stella_gadget ST

what's the best way to turn old publisher files into something editable?

I've got about forty newsletters and flyers made in Publisher over the years and want to keep editing them without it. Saving as PDF kills editing and Word mangles the layout. What format holds up best?
convert publisher files
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alexr Nov 06, 2026
stella_gadget
Publisher has been retired now, so if you don't have an old copy installed somewhere, there's no getting it back. Two other ways in: Scribus is free and can import .pub files, and it keeps the layout better than LibreOffice for some files. And if all you've got left is a PDF, Word can open it and convert it into an editable document. Tables and text boxes come out a bit messy, but the text is all there.
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smith_x Oct 14, 2026
stella_gadget
If you still have Publisher anywhere, open each file and save as PDF, or copy the text out into Word. Microsoft is retiring Publisher, so do it while you still have access. Without it, LibreOffice Draw can open .pub files. The layout isn't always perfect but the text and images come through, and from there you can export to PDF or copy into whatever you use now.
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