Blog
- Engine update: letter pairs, table margins and damaged files
Engine fixes that went live on 7 October. Letter pairs join the way Publisher joins them, table cells get the right margins, 3-D shapes and textures reach every format, and a damaged or cut-off file now tells you what is wrong.
- Publisher files in Chinese, Japanese and Korean
Your Chinese, Japanese or Korean text comes through as real text. The common problem is fonts. Here is what each output format does with them.
- Municipal offices and libraries: public notices, event calendars and program guides
Years of public notices, event calendars and program guides in .pub files. How to convert them to searchable PDFs for the record and keep the templates editable.
- When a .pub file won't open: damaged and very old files
Publisher says it can't open the file. Here is what usually went wrong, how to check a .pub file yourself, and what to try next.
- IT administrators: migrating a whole organisation off Publisher
A plan for moving 50 to 500 users and a shared drive off Microsoft Publisher: find the .pub files, pick a format per folder, convert, and tell staff.
- The fonts look wrong after conversion
Why converted Publisher files sometimes show a different typeface, why Word and IDML files keep the original font names, and how to get the real font back.
- Arabic and Hebrew Publisher files: right-to-left text that reads the right way
Converters often reverse Arabic and Hebrew letters, break their joins or flip alignment. Here is what goes wrong, and which output format to pick for right-to-left files.
- PDF, Word, IDML or ODG: which output should you choose for a .pub file?
Four output formats, four different jobs. A short guide to what each one keeps, what it gives up, and who it suits.
- Restaurants and small shops: menus, price lists and signage
Your menu master copy is a .pub file. Convert it to Word or IDML to keep changing prices, and to PDF for the printer.
- Schools and PTAs: what to do with years of Publisher newsletters
A shared drive full of .pub newsletters, flyers and yearbook pages. Here is how to turn it into PDFs for the archive and Word files you can still edit.
- LibreOffice can open .pub files. Here is what it gets wrong.
LibreOffice Draw opens Publisher files for free, and often that is enough. Here is where its import falls short, and when it is still the right choice.
- My .pub file is 200 MB. Why, and what do I do?
Why some Publisher files grow to hundreds of megabytes, what that means for converting them, and how large files are handled on PubConvert.
- Publisher left Microsoft 365 on 1 October. What has changed?
Microsoft 365 subscribers lost Publisher on 1 October 2026. What stopped, what still works, what Microsoft recommends, and a practical path for your .pub files.
- Cyrillic Publisher files: Russian, Ukrainian and other languages
Cyrillic text in your .pub files comes through as real text. The common problem is a font that has no Cyrillic letters. Here is how each format handles it.
- Real estate agents and property managers: flyers, listing sheets and HOA newsletters
Your listing flyer template has worked for years and it's a .pub file. Convert it to Word to keep editing and to PDF to send, without rebuilding it.
- Online .pub converters: what to check before you upload
Before you upload a Publisher file to any online converter, check four things: the size limit, how long the file is kept, the preview, and the output formats.
- Engine update: table borders, dashed lines and 3-D shapes
Engine fixes that went live on 5 October. Table borders sit inside the table, dashed borders start where Publisher starts them, 3-D shapes get their shaded faces, and Word files catch up on shadows, gradients and stacking order.
- Engine update: borders that sit inside the frame, and Word files that open
Engine fixes that went live on 4 October. Borders sit inside their frames the way Publisher draws them, a small set of Word files that Word refused to open now open, and InDesign files keep their dotted lines and their last lines of text.
- Engine update: tables, gradients and WordArt come out closer to the original
A large batch of engine fixes went live on 2 October. Tables keep Publisher's row heights, gradients run the right way in Word, InDesign and LibreOffice Draw files, WordArt keeps its curves, and shapes stop hiding under each other.
- PubConvert for Windows is on the Microsoft Store
The same engine now runs on your own Windows PC. Batch thousands of .pub files at once to PDF, Word, IDML and ODG, and your files stay on your computer.
- Engine update: older Publisher files, tables and shapes come out closer to the original
A large batch of engine fixes went live on 28 September. Files from Publisher 97 and 2000, tables, lines and arrows, WordArt, pictures and business-card sheets all come out closer to Publisher. Some Word downloads also got much smaller.
- IDML files now keep more of your text
A fix went live on 15 September. Between 3 and 15 September, some files converted to IDML came out with text missing from the page. The words were still in the file. Here is what happened, who it affected, and what we changed.
- Engine update: pictures travel inside your IDML file and lines more accurately break where Publisher breaks them
Two engine fixes went live on 14 September. The IDML file you open in InDesign or Affinity Publisher now carries its pictures inside the package instead of pointing at missing links, and PDF text wraps after hyphens and brackets the way Publisher does.
- ODG: your .pub layout, editable in LibreOffice Draw
You can now convert a .pub file to ODG, the format LibreOffice Draw opens. Here is why we added it, and how the file we write differs from opening a .pub in LibreOffice yourself.
- Engine update: many to a sheet, and cleaner InDesign files
Label sheets, tickets and business cards now use the grid Publisher stored in the file. Shapes that used to vanish come back. And another round of IDML fixes for InDesign and Affinity.
- Text that fits its box
Publisher shrinks text that overflows its frame. Our converter now does the same. Plus another round of line-break work.
- Engine update: bring your own fonts, older files fixed, WordArt renders
Five days of engine work, all in one release. Upload your own fonts for a job, more Publisher 97 and Publisher 2000 files come out right, more WordArt shapes render, and a long list of Word and InDesign fixes.
- Why PubConvert is written in Rust
Nobody picks a converter based on the language it is written in. But the language is why this one is repeatable, and why a damaged file gets reported instead of crashing the engine.
- When you do have the font
Last month we wrote about missing fonts. Most of the time the font isn't missing at all. Our converter just didn't recognize it, and that is why the page moved.
- The booklet bug that passed its own test
For ten days, booklets converted to Word came out with the text in the wrong panels. Here is what happened, who it affected, and why our own test approved it.
- One month left for Publisher
Microsoft 365 removes Publisher on October 1, 2026. A five step checklist to find your .pub files, pick a format for each one, and get them out in time.
- Why lines break where they do
One extra word at the end of a line can push a whole column down a page. Three things decide where a line breaks, and this month all three moved closer to Publisher.
- Engine update: fewer font swaps, text that fits, sheets that line up
The whole of this release in one page. Fewer substituted fonts, overflowing text that now fits its box, label sheets on the right grid, shapes that stopped vanishing, and a round of Word and InDesign fixes.
- When you don't have the font
A missing font changes a page more than people expect. Here is how Publisher handles it, why we copy Publisher's choices instead of making our own, and what we fixed this month.
- WordArt gets its depth back
Publisher's 3D WordArt has sides, and those sides have colors. Our renderer now paints them, tilts the lettering the way Publisher does, and puts WordArt inside text frames where it belongs.
- Engine update: Word and InDesign exports catch up
Backgrounds sit behind text in Word, rotated pictures keep their shape, booklets keep their page count, and logos in IDML come out sharp.
- Engine update: text that sits where Publisher puts it
First lines, table cells, hyphenation and booklet order now follow Publisher. Plus 3D WordArt colors, hairline rules and a faster engine underneath.
- Engine update: cleaner underlines, truer tabs, smarter curves
Today's fixes: underlined form blanks draw as one clean line, tabs land where Publisher puts them, text follows rotated curves, and chart fills reach the Word and IDML exports.
- The pictures that vanished, and the lines that went with them
Watermarks and logos from Publisher 2000-era files converted to nothing. Default-style lines disappeared. Slightly tilted shapes went straight. All fixed.
- Engine update: tables and booklets now reach Word and IDML
The biggest engine update yet is live. Table grids and booklet layouts now carry into the Word and IDML (InDesign) exports. Gradients match Publisher. More shapes draw true.
- Booklets, greeting cards, and labels: when one page isn't one page
A Publisher booklet page isn't printed where it appears on screen. How print layouts like booklets, folded cards, and label sheets survive conversion.
- The case of the wrong font size
An empty line could change the size of everything after it. A custom style could lose its size. This week the engine fixed four ways text came out the wrong size.
- Microsoft 365 loses Publisher on October 1
Microsoft is emailing Microsoft 365 subscribers: Publisher is removed on October 1, 2026. Here's what it means and how to save your .pub files without Publisher.
- Calendar cells, done right
Publisher's calendar wizard built tables with strict rules: big day numbers, small notes, shaded cells, a precise grid. The engine now follows all of them.
- Engine update: calendars, text sizes, and pictures that came back
A new round of engine fixes is live. Calendars hold together, text keeps its size, lost pictures and lines are back, and tilted shapes tilt again.
- See your file before you pay: free previews for every .pub
Drop a .pub file on PubConvert and see watermarked page images of the converted result in seconds. Free, no signup. Pay only when you want the file.
- WordArt, clip art, and calendars: the hard parts of Publisher files
The features that make a .pub file look like a .pub file are exactly the ones most converters drop. A tour of the fiddly details and how they survive conversion now.
- Engine update: mirrored pictures, steadier text, and print layouts that behave
A month of fixes to our Publisher conversion engine is live: flipped pictures render the right way, text sits where Publisher put it, tables keep their colors, and label sheets stop guessing.
- Publisher to Word, without the picture-of-a-page trick
Most .pub to Word converters give you an image pasted into a document. Ours rebuilds the actual layout with editable text, real tables, and pictures where they belong.
- Moving from Publisher to InDesign or Affinity: the IDML option
You can now convert .pub files to IDML and keep editing your layouts in Affinity Publisher or Adobe InDesign. Here's what carries over and how it works.
- We built our own Publisher conversion engine. Here's why.
PubConvert no longer relies on LibreOffice to convert .pub files. After the better part of a year building and testing our own engine against real Publisher documents, it's now live for everyone.
- PUB vs PDF: What's the Difference?
PUB and PDF are completely different file formats. Here's what each one is, why .pub files are a problem, and how to convert between them.
- How to Batch Convert Hundreds of Publisher Files to PDF
Got hundreds or thousands of .pub files to convert before Publisher shuts down? Here's how to batch convert them without losing your mind.
- How to Open .pub Files on Mac
Mac can't open Microsoft Publisher files. Here's how to view and convert .pub files on macOS without buying Office.
- Microsoft Publisher Alternatives for Churches and Nonprofits
Publisher is going away. Here are free and affordable alternatives for churches, schools, and small nonprofits.
- What to Do With Old .pub Files After Publisher Shutdown
Got folders full of old .pub files? Here's how to organize, convert, and preserve your Publisher documents before Microsoft shuts it down.
- Microsoft Publisher Discontinued: How to Open Your .pub Files After October 2026
Microsoft is ending support for Publisher in October 2026. Here's what's happening and how to open your .pub files afterward.
- Convert Publisher to PDF: open a .pub file without Publisher
Convert .pub files to PDF. Free preview, nothing to install, no signup. $49 once, tax included.
- How to Open a .pub File Without Microsoft Publisher
Someone sent you a .pub file and you can't open it? Here's how to view Publisher files without buying Microsoft Office.