word or save it as PDF. See all the ways to open a PUB file.
Why Word rather than a new Publisher file
Publisher is no longer part of Microsoft 365, so a .docx (or a PDF) is the safest format to keep a newsletter, flyer or bulletin editable for the years ahead.