Help ! Converting pub files

Question

I have over 2000 pub files - what app is easiest to use to batch convert

You wouldn't just leave loyal (since 1995) users out to hang

Answer 1

Hi Arlis Sturdy,

Microsoft has confirmed that Publisher will no longer be supported after October 2026, so converting important .pub files now is a sensible step to ensure they remain usable long‑term for viewing, printing, and sharing.

For a large library like yours, the practical options are:

Best option overall (bulk conversion)

Use Microsoft’s free PowerShell script (Convert‑PubFileToPDF.ps1). This script is designed specifically for bulk scenarios like this. It can scan a folder (including subfolders) and convert large numbers of .pub files to PDF with far less manual effort. Publisher still needs to be installed on the machine, but the script handles most of the repetitive work.

You don’t need to be a PowerShell expert to use Microsoft’s conversion script. It’s already written and provided by Microsoft, and in most cases you simply point it at a folder containing your .pub files and let it run. You’re not writing code from scratch, and Publisher itself is still used for the conversion, which helps preserve layout and formatting.

The script is designed for large collections and can process many files at once, including those in subfolders. It also continues running if a few files fail, making it far more practical than opening each publication manually. Microsoft specifically recommends this approach as the supported way to bulk‑convert Publisher files ahead of its retirement in October 2026.

For reference: Microsoft Publisher will no longer be supported after October 2026

If you do not want to use PowerShell

The alternative is to open each file in Publisher and export it to PDF manually. This is usually only practical for a small number of files, not thousands.

This approach generally works very well and usually preserves the layout, fonts, and graphics accurately. However, with more than 2,000 .pub files, doing this one by one would be extremely time‑consuming and could take many hours of repetitive work.

Best format to preserve appearance

PDF is the most reliable format for preserving the original layout and design and is what Microsoft recommends for long‑term access.

Fully editable bulk migration

Unfortunately, there is no simple Microsoft tool that can bulk‑convert .pub files into fully editable Word documents while keeping complex layouts intact. Content can often be reused later, but some reformatting is typically required.

For 2,000+ files, starting with Microsoft’s free PowerShell script is the most practical and supported bulk option. If the main goal is reliable long‑term access, PDF is the best target format.

If anything is unclear or you need assistance as you work through the conversion, feel free to let me know and we can take a look.

I'm looking forward to your reply.

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Answer 2

The easiest supported way to batch-convert a large number of .pub files is to use the provided PowerShell automation script together with an installed, licensed copy of Microsoft Publisher.

Steps:

1. Ensure Publisher is installed
   • Install and activate a working, licensed version of Microsoft Publisher on the machine that will run the conversion.
2. Download the sample PowerShell script
   • Download the sample script Convert-PubFileToPDF.ps1 from the article “Microsoft Publisher will no longer be supported after October 2026” (see reference below under Example conversion script).
3. Adjust the script if needed
   • Open the script in a text editor (such as Visual Studio Code or Notepad).
   • Optionally modify output folder, file naming, or export options as needed. The script uses Publisher’s Document.ExportAsFixedFormat API; you can adjust parameters such as PbFixedFormatType and PbFixedFormatIntent, or switch to Document.SaveAs with PbFileFormat if you want other formats.
4. Open PowerShell with appropriate execution policy
   • Open Windows PowerShell as an administrator.
   • Ensure execution policies allow running local scripts (see the execution policies link in the same article for details). Adjust only as needed and according to your organization’s security policies.
5. Run bulk conversions
   • Place Convert-PubFileToPDF.ps1 in a folder that’s easy to access.
   • Use one of these examples (replace paths with your own):
   • Convert a single file:

          .\Convert-PubFileToPDF.ps1 -Filter "C:\\Documents\\MyFile.pub"
     

   • Convert all .pub files in the current folder:

          .\Convert-PubFileToPDF.ps1 -Filter "*.pub"
     

   • Convert all .pub files in the current folder and subfolders:

          .\Convert-PubFileToPDF.ps1 -Filter "*.pub" -Recurse
     

   • Convert all .pub files in a specific folder:

          .\Convert-PubFileToPDF.ps1 -Filter "C:\\Documents\\*.pub"
     

   • Convert all .pub files in a specific folder and its subfolders:

          .\Convert-PubFileToPDF.ps1 -Filter "C:\\Documents\\*.pub" -Recurse
     

6. Notes and behavior
   • The script is designed to continue running even if some files fail and will report which files succeeded and which encountered errors.
   • If a PDF with the same name already exists in the target location, that file will not be overwritten; an error will be shown. Rename or remove the conflicting file and rerun the script if needed.

This approach lets thousands of Publisher files be converted in bulk without opening each one manually.

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References:

• Microsoft Publisher will no longer be supported after October 2026
• Save As or convert a publication to .pdf or .xps using Publisher
• I have thousands of Publisher files; I'm not opening each one individually to convert them. What is this BS about retiring publisher and losing access to all those files? This is 20 years of work that my business is going to lose, we won't recover from th - Microsoft Q&A