PDF, Word, IDML or ODG: which output should you choose for a .pub file?
When you convert a .pub file on pubconvert.com, you pick one of four formats: PDF, Word, IDML or ODG. All four come from the same engine. What changes is what you can do with the file afterwards.
The short version: choose PDF to keep, Word to edit text, IDML to keep designing, and ODG to edit a layout for free.
The four formats at a glance
| Format | Keeps | Gives up | For whom | Opens in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The exact look of each page, with real text you can search and copy | Easy editing | Anyone who needs to send, print or archive | Any PDF reader, any browser | |
| Word (.docx) | Editable text, tables and pictures, placed in text boxes on the page | Some layout precision when you edit; Word thinks in flowing text | People who change the words and work in Microsoft Office | Microsoft Word, and other word processors |
| IDML | Frames, linked text, tables, pictures and master pages, all editable | An exact match unless your fonts are installed; right-to-left text in Affinity | Designers moving to a page-layout program | Adobe InDesign, Affinity Publisher |
| ODG | Pages, frames, pictures and shapes as objects you can move | Right-to-left text; some rough spots | People who want to edit the layout without buying software | LibreOffice Draw (free) |
PDF: when the document is finished
Pick PDF when nobody needs to change the document. A PDF looks the same on every computer and prints the same everywhere. It carries its own letters, so it does not depend on the fonts installed on the reader's computer.
The text in our PDFs is real text, not a picture of text. You can search an archive of old bulletins for a name, or copy a paragraph out. A PDF is the safest choice for archiving a folder of files before you lose access to Publisher. More detail: convert Publisher to PDF.
Word: when you need to change the words
Pick Word when you'll edit the text next week and you live in Microsoft Office. Every text box in your .pub file becomes a text box in Word, at the same place on the page. Tables stay tables. Pictures stay where they were.
The trade-off is that a Publisher page is a set of objects placed on a page, and Word is built around text that flows from margin to margin. Your file opens as a Publisher-style page living inside Word. For a flyer or a menu, that is what you want. More detail: Publisher to Word that stays editable.
IDML: when you are moving to a design program
Pick IDML when you'll keep designing in Adobe InDesign or Affinity Publisher. IDML is the exchange format InDesign defined, and Affinity reads it too. Text frames, linked stories, tables and master pages arrive as things you can edit, not as flattened artwork.
Two things to know. Your fonts need to be installed for the text to look exactly right, because the IDML keeps the original font names from your .pub file. And if your file is in Arabic or Hebrew, Affinity is not the right home for it: its help centre says right-to-left text isn't currently available (checked 6 October 2026). InDesign handles Arabic and Hebrew. See Arabic and Hebrew Publisher files. More detail on IDML: moving from Publisher to InDesign or Affinity.
ODG: when you want to edit the layout for free
Pick ODG when you want to move frames and change headings, but you don't want to buy a design program. ODG is the format of LibreOffice Draw, which is free on Windows, Mac and Linux.
ODG is our newest format, and a few things are still rough, such as some rotated artwork and some WordArt headings. Our ODG output does not set right-to-left text direction, so for Arabic or Hebrew files choose PDF or Word. More detail: ODG for LibreOffice Draw.
You don't have to choose once
One purchase covers every format. Access is a one-time $49 for as many conversion jobs as you like, up to 20 files and 2 GB per job. Many people convert an archive to PDF for safekeeping and then convert the few files they still update to Word or IDML.
If you'd rather convert on your own computer, PubConvert for Windows offers all four formats, ODG included.
A quick rule of thumb
If no one will edit it, choose PDF. If someone will edit the words in Office, choose Word. If you're moving to InDesign or Affinity, choose IDML. If you want to edit the layout and pay nothing for software, choose ODG.
Preview your file free and then pick the format that fits the job.