How to Open .pub Files on Mac

You're on a Mac. Someone sent you a .pub file. You double-clicked it and got nothing. Or maybe Finder offered to search the App Store, which was equally unhelpful.

Here's the bad news: there has never been a version of Microsoft Publisher for Mac. Not in 1991 when Publisher launched. Not now. Apple users have always been shut out of this format.

Here's the good news: you have options, and none of them require buying a Windows PC. The fastest one takes about 10 seconds.

Why Macs can't open .pub files

Microsoft Publisher is Windows-only software. Always has been. Even if you buy Microsoft 365 for Mac, you get Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook. No Publisher.

The .pub file format is proprietary. Microsoft never published how it works, so Apple couldn't add support to Preview or Quick Look even if they wanted to. And third-party developers have had to reverse-engineer the format, which means support varies.

This has been annoying for years. It's about to get worse. Microsoft is discontinuing Publisher entirely in October 2026, which means the pool of people who can open these files natively is shrinking to zero.

Method 1: Use PubConvert (fastest, no install)

This is what I'd recommend for most Mac users. It runs in your browser, works on any Mac, and takes about 10 seconds.

  1. Go to pubconvert.com
  2. Drag your .pub file onto the page (or click to browse)
  3. Pick your output format. PDF is the default, but you can also choose Word, LibreOffice Draw (.odg), SVG, or HTML.
  4. Click Convert
  5. Download your file and open it in Preview, Word, Pages, or whatever you like

That's it. No signup, no app to install, nothing to configure. Works in Safari, Chrome, Firefox, whatever browser you use. The file gets processed on a server and deleted after conversion.

This is the fastest path from "someone sent me a .pub file" to actually reading it. No 300MB download, no figuring out which LibreOffice component opens what. Just drag, convert, done.

And if you've got more than one file to deal with, PubConvert handles up to 20 at once (2GB total). Handy if you inherited a folder full of old .pub files and need to make them all readable on your Mac. Previewing your files is free.

Method 2: Install LibreOffice (free, works offline)

If you need to actually edit the contents of a .pub file (not just view or convert it), LibreOffice is worth the install. It's free, open-source, and has a native Mac version that runs on both Intel and Apple Silicon.

  1. Download from libreoffice.org
  2. Drag it to your Applications folder
  3. Open your .pub file with LibreOffice Draw

LibreOffice Draw can actually open and edit .pub files, not just convert them to a static PDF. You can move things around, change text, and export to PDF, image formats, or LibreOffice's own .odg format.

The catch: it's a 300+ MB download, and the interface looks like it was designed in 2008. Because it was. But it works, and it's free.

For complex Publisher layouts, expect some differences. Text might shift, fonts will substitute (your Mac probably doesn't have the same Windows fonts the document was created with), and fancy stuff like WordArt or rotated text can get garbled.

Method 3: Use the Mac App Store

There are a couple of paid .pub viewers/converters on the Mac App Store. Search for "PUB Converter" and you'll find options in the $5-10 range.

These work, but they're essentially doing the same thing LibreOffice does (using an open-source conversion engine) in a nicer wrapper. If you want a polished Mac-native experience and don't mind paying, they're fine. If you're frugal, LibreOffice or an online converter does the same job for free.

The font problem on Mac

This one trips people up. Your Publisher document was probably created on a Windows machine using Windows fonts. Calibri, Cambria, Times New Roman. These come pre-installed on Windows but not on Mac.

macOS has its own font library. When you open a .pub file on Mac (through any method), the converter substitutes fonts it can find. Usually the result looks close enough. Sometimes the text reflows and your layout shifts.

If you need pixel-perfect conversion, install the Microsoft fonts on your Mac first. If you have Microsoft 365, the fonts come with Word. If not, there are free alternatives (Liberation fonts, for example) that match the metrics of common Windows fonts.

For most people, the substituted fonts look fine. It's only noticeable if you're comparing side-by-side with the original.

What about running Windows on your Mac?

If you have an Intel Mac, you can run Windows through Boot Camp or Parallels and install Publisher that way. This works perfectly but is massive overkill for opening a .pub file.

If you have an Apple Silicon Mac (M1, M2, M3, M4), Boot Camp isn't an option. Parallels runs a Windows ARM version, which does include Publisher, but you're looking at $100+ for Parallels plus a Windows license. For opening .pub files? Not worth it.

Which output format should you choose?

When converting a .pub file on Mac, you'll usually have several format options:

  • PDF is best for viewing, printing, and sharing. The layout stays locked in place. Open it in Preview, which every Mac already has. This is what you want 90% of the time.
  • LibreOffice Draw (.odg) is best if you need to edit the file. Opens in LibreOffice Draw (free). You can move elements, change text, and re-export. The closest thing to having the original Publisher file be editable on your Mac.
  • Word (.docx) opens in Word or Pages. But complex Publisher layouts become images, not editable text. Useful for simple text-heavy documents where you want to copy/paste the content.
  • SVG opens in any vector editor. Good if you need to edit a single-page graphic in something like Figma, Sketch, or Illustrator.
  • HTML opens in any browser. The layout will look different, but you'll get the actual text content, which is useful for migrating content into a new tool.

The one Mac-only trick

If someone has Publisher on Windows and can re-send the file: ask them to export as PDF first. Then you're done. No conversion needed.

This sounds obvious, but it's worth mentioning because most people who send .pub files don't realize they're sending a format that only works on one platform. A gentle "hey, can you send that as a PDF?" solves the problem at the source.

With Publisher being discontinued in October 2026, fewer people will be creating new .pub files anyway. This problem is going to fade over time. But for the existing archive of .pub files out there, Mac users will need a conversion tool for years to come. If you're staring down a backlog, PubConvert is the fastest way to work through it.

Got a .pub file sitting in your Downloads folder right now? Drop it onto pubconvert.com and see for yourself. Ten seconds, no signup, no install. If you've got a whole folder of them, batch convert up to 20 at once. The preview is free; unlimited conversions are a one-time $49.