8 November 2026

Every Way to Open .pub Files since Publisher Died in 2026

Office-Watch.com Microsoft Office Publisher and beyond

Microsoft Publisher 365 shut down in October 2026 and other Publishers are out of support leaving no official way to open your .pub files. If you have flyers, newsletters or brochures stuck in the format, you need another tool to open them, and some options are far better than others. Here’s every free and paid way to open .pub files right now, with honest notes on what each one gets right and where it breaks.

Check out How to Open .pub Files After Microsoft Publisher’s End for a summary of the .pub conversion services and which one is best for you.

Free desktop apps that open .pub files

LibreOffice Draw (Windows, Mac, Linux)

LibreOffice is the longest-standing free solution. The current release is 26.8.1. Use File | Open and the .pub file opens in Draw, then save an editable copy as .odg.

What to expect:

It’s one way only: Draw can’t save back to .pub.
Missing fonts are the most common problem, and linked text boxes, tables and fancy effects are where conversions break.
LibreOffice’s documentation officially covers Publisher 98 to 2010 files, and newer files can show layout errors.
One real-world test: a 16 page newsletter came through about 90 percent correct.

LibreOffice can also batch convert a whole folder to PDF or .odg from the Windows command prompt, which makes it the best free tool for big archives. See also How to Open Publisher Files Now That Microsoft Killed Publisher

Affinity (Windows, Mac)

Affinity now imports files from Publisher 97 onward and turns them into editable Affinity documents. It runs on PC and Mac, and the core app is free. Canva relaunched Affinity as a single free app in October 2025. Microsoft itself names Affinity in its retirement FAQ as an outside program that may be able to import Publisher files.

The catches: tables arrive as plain text, decorative borders and gradient fills are dropped, some older EMF clip art may be missing, and there’s no way to save back to .pub. It’s also a professional tool, and neither it nor Scribus is as easy as Publisher was.

Scribus (Windows, Mac, Linux)

Scribus is a proper free page layout program. It uses the same reverse-engineered libmspub library as LibreOffice, and version 1.6.6, released in April 2026, improved its Publisher import. It’s a better choice than Draw for heavier work like a 24 page magazine, but expect a learning curve.

Free browser tools to open .pub files

These run in Chrome, Edge, Safari or Firefox, so they’re handy on a Mac, Chromebook, tablet or work PC where you can’t install software. Most say your file never leaves your computer.

Warning: most are only weeks old, from small or unknown developers, and several save to their own private formats. Use them to open and convert, not as your only archive. Treat claims and especially comparison claims with care.

PubOut (view and save as PDF)

PubOut is the simplest of the lot: free, no account, no install. Drag a .pub file onto the page, see every page, then use Save as PDF through your browser’s print window. The file is processed on your computer and not uploaded, although the site counts visits with Cloudflare analytics.

Files from Publisher 2003 through 2021 and Microsoft 365 are supported. Publisher 98 and 2000 files open but are less tested and may lose borders. Publisher 97 and earlier don’t work yet, and PubOut suggests LibreOffice Draw for those.

Pubwork (view, edit and convert)

Pubwork is the most capable free browser tool. It opens files from Publisher 98 to 365 and edits text, pictures, tables and master pages. It saves to PDF, Word, PowerPoint, ODG, PNG and JPG, plus Scribus and InDesign formats. It also does batch conversion and mail merge, and keeps working offline after your first visit.

It’s open source and built on LibreOffice’s Publisher import library, so expect results similar to Draw, with a friendlier editor. Files are read inside the browser and never uploaded.

Online .pub file viewers and converters

Aspose PUB Viewer shows each page and lets you save pages as images. It can’t edit, and Aspose says uploaded files are deleted after 24 hours. Aspose also has a separate converter for PDF and image formats.

Zamzar’s PUB viewer shows your file’s pages in the browser. Its converter turns .pub files into formats including ODT, HTML and images.

Both send your file to someone else’s server. That’s fine for a club flyer, not for anything confidential.

Paid tools to open .pub files

PubKeep (Windows, Mac), $149

[PubKeep](https://pubkeep.com/desktop/) is the most Publisher-like replacement. The developer says it opens files from Publisher 2000 through Microsoft 365 with the ribbon and menus where Publisher had them. It does a reasonable job keeping layouts and lists missing fonts so you can install them.

It costs $149 for a single user, with a seven-day free trial, and the Windows version is in the Microsoft Store. Edits are saved in a .pubk format.

The same company runs PubKeep Converter, a web tool that batch converts .pub files to PDF. The first three files are free, then you buy credit packs that don’t expire.

Korva (Windows, Mac, Linux), free or $49

Korva works offline with no account. The developer says it opens files from Publisher 2003 to 2021 and Microsoft 365 with text boxes, pictures and tables where they were laid out. Opening and editing are free, as is exporting your first project without a watermark. Korva Pro is $49 once, for one computer, and adds unlimited projects, editable saves, mail merge, master pages and whole folder conversion.

One directory listing warns complex layouts may need cleanup after import.

CorelDRAW Graphics Suite (Windows)

CorelDRAW imports only Publisher 2002, 2003, 2007 and 2010 files. It can’t export to .pub and splits two-page spreads into separate pages. Master pages arrive as separate layers. It’s far too expensive to buy just for this, but the 15-day free trial could handle a single rescue job.

Tools that can’t open .pub files

Word and PowerPoint can’t open .pub files directly. Canva has no direct import either; you’d have to convert to PDF or images first. Microsoft’s official route, Publisher to PDF then PDF to Word, needs Publisher. Office Watch’s own test of that method wasn’t impressive.

More on Publisher’s End and What Comes Next

For a quick-pick recommendation instead of the full rundown, How to Open .pub Files After Microsoft Publisher’s End compares the conversion services side by side and tells you which one suits your situation.

If you want a step-by-step walkthrough of the best free option, How to Open Publisher Files Now That Microsoft Killed Publisher walks through LibreOffice Draw from first open to finished PDF.

Publisher’s shutdown was just one of eight deadlines that hit in the same month. October 2026 Office Changes: Publisher Dies, Office 2021 Support Ends covers every cutoff, including the end of Office 2021 support and the Exchange Web Services block, so you can check whether anything else affects you.

If you still have a perpetual Office license and want to keep Publisher running a while longer, Microsoft Publisher Ends October 2026: How to Keep It Working explains which versions still open and which are already dead, and How to Install Only Publisher and Skip the Rest of Microsoft Office shows how to install just Publisher without dragging in the full suite.