Convert a .pub file to PDF
PDF is the safest place to keep a Publisher file once Publisher is gone: it prints exactly, opens everywhere and never needs a licence. Drop your .pub here and you get one PDF per publication, every page at its real size, with the fonts embedded. Drop a folder and every newsletter, bulletin and flyer in it is converted in one go.
Drop .pub files or a whole folder here
Converted in this browser tab. Nothing is uploaded.
The file you get
One .pdf per publication, same page size and page count as in Publisher, with text kept as real text (you can search it and copy from it) and pictures at full resolution. Several files download together as one .zip.
Steps
- Drop the
.pubfile, several files, or a whole folder on the box above. Everything is read by JavaScript in this browser tab; the files never leave your computer. - PDF is already selected. Add JPG or Word too if you want them in the same download.
- Click Convert and download. A single file downloads as a PDF; several arrive as a ZIP.
What carries over
- Page size and orientation, every page
- Text boxes with their fonts, sizes, colours, bold, italic and underline
- Linked text boxes: a story that flows across columns stays in its columns
- Pictures, clip art (WMF/EMF), shapes, lines, fills and tables
- Title and author from the file's properties
Good to know
- The page layout, text, fonts, colours, shapes, tables and pictures come across. Text that wraps around a picture, WordArt effects and some gradient styles are simplified. Fonts are replaced by open look-alikes with the same letter widths unless you have the original fonts installed.
- Files from Publisher 98 through 2021 and Microsoft 365 are supported. Publisher 1.0 to 95 files, and a few unusual layouts, can't be read; the page says so instead of handing you a blank file.
Questions
Is my file uploaded anywhere?
No. The converter is compiled to WebAssembly and runs in this browser tab. Open DevTools, go to the Network tab and convert a file: nothing carrying your file goes out. After the page has loaded you can even disconnect from the internet and it still works.
Do I need Publisher installed?
No. The
.pub file is read directly, without Publisher, Office or a Microsoft account. It works on Windows, Mac, Chromebook and Linux in Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Safari.Why is this better than the free online PUB to PDF sites?
Those upload your file to their server and most cap it at a few megabytes and one file at a time. Here the file stays on your computer, there is no size cap, and a whole folder converts in one click.
Will the PDF look exactly like it did in Publisher?
Very close, not pixel-identical. Positions, sizes and colours are exact; fonts are swapped for metric-compatible open fonts when you don't have the originals, so a line can occasionally break one word earlier or later. Check the preview before you download.
Is it free? What's the catch?
It's free, with no page limit, no watermark and no sign-up. The conversion runs on your computer, so there is no server bill to recover; ads on the page pay for the site.