How to open a .pub file after Microsoft Publisher retired
Microsoft says Publisher reached its end of life in October 2026, and that Microsoft 365 subscribers can no longer open or edit Publisher files in Publisher. People with a perpetual (one-time purchase) version can still access and edit their files, and PubCrate opens .pub files on Windows without Publisher or Microsoft 365.
What happened to Microsoft Publisher
Microsoft published a support page titled "Microsoft Publisher will no longer be supported after October 2026". You can read it on the Microsoft support site.
According to Microsoft, Publisher reached its end of life in October 2026. Microsoft also says Publisher is no longer available to install or download after October 2026. If your PC does not already have Publisher, you will need another way to open your files.
What happens to your existing .pub files
What you can do with an existing .pub file depends on how you got Publisher.
Microsoft says Microsoft 365 subscribers can no longer open or edit Publisher files in Publisher. Microsoft says people with a perpetual (one-time purchase) version can still access and edit their files, and that support for the perpetual version ended on October 13, 2026.
If you are not sure which kind you have, think back to how you paid for it. A Microsoft 365 plan is a subscription, while a copy of Office or Publisher bought once is perpetual.
Whichever applies to you, copy your .pub files to a second folder or an external drive before you try anything else. That way you always keep an untouched original, whatever a converter or viewer does with the copy.
How to open a .pub file without Publisher
Microsoft's own routes start inside Publisher, so they only help if you can still run it. In Publisher, File > Save as > PDF gives a view-only copy. Microsoft does not support third-party converters and says quality varies.
Some free desktop publishing programs can import .pub files, with varying fidelity, and they cannot save back to .pub. Treat anything they open as a copy of the layout, not as your original.
PubCrate: open .pub files without Publisher
PubCrate opens .pub files on Windows without Publisher or Microsoft 365. It copies the text of a page, exports the whole document text as a .txt file and saves a page as a PNG image. It also saves the whole document as a PDF whose pages are pictures, so its text is not selectable. Publisher 98 through 2007 files render best; some newer or complex documents may show imperfect layout, and WordArt text cannot be extracted. Your files are read on your PC and nothing is uploaded.
Can Word or PowerPoint open a .pub file?
Microsoft's route to an editable copy goes through a PDF: save the file as a PDF in Publisher, then open the PDF in Word, where the layout may shift. Microsoft suggests Word or PowerPoint for new documents.
Because the layout may shift, check page breaks, fonts and pictures after any conversion before you rely on the result.
Is every .pub file a Publisher file?
No. The .pub extension is also used for SSH public key files, which are unrelated to Publisher. If your file came with an SSH setup rather than from a Publisher document, you do not need Publisher or PubCrate for it.
Frequently asked questions
Can I still open a .pub file now that Publisher is retired?
It depends on how you got Publisher. Microsoft says Microsoft 365 subscribers can no longer open or edit Publisher files in Publisher, and that people with a perpetual (one-time purchase) version can still access and edit their files. PubCrate opens .pub files on Windows without Publisher or Microsoft 365.
What happens to my .pub files if I use Microsoft 365?
Microsoft says Microsoft 365 subscribers can no longer open or edit Publisher files in Publisher. Your files stay on your PC, and PubCrate can open them without Publisher or Microsoft 365.
I have a one-time purchase version of Publisher. Can I still use it?
Microsoft says people with a perpetual (one-time purchase) version can still access and edit their files. Microsoft also says support for the perpetual version ended on October 13, 2026, and that Publisher is no longer available to install or download after October 2026.
How do I convert a .pub file to PDF?
If you can still run Publisher, Microsoft says to use File, then Save as, then PDF for a view-only copy. Microsoft does not support third-party converters and says quality varies. PubCrate saves a .pub file as a PDF without Publisher. Each page is a picture, so the text is not selectable; PubCrate also exports the document text as a .txt file.
Is a .pub file the same as an SSH .pub key?
No. The .pub extension is also used for SSH public key files, which are unrelated to Publisher.