The free Publisher alternative that opens your .pub files

Keep using the files you made in Publisher, and make new flyers, menus, newsletters and cards the way you are used to. Free, in your browser, on Windows, Mac and Chromebook.

Drop a .pub file here
No file to hand? Try a sample:
or start something new
Your file is opened on this computer and is never uploaded. Works with files from Publisher 97 up to Publisher 2021 and Microsoft 365.

Microsoft retired Publisher in October 2026 and suggests Word, PowerPoint or Designer instead. Those are good programs, but they don’t open .pub files, and they aren’t made for laying out a page. Pubwork is: text boxes that you place anywhere, text that flows from one box to the next, pictures, shapes, tables and pages.

How it works

  1. Open an old file or a templateDrag in a .pub file, or choose one of more than 150 free templates.
  2. Change it like in PublisherDouble-click text to type. Drag things to move them. One click changes all colours or fonts.
  3. Print or savePrint booklets, labels and several copies per sheet, or save as PDF, Word or pictures.

Why people use Pubwork

Opens your .pub filesFiles from Publisher 97 up to Microsoft 365, with their text, pictures and layout.
The features you usedMail merge, labels, business cards, booklets, calendars, building blocks and a design checker.
Free and privateNo account, no subscription, and your files never leave your computer.

Questions

Is Pubwork really free?

Yes. Opening, editing, printing and saving are free, with no watermark and no limit.

Can I save back to .pub?

No. Microsoft never published how to write .pub files. Pubwork opens them and saves in its own file, plus PDF, Word, LibreOffice Draw, JPG and PNG.

Is it as powerful as Publisher?

For everyday work (flyers, newsletters, menus, cards, labels, booklets, mail merge) it does what most people used Publisher for. It also has WordArt, colour separations for print shops, styles, master pages and spell checking. It can’t save back to .pub, and a few rarely used Publisher tools, such as its web-page features, aren’t there.

Do I have to learn something new?

Very little. The page is in the middle, pages on the left, and the options for what you clicked on the right, just as in Publisher.

What about Word, PowerPoint, Canva or Scribus?

Word and PowerPoint don’t open .pub files and are awkward for layouts. Canva needs an account and doesn’t open .pub files. Scribus and LibreOffice Draw are powerful but harder to learn. Pubwork is made to feel like Publisher.

Open and convert

Make something new

Help and guides

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