If you still have Publisher: Save As Word Document
This is Microsoft's own way to turn a publication into a Word file (Save a publication as a Word document). Its page covers Publisher for Microsoft 365, 2021, 2019, 2016, 2013 and 2010.
- Open the publication.
- Choose File, then Save As, and pick a place and a file name.
- In the Save as type list, pick the Word version. For current Word, choose Word Document.
- Choose Save.
Microsoft lists what comes through. The text and its font formatting are kept: font, size, style, underline, colour and effects. Graphics and columns are not. The page says it plainly: "Graphics in the publication are not preserved." Headers and footers arrive as ordinary content, and page breaks are ignored.
Keep the pictures: copy and paste, or save as a picture
Microsoft's page gives two more routes for what Save As drops (Save a publication as a Word document).
- Copy and paste. Select the objects, or click a blank area and press Ctrl+A for the whole page. Copy, then paste into a Word document. The pasted objects stay editable. Text that flows on to another page is not pasted, and you can copy only one page, or two facing pages in Two-Page Spread view, at a time. Tables may need the picture route to keep their layout.
- Save as a picture. Use File, then Save As for a page, or right-click an object and choose Save as Picture. Pick PNG, JPEG or Enhanced Metafile, and use the 300 dpi setting if it is offered. In Word, add it with Insert, then Picture. The look is kept, but you cannot edit the text in Word.
Many files at once: PDF first, then Word
Microsoft's page about Publisher's end of life also suggests this route for editing (Microsoft Publisher will no longer be supported after October 2026): convert the file to PDF, then open the PDF in Word. It adds that "the converted Word document will be optimized for text editing". The steps for a PDF are on PUB to PDF, and Microsoft's sample script there converts a whole folder.
In Word, choose File, then Open, and find the PDF. Word says it will make a copy and convert it. Microsoft's page on editing a PDF in Word warns that "the converted document might not have a perfect page-to-page correspondence with the original", and that it works best with PDFs that are mostly text (Edit a PDF). The original PDF is not changed.
If you do not have Publisher
Save As, copy and paste, and the PDF route all start in Publisher. Microsoft says Microsoft 365 subscribers will no longer be able to open or edit Publisher files in Publisher, while people with the perpetual version still can (Microsoft Publisher will no longer be supported after October 2026).
Unframe does not need Publisher. Choose the .pub file on the Unframe page, check the pages, and choose Save as Word file. You get a .docx with:
- the text of every text box, in reading order, page by page;
- tables, as Word tables when the cells line up;
- the pictures, placed in the document.
Fonts, colours, borders and shapes are not rebuilt. You get a Word file to edit, not the page design. The file is read in your browser and nothing is uploaded. Unframe reads files saved by Publisher 2002 and later, and was tested on files from Publisher 2003 to 2013. We had no file saved by Publisher 2016, 2019, 2021 or Microsoft 365 to test. The online converters we looked at upload your file to a server; the pros and cons are in PUB to PDF.
Which route keeps what
| Route | Needs Publisher | What you keep | What you lose |
|---|---|---|---|
| Save As Word Document | Yes | Text and font formatting | Graphics, columns and page breaks |
| Copy and paste | Yes | Formatting and editable objects | Text that flows to another page; one page at a time |
| Save as a picture | Yes | The look of the page | Editable text |
| PDF first, then Word | Yes, to make the PDF | Text, ready to edit | An exact page match; layout can shift |
| Unframe | No | Text, tables and pictures in one Word file | Fonts, colours, borders, shapes and layout |
If Save As is greyed out in Publisher, see how to get your file out. For the dates behind all of this, see Publisher retirement.
Open a .pub file
Choose the file and get its text and pictures back, page by page, with a Word file to save. It runs in your browser and nothing is uploaded.
Questions
How do I convert a PUB file to Word?
In Publisher, choose File, Save As, then Word Document in the Save as type list. Microsoft says text and its formatting are kept, and graphics and columns are not. Without Publisher, open the file in Unframe and save it as a Word file.
Does Publisher keep the pictures when it saves as Word?
No. Microsoft says graphics in the publication are not preserved. Copy the objects into Word, or save them as pictures, to keep them.
Can I convert a PUB file to DOCX without Publisher?
Yes. Unframe reads the .pub file in your browser and saves its text, tables and pictures as a .docx. It does not rebuild fonts, colours or layout, and nothing is uploaded.
What if I only need to read it?
Save the file as a PDF in Publisher. Microsoft's end-of-life page suggests PDF for files you only need to view.
Sources: Microsoft Support: Save a publication as a Word document; Microsoft Support: Edit a PDF; Microsoft Support: Microsoft Publisher will no longer be supported after October 2026. Last checked: October 30, 2026. Unframe is an independent tool by Peak Apps Studio and is not affiliated with Microsoft. Microsoft and Publisher are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.