Open a .pub file on a Chromebook, iPad or iPhone

Why these devices can't open .pub files

A .pub file was made with Microsoft Publisher, a Windows-only desktop program that has now been retired (see what the Publisher retirement means). It never existed for ChromeOS, iPadOS, iOS or Android, and no app on those systems reads the format. That's why a newsletter or flyer sent by email shows up as an attachment you can't open. Once it's a PDF, every device opens it.

On a Chromebook

1. Save the file from Gmail or Google Drive to your Downloads folder, or leave it in Drive.
2. Open this page in Chrome, click Choose files above and pick the .pub file. You can also drag it from the Files app onto the box, or choose a whole folder.
3. Download the PDF; it opens in Chrome's PDF viewer or the Gallery app, where you can read and print it.
4. To edit, download the Word file and open it in Google Docs (upload it to Drive and choose Open with Google Docs), or keep it as a Word file in Drive.

School Chromebooks often limit what you can install, which is why a browser-based converter is handy there. If your school blocks file uploads to outside sites, ask your IT admin.

On an iPad or iPhone

1. Save the attachment first. In Mail, tap and hold the attachment and choose Save to Files. In Gmail or Outlook, use the share or download button.
2. Open this page in Safari (or Chrome), tap Choose files and then Browse to pick the .pub file from Files.
3. Wait a few seconds and check the preview. Tap it to page through.
4. Tap PDF to open the converted document. Use the share button to save it to Files, print it with AirPrint or send it on.
5. To edit, download the Word file and open it in Microsoft Word for iPad or iPhone, Google Docs or Pages. Pages converts Word files into its own format, so positioned text boxes may shift slightly.

If you get a ZIP back (for example, several files at once), tap it in the Files app and it unpacks into a folder.

On an Android phone or tablet

It works the same way: open this page in Chrome, tap Choose files, pick the .pub file from your downloads, then open the PDF. The Word file opens in Google Docs or Word for Android.

Need a picture instead?

If you want to post a flyer in a group chat or on social media, each converted file also has JPG and PNG downloads, one image per page. See PUB to JPG and PNG.

Tips for small screens

• The first page of each file is shown as a thumbnail; tap it to see every page full size.
• Editing a Word file with many text boxes is easier on a tablet or a Chromebook than on a phone. For quick fixes (a date, a name), a phone is fine.
• For a large archive, it's easier to upload from a computer: drop a folder or a ZIP and get one ZIP back. See bulk conversion.

What to expect

• Fonts are replaced with metric-compatible substitutes, so lines break where they did in Publisher, though letters can look slightly different.
• The Word file keeps the original look with text in editable text boxes on top of a page background. It is not a reflowable document, so text won't re-wrap to fit a phone screen.
• Very old files from Publisher 98 or 2000 convert with lower accuracy. The preview is free, so check first.

More background in the guide to opening .pub files without Publisher.