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PUBExport

About PubExport

What this is

PubExport is a free tool that opens Microsoft Publisher .pub files and converts them to PDF, JPG, PNG, editable SVG, Word, plain text and Markdown, and extracts the pictures inside them. It runs as a web page, in your own browser, with no account and no upload, and it converts a whole folder at a time.

Why it exists

Microsoft is retiring Publisher in October 2026, and nothing else in Office opens a .pub file. The free converters that rank for “pub to pdf” upload your file to their server, cap it at a few megabytes and do one file at a time, which is no help to a church office or a school with ten years of newsletters.

How it works

The Publisher format is read by libmspub, the open-source reader from the Document Liberation Project that LibreOffice uses, compiled to WebAssembly so it runs inside the browser tab. The page then lays out the text with open fonts that have the same letter widths as the common Windows fonts (Liberation, Carlito, Caladea), and draws each page as SVG, PDF or an image on your computer. See the credits and licences.

Who makes it

PubExport is built and maintained by a small independent team that publishes a handful of single-purpose file tools. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to Microsoft. Microsoft Publisher is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation.

How it is funded

Ads on the pages. The converter is free to use with no page limit, file limit or watermark. If a paid feature is ever added, the conversions on this page stay free.

Limitations we admit to

  • Text that wraps around pictures in Publisher is laid out as a plain box here, so it can overlap the picture.
  • WordArt, some gradient styles and picture effects are simplified.
  • Publisher 1.0 to 95 files, and a few unusual layouts, can't be read. The page says so rather than producing a blank file.
  • Without the original fonts installed, text is drawn in look-alike fonts, so a line can break a word earlier or later than in Publisher.

Contact

Questions, bug reports or a format request: see the contact page.