Convert PUB to Word / DOCX: 4 Methods That Work

Method 1: LibreOffice Draw (Recommended — Free)

LibreOffice Draw is the only free tool that can open .pub files and export them as Word documents:

1. Download and install LibreOffice
2. Open LibreOffice Draw
3. Go to File → Open and select your .pub file
4. Go to File → Export As → Export as DOCX
5. Click Export

Formatting quality depends on the complexity of your .pub file. Simple layouts with text boxes and images transfer well. Multi-page newsletters with complex layouts may need manual adjustment in Word.

Method 2: Convert to PDF First, Then to Word

Two-step approach that often produces better results for complex layouts:

1. Convert your .pub to PDF using PubViewer or LibreOffice
2. Open the PDF in Microsoft Word (Word 2013+ can open PDFs)
3. Word will convert the PDF to an editable document
4. Save as .docx

Alternatively, use an online PDF-to-Word converter like iLovePDF or Smallpdf.

Method 3: Google Drive Workaround

Google Drive can render .pub files and let you copy text:

1. Upload the .pub file to Google Drive
2. Right-click and select Open with → Google Docs
3. Copy the text content from the preview
4. Paste into a new Google Doc or Word document
5. Format as needed

This method only preserves text — images, tables, and complex layouts will be lost. Useful if you only need the textual content.

Method 4: CloudConvert (Paid)

CloudConvert supports direct .pub to .docx conversion:

1. Go to cloudconvert.com/pub-to-docx
2. Upload your .pub file
3. Select DOCX as output format
4. Click Convert and download

What About Images and Graphics?

When converting .pub to Word, embedded images (JPEG, PNG) transfer well. WMF/EMF vector graphics may not render correctly in Word — convert them to PNG first using LibreOffice.