Word can't open Publisher files: it has no import for .pub. Word does open PDF files, though,
and turns them into editable documents. That is also the route Microsoft recommends now that
Publisher is being retired.
PUB to Word in two steps
- Convert the
.pubfile to PDF here (several files, or a ZIP of folders, work too). - In Word, choose File > Open, pick the PDF and confirm when Word says it will convert it.
Word rebuilds the pages as an editable document. Save it as
.docx.
What converts well, and what doesn't
Word rebuilds the layout from the PDF, so the result depends on how the publication was made.
- Mostly text (letters, newsletters in one or two columns, programmes, handouts): usually converts well, with paragraphs, headings and pictures in place.
- Heavily designed pages (flyers with text over pictures, rotated text, many small text boxes): Word turns these into text boxes and floating pictures. Everything is there, but editing is fiddly.
- Fonts that are not available here are replaced in the PDF, and Word keeps the replacement. The report lists them, so you can change them back in Word if you have the original fonts.
When the layout matters more than Word
If you want to keep editing the publication as a design rather than as a document, choose ODG instead and open it in LibreOffice Draw (open-source, for Windows, Mac and Linux). Each text box, shape and picture stays where it was in Publisher, and the file keeps the original font names.
Canva, Affinity Publisher and Inkscape also import the PDF, if you are moving to one of those.
Why there is no direct DOCX download
A publication is a set of positioned boxes, a Word document is flowing text. Any direct conversion has to guess, and Word's own PDF import guesses well and lets you see the result straight away, so this converter gives you the PDF rather than a second-rate Word file.
More about what this tool reads and writes: Publisher File Converter.