I have some old .pub files which I want to convert to pdf before the MS Publisher expires.

I'm going through the same process. I cobbled together the following powershell script using copilot, but it requires the Publisher application to be already installed. Just helps covert the PUB file to PDF in the existing folder structure. I'm sure there are improvements that can be made to the script...

$publisher = New-Object -ComObject Publisher.Application

$files = Get-ChildItem "C:\PubFiles" -Recurse -Filter *.pub

foreach ($file in $files) {

    try{

        $doc = $publisher.Open($file.FullName)

        $pdfPath = [System.IO.Path]::ChangeExtension($file.FullName, ".pdf")

        $doc.ExportAsFixedFormat([Microsoft.Office.Interop.Publisher.PbFixedFormatType]::pbFixedFormatTypePDF, $pdfPath)

        $doc.Close()

        } catch {

            Write-Error "Failed to convert $($file.FullName)"

        }

}

$publisher.Quit()

Hello PeterOsv,

Welcome to the Microsoft Community.

If you have a Microsoft 365 subscription, after October 2026, Microsoft Publisher will no longer be available for installation or download. However, you will be able to access and use Publisher normally through your Microsoft 365 subscription until October 2026.

Also, you may wish to know that if you have a permanent version of Publisher (e.g., Publisher 2021/2019), you will be able to install and use the application even if Publisher support is terminated, and continue to edit Publisher files after that date. The downside, however, is that you may not be able to get application support or updates or use the Internet connectivity features.

If you only need to convert some files, then purchasing a Publisher copy specifically for this purpose may indeed be unnecessary. If you have a friend or family member who has purchased Microsoft 365 or Office /2016/2019/2021. I recommend that you use someone else's subscription or computer to help you with the conversion of your files. The process is as follows:

1. Open Publisherfile.
2. Go to File> Save as.
3. Choose a location to save the file.
4. Select PDFas the file type and Save.

PDF can only be used for viewing, then you can convert it to Word format to continue editing:

1. Open Word.
2. Go to File> Open.
3. Locate and open the PDF file.
4. Select OK in the dialog box.

• From here your document will open as a Word file. **Note:**The converted Word document will be optimized for text editing. As a result, its layout may vary from the original PDF—particularly if the document includes many graphics.

Alternatively, some community members have mentioned that some non-Microsoft third-party applications can open and edit .pub documents directly. And may have better results than Word. Some of them are open source and free with no additional expenses.

So I thought it might be worth a look.

Publisher alternative in 2026 - Microsoft Community

I hope this is useful and please feel free to ask any questions.

Best regards,

Ian - MSFT | Microsoft Community Support Specialist