.pub
PUB files: what they are and how to open them
A PUB file is a Microsoft Publisher layout such as a flyer, brochure or newsletter. Open one offline on Android or Windows in Universal File Opener, without Publisher, with its pages, text boxes and pictures drawn as saved.
Check your Publisher file here
Nothing is uploaded. This page names the type and shows its details; to view it, use an app below.
What is a Publisher file?
Publisher is Microsoft’s desktop publishing program for print layouts: flyers, menus, cards, newsletters and calendars. A PUB file keeps each page as text boxes, pictures and shapes placed on a sheet, so it matches the printed page rather than flowing like a Word document.
Word, PowerPoint and Google Docs cannot open a PUB file. Publisher reached end of life in October 2026: it left Microsoft 365, and support for its other versions ended. Many people now have old flyers and newsletters but no Publisher to open them.
What is inside
A PUB file is a Compound File, the container old .doc and .xls files also use. It holds the paper size and page order, master pages, and fixed picture and text boxes. Text lives in stories that flow from one linked frame to the next.
Publisher places text with its own layout engine, so another reader must measure fonts itself. Universal File Opener substitutes fonts it lacks, so line breaks can shift. Text that Publisher saved but never placed follows on extra readable pages with a notice.
flyer.puba Compound File (D0 CF 11 E0 …)├─ publicationpaper size, orientation and page order├─ master pagesbackgrounds shared by pages├─ boxestext and picture frames fixed on each page├─ storiestext that flows between linked frames└─ picturesJPEG, PNG, DIB, WMF and EMF imagesHow to open a Publisher file
Windows
- Microsoft PublisherOpens and edits .pub files where it is still installed. Microsoft ended support in October 2026.
- LibreOffice DrawFree. Imports .pub files; fonts and complex layouts can come out differently.
- Universal File Opener for WindowsOursDraws the pages offline with their text boxes and pictures, and lets you search and copy the text. Read only.
Mac
- LibreOffice DrawFree. Publisher has no Mac version, and Draw can import .pub files.
Android
- Universal File OpenerOursDraws the pages offline, with search and copy for the text. Free to open and read only.
In a browser
- Microsoft 365 for the webHas no Publisher app, so it cannot open a .pub file. Ask the sender for a PDF.
Won’t open?
Word or Google Docs will not open it
Only Publisher and a few importers read .pub files. Open it in Universal File Opener on Android or Windows, or ask the sender to export a PDF from Publisher.
Fonts or spacing look different
Publisher’s own layout engine placed the text. When a font is missing the app substitutes a similar one, so line breaks can move. Compare with a PDF from the author if exact layout matters.
Some text appears on extra pages
Text that Publisher saved but never placed in a frame follows on additional readable pages with a notice.
The app refuses the file
Protected files and structures the reader does not recognize are refused. A damaged file may still show the text and pictures that can be read.
I need to edit the design
Universal File Opener is read only for Publisher. Use Publisher or LibreOffice Draw, or copy the text out and rebuild the layout in Word or PowerPoint.
Convert a Publisher file
- To PDFIn Publisher choose File, Export, Create PDF/XPS. Universal File Opener does not convert .pub files to PDF.
- To WordSave a PDF from Publisher and open it in Word, which converts it but can change the layout. Or copy the text from Universal File Opener and rebuild the pages.
Publisher files in our apps
Universal File Opener draws Publisher PUB files offline on Android and Windows, with paper size, text boxes, pictures and shapes in their saved order. Search and copy the text. The file is read only.
All Android tools and limits for Publisher files
- Draws pages with grouped picture and text boxes, linked stories, simple fills and lines. Search and copy the text.
Limits
- Fonts it lacks are substituted, so line breaks can shift, and complex shapes, advanced typography and irregular text wrapping are approximate.
- Protected files and unrecognized structures are refused.
- No editing and no PDF export.