How to open a Publisher (.pub) file on a Mac

Microsoft Publisher has only ever been a Windows program, so no Mac app opens .pub files properly. Pages, Keynote, Preview, and Word and PowerPoint for Mac all refuse them. If someone sent you a newsletter, flyer or bulletin as a .pub file, here are your options, best first.

1. Convert it online with genuine Publisher (most faithful)

Drop the file on PubRescue in Safari or Chrome. We open it in real Microsoft Publisher on Windows and send back:

• a print-quality PDF that opens in Preview and looks exactly like the original;
• an editable PowerPoint copy with each page as a slide at the same size, and text boxes and pictures where they were. It opens in PowerPoint for Mac and Keynote, and imports into Google Slides and Canva;
• page images (JPG) and a Word file with the text.

You see a free preview of the first page before paying. One file is $3, and folders of files are cheaper per file.

2. LibreOffice (free, less accurate)

LibreOffice for Mac (the Draw app) can open many .pub files. It reverse-engineers the format, so simple files usually look fine, but complex layouts can come out with shifted text boxes, swapped fonts or missing effects. Check each page against a PDF of the original if you have one.

3. Ask the sender for a PDF

If the file came from someone who still has Publisher on Windows, ask them to use File → Save As → PDF. Microsoft removes Publisher from Microsoft 365 on October 1, 2026, so ask soon.

4. Windows on your Mac

Parallels or VMware Fusion running Windows can run Publisher. You'd need a Windows licence plus a Publisher that still works after October 2026, such as Office Professional 2021. That's a lot of cost and setup unless you edit .pub files every week.

Why Pages and Keynote can't open .pub files

The .pub format is a closed Microsoft format that Microsoft never published. Only Publisher itself reads it perfectly, which is why PubRescue uses genuine Publisher instead of a look-alike converter.