Edit your old Publisher files in Canva or Google Slides

Lots of church offices, schools and clubs are moving from Publisher to Canva or Google Slides. Canva is free for eligible nonprofits and teachers. Neither can open a .pub file, but both import formats that Publisher files can be turned into.

The route that works

1. Convert the .pub file to PowerPoint (.pptx), best for editing, and to PDF, best for an exact copy.
2. Canva: on the Canva home page, click Upload (or drag the file in). Canva imports both PowerPoint files and PDFs as editable designs.
3. Google Slides: upload the .pptx to Google Drive and open it with Google Slides, or use File → Import slides in an existing deck. The page size carries over.

Why PowerPoint beats PDF for importing

When Canva imports a PDF, it has to guess where text boxes begin and end, and often splits paragraphs into single lines. A PowerPoint file already has real text boxes, so the import keeps paragraphs together and stays much easier to edit.

How to get the PowerPoint file

• You still have Publisher: copy and paste each page into a PowerPoint slide of the same size (steps here).
• You don't, or you have many files: PubRescue converts them with genuine Publisher into layout-preserving PowerPoint files, plus PDFs, page images and Word, ready for Canva and Google Slides. Free preview; from $3.

Tip: fonts

If your newsletter uses a font Canva or Google doesn't have, the import swaps it for a similar one. Check headings after importing, and upload the font to Canva (Pro/Nonprofit) or pick a Google font that's close.