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Free · No sign-up

Open and edit Publisher files online. Free.

Microsoft Publisher has been retired, but your flyers, newsletters and certificates don't have to be. Free Pub Editor opens .pub files right in your browser and keeps them editable.

Open a .pub file Start from a template

No download. No sign-up. Your files never leave your device.

The Free Pub Editor workspace showing a garage sale flyer with page thumbnails, rulers in millimetres and a formatting panel

Opens files from every Publisher since 2002

  • Publisher 2002
  • 2003
  • 2007
  • 2010
  • 2013
  • 2016
  • 2019
  • 2021
  • Microsoft 365
A garage sale flyer open in Free Pub Editor with a rotated text box selected and its font, size and colour settings in the side panel
Your layout, kept

Open your .pub files just as you left them

Text boxes, pictures, shapes, lines, tables, master pages and backgrounds open where you put them, with their fonts, colours and borders.

  • Double-click text to change it, swap pictures, move boxes and change colours, just like in Publisher.
  • Pictures saved in the old Windows WMF and EMF formats are redrawn, so classic clip art still shows up.
How to open a .pub file online
A school newsletter, The Hillcrest Bulletin, open in the editor on the reader's own computer
Private by design

Your files never leave your device

Everything runs in your browser. Newsletters with children's names, staff details or invoices stay on your device.

Your .pub file is read by code running in your own browser. It is never sent to our server or anyone else, which makes it safe for school, church and business documents.

Read our privacy policy
Built for Publisher users

Made for the people who used Publisher

Schools, churches, clubs, community groups and small businesses have years of work saved as .pub files. Free Pub Editor is built to bring that work back.

Familiar tools

Rulers in millimetres, margin guides, snapping, layering, multiple pages, undo, and a red marker when text doesn't fit its box.

Old clip art too

Pictures saved in the old Windows WMF and EMF formats are redrawn, so classic clip art still shows up.

Print-ready PDF

Export at the exact page size with colours intact, ready for your office printer or a print shop.

Templates to start fresh

A flyer, a two-page newsletter, an A3 poster, a certificate and a business card, all ready to edit.

Browse templates in the editor
How it works

From .pub file to print in three steps

  1. Open your .pub fileClick Open in the editor, or drag the file onto the page. It's read on your computer, not uploaded.
  2. Edit anythingDouble-click text to change it, swap pictures, move boxes and change colours, just like in Publisher.
  3. Print or save as PDFClick Export PDF for a print-ready file at your exact page size, from A5 flyers to A3 posters.
From the blog

Answers about Publisher files

Plain-English help for the questions people ask most since Publisher's retirement. See all posts.

Explainer

What replaced Microsoft Publisher?

Microsoft's suggested apps can't open .pub files. Here's what actually does.

Read the answer How-to

How to open a .pub file on a Mac

Publisher never ran on a Mac. The free way to open .pub files in Safari or Chrome, plus Chromebook and iPad.

Read the answer How-to

How to convert a .pub file to Word

Three honest routes from .pub to DOCX, and what usually breaks along the way.

Read the answer
FAQs

Frequently asked questions

Everything you need to know about opening, editing and converting Publisher files. Can't find an answer? Email hello@freepubeditor.com.

Is Free Pub Editor really free?
Yes. Opening, editing, printing and exporting PDFs is free, with no sign-up and no watermark. The site is paid for by a small number of ads on these information pages, plus one small ad in the editor sidebar.
Can I open a .pub file without Microsoft Publisher?
Yes. Open the editor, click Open and choose your .pub file, or drag it onto the page. Your text boxes, pictures, shapes and colours appear where they were, and you can edit them.
Are my files uploaded anywhere?
No. Your .pub file is read by code running in your own browser. It is never sent to our server or anyone else, which makes it safe for school, church and business documents.
Which versions of Publisher are supported?
Files from Publisher 2002 through Publisher 2021 and Microsoft 365 open with their layout. Files from Publisher 2000 open as text, set out page by page. Files from Publisher 97 and earlier can't be opened yet.
How do I turn a .pub file into a PDF?
Open the file in the editor and click Export PDF. In the print window that appears, choose Save as PDF. The PDF keeps your exact page size. See converting .pub to PDF for step-by-step help.
Will my file look exactly the same?
Very close. Layout, colours, borders, pictures and most text formatting come across. If your computer doesn't have a font the file uses, a free font with the same letter widths is used instead, so text still fits. Old clip art in WMF and EMF formats is redrawn.
Does it work on a Mac, Chromebook or iPad?
Yes. It runs in any modern browser, including Chrome, Edge, Safari and Firefox, on Windows, Mac, ChromeOS and Linux. A larger screen is best for editing.
Microsoft Publisher has been retired. What happens to my files?
Microsoft stopped including Publisher in Microsoft 365 in October 2026, but your .pub files still exist and still work here. Read what Publisher's retirement means for your options.

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