--- title: "Open a Publisher File in LibreOffice: Steps and Fixes" description: "Open a .pub file free in LibreOffice Draw and export a PDF, plus fixes for what often goes wrong: repeated linked text, text under pictures, swapped fonts." url: https://aretus.app/open-pub-file-in-libreoffice last_updated: 2026-10-28 site: Aretus --- # How to open a Publisher file in LibreOffice (and what goes wrong) > Yes, LibreOffice opens Publisher files for free. Install LibreOffice, choose File > Open and pick the .pub file, and it opens in LibreOffice Draw. Draw can read .pub files but never save back to them, so export a PDF or keep an ODG copy. Check every page, because linked stories, text wrap and fonts often need fixing. ## Open a .pub file in LibreOffice Draw and export a PDF 1. **Install LibreOffice.** Download LibreOffice from libreoffice.org for Windows, Mac or Linux and install it like any other program. 2. **Open the .pub file.** Start LibreOffice, choose File > Open and pick the .pub file. It opens in LibreOffice Draw. On Windows you can also right-click the file and choose Open with > LibreOffice Draw. 3. **Check every page.** Click through the page thumbnails on the left. Look for repeated articles, text hidden under pictures, headings that spill out of their boxes and missing images. 4. **Fix what matters.** Delete repeated text from linked boxes, resize text boxes away from pictures, and install any missing fonts you own. 5. **Export a PDF.** Choose File > Export as > Export as PDF. For a long-term archive copy, tick the PDF/A (archive) option, which embeds the fonts. 6. **Save an editable copy.** Choose File > Save As and keep the ODF Drawing (.odg) format if you'll edit the file again. ## Does LibreOffice open Publisher files? Yes. LibreOffice Draw has opened .pub files [since LibreOffice 4.0 in 2013](https://ask.libreoffice.org/t/can-i-use-microsoft-publisher-files-with-libreoffice/26). It does this with libmspub, an importer that volunteers built by [working out the unpublished Publisher format](https://cybernews.com/tech/microsoft-publisher-libreoffice/). LibreOffice's filter is [named for Publisher 98 to 2010](https://ask.libreoffice.org/t/what-are-the-5-x-draw-import-export-filters/15178), and files from Publisher 2013 to 2021 usually open as well. Think of it as read-only for the .pub itself. Draw reads the file and builds a working copy you can edit, but it can never write a .pub file. Your edits live in an ODG copy or a PDF, and the original stays as it was. Two things people often ask: - **Is this the same importer converters use?** For our converter, yes: it runs libmspub too, then repairs some of its layout problems (more below). Scribus uses libmspub as well. - **What about Apache OpenOffice?** It can't open .pub files. Its feature request was [closed as won't fix](https://bz.apache.org/ooo/show_bug.cgi?id=48700). LibreOffice and OpenOffice are separate projects despite the similar names. ## Step by step The steps are above. A few practical notes: - **Download only from libreoffice.org.** Look-alike sites bundle extra software. - **Double-clicking may not work at first.** Use **File > Open** inside LibreOffice, or right-click the file (Control-click on a Mac) and choose **Open with**. - **Give it a moment.** Large newsletters with many photos can take a while to open. ## What commonly goes wrong in plain LibreOffice Simple flyers, letters and one-column documents usually look right. Designed, multi-column pages are where problems show up. These are the three we see most in our own testing. ### Each linked text box repeats the whole story In Publisher, one article can flow through several linked boxes, for example down three columns. Draw has no linked text boxes; LibreOffice's [request to add them](https://www.libreoffice.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=68589) notes that Publisher import is held back by it. So every box in the chain gets the whole article from the start. The first column looks fine, the second column starts the article again, and the overflow spills over pictures and other stories. **Manual fix:** in each box after the first, delete the text the earlier boxes already show. It works, but it's slow on a four-page newsletter. ### Text runs under pictures Publisher wraps text around pictures. [Draw can't wrap text around objects](https://ask.libreoffice.org/t/wrapping-text-in-libreoffice-draw/117884), so text that flowed around a photo now runs underneath it. **Manual fix:** make the text box narrower so it sits beside the picture, or move the picture into a gap. For a photo in the middle of a column, split the text into two boxes, one above and one below. ### Fonts are substituted Most .pub files name their fonts rather than carrying them, so any font missing from your computer gets a stand-in. Common Windows fonts fare well: free lookalikes such as Carlito and Caladea [match Calibri and Cambria letter for letter in width](https://ask.libreoffice.org/t/calibri-and-cambria-fonts-in-libreoffice/3515), and [Liberation Sans and Serif](https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Metric-compatible_fonts) do the same for Arial and Times New Roman. Other fonts may get a wider stand-in, so titles overflow their boxes and lines break in new places. **Manual fix:** install the original font if you own it, then reopen the file. Or choose your own stand-in under **Tools > Options > LibreOffice > Fonts**, using the [replacement table](https://help.libreoffice.org/latest/en-US/text/shared/optionen/01010700.html). That changes only how the font is shown and printed, not the font named in the file. ### Other glitches Some users report [missing images](https://ask.libreoffice.org/t/missing-images-from-publisher-file/10565), and WordArt, rotated text and unusual layouts can shift. Compare with a printed copy when you can. ## How to export a PDF Choose **File > Export as > Export as PDF**. For an archive copy, tick the **PDF/A** (archive) option in the export dialog. LibreOffice then [embeds every font in the PDF](https://help.libreoffice.org/latest/en-US/text/shared/01/ref_pdf_export_general.html), and its help suggests PDF/A-2b for most people. For many files at once, see our [bulk conversion guide](https://aretus.app/bulk-convert-publisher-files), which covers LibreOffice's command line. ## When a converter that repairs these problems is worth it Stay with LibreOffice if your file is a simple flyer or letter that looks right, or if you're happy to tidy a few pages by hand. It's free and the file never leaves your computer. A converter starts to pay off when: - you have multi-column newsletters or bulletins with articles running through linked boxes; - your pages have text wrapped around photos; - you have dozens or hundreds of files, or a Chromebook or managed computer where you can't install LibreOffice. Our converter uses the same importer, then fixes what plain LibreOffice gets wrong: it flows each story through linked boxes on the same page, rebuilds square text wrap around pictures, shrinks text that slightly overflows a box (down to 70% of its size, hiding only what still doesn't fit), and maps missing fonts to free lookalikes. You can [convert a .pub file to PDF](https://aretus.app/) and compare the free, watermarked preview of every page (first 10 files per batch) with what LibreOffice showed you. One clean file is free per email address; after that it's a one-time $5 for up to 10 files, $15 for up to 60, $29 for up to 300 or $59 for up to 2,000, and only files that convert count ([pricing](https://aretus.app/pricing)). It can't read anything libmspub can't read, so if LibreOffice can't open a file at all, we probably can't either. ## Related guides - [How to open a .pub file without Publisher](https://aretus.app/open-pub-file) - [How to open old Publisher files](https://aretus.app/old-publisher-files) - [How to open a Publisher file on a Chromebook](https://aretus.app/open-pub-file-on-chromebook) - [Bulk converting Publisher files](https://aretus.app/bulk-convert-publisher-files) ## Frequently asked questions ### Does LibreOffice open .pub files? Yes, in LibreOffice Draw, and it has since LibreOffice 4.0 in 2013. Its import filter is named for Publisher 98 to 2010, and files from newer versions usually open too. ### Can LibreOffice save a file back to .pub? No. It's import only. Save your working copy as an ODG file (LibreOffice's own drawing format) or export it as a PDF, and keep the original .pub. ### Does Apache OpenOffice open .pub files? No. OpenOffice's request for Publisher import was closed as won't fix. LibreOffice is a separate project, and it's the one that reads Publisher files. ### Why does the same article appear in every column? Draw has no linked text boxes, so when a story ran through several boxes in Publisher, each box gets the whole story from the start. Delete the extra text by hand, or use a converter that flows the story through the boxes. ### Why is text hidden behind pictures? Draw can't wrap text around pictures, so text that flowed around a photo in Publisher runs underneath it. Narrow the text box or move the picture, or use a converter that rebuilds the wrap. ### Is LibreOffice safe and really free? Yes. It's free, open-source software from The Document Foundation, a nonprofit. Download it only from libreoffice.org, not from look-alike download sites. ## Sources 1. [Ask LibreOffice: Can I use Microsoft Publisher files with LibreOffice?](https://ask.libreoffice.org/t/can-i-use-microsoft-publisher-files-with-libreoffice/26) 2. [Ask LibreOffice: Draw import filters (Microsoft Publisher 98-2010)](https://ask.libreoffice.org/t/what-are-the-5-x-draw-import-export-filters/15178) 3. [Cybernews: LibreOffice comes to the rescue after Microsoft retires Publisher](https://cybernews.com/tech/microsoft-publisher-libreoffice/) 4. [Apache OpenOffice Bugzilla: Issue 48700 (Publisher import, closed as won't fix)](https://bz.apache.org/ooo/show_bug.cgi?id=48700) 5. [LibreOffice bug 68589: linked text frames in Draw (blocks Publisher import)](https://www.libreoffice.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=68589) 6. [Ask LibreOffice: Wrapping text in LibreOffice Draw](https://ask.libreoffice.org/t/wrapping-text-in-libreoffice-draw/117884) 7. [Ask LibreOffice: Missing images from publisher file](https://ask.libreoffice.org/t/missing-images-from-publisher-file/10565) 8. [Ask LibreOffice: Calibri and Cambria fonts in LibreOffice](https://ask.libreoffice.org/t/calibri-and-cambria-fonts-in-libreoffice/3515) 9. [ArchWiki: Metric-compatible fonts](https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Metric-compatible_fonts) 10. [LibreOffice Help: Fonts (replacement table)](https://help.libreoffice.org/latest/en-US/text/shared/optionen/01010700.html) 11. [LibreOffice Help: PDF export, General options (PDF/A)](https://help.libreoffice.org/latest/en-US/text/shared/01/ref_pdf_export_general.html) 12. [LibreOffice download page](https://www.libreoffice.org/download/download-libreoffice/) ## Cite this page “How to open a Publisher file in LibreOffice (and what goes wrong).” Aretus, last updated October 28, 2026. https://aretus.app/open-pub-file-in-libreoffice Quoting this page? Please link to it, so your readers can check the source.