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Magra79's avatar
Magra79
Occasional Reader
Dec 25, 2025

Is there an acceptable method to convert pub to docx?

Unfortunately Microsoft has decided to end Publisher. So users are forced to find methods both for archiving old files and converting current files to be able to continue working. For the first PDF will most likely be the easiest. For the second I've been trying to find a converter. This proves to be a challenge. And the results have been very unsatisfactory so far.

My main publication is a brochure which is printed double-sided on A4 paper, stapled and then folded to A5 size. The publication contains 99% text boxes (with formatted text) and pictures. Here and there a shape like a horizontal line. All things that Word definitely supports. So converting it should be a no-brainer - at least I thought so. 

Of course Publisher can save as DOCX. Unfortunately the function only supports plain text. So the text boxes are removed, which means a lot of manual rework. Also the text isn't converted continuously. For exapmle the text that was on the first sheet in my Publisher file, ended up on page 5 in Word. Bottom line: not acceptable.

Microsoft therefore don't even refer to that save function in their official communication to Publisher retirement. They suggest a workaround instead: save the file as a PDF and open it with Word. The suggestion is embarrassing enough, since it implies that Microsoft are unable to provide suitable conversion between their own formats. I tested it anyway. But the layout ends up in Word in a way that requires a lot of manual rework. Tab stops are partially removed, page margins are shifted. The pagination is also incorrect, so that some pages are half empty. Bottom line: not acceptable.

Also tried some online converters. Unfortunately the results haven't been satisfying either. Most of them convert text boxes into shapes with integrated text boxes. And even worse: big text boxes are often split into several smaller boxes. In any case there still remains a lot of manual rework. Bottom line: halfway acceptable.

Disappoiting Conclusion: At present, I consider it the best option to rebuild the file from scratch in Word using Copy-Paste. If someone knows a better method, would be happy to hear about it.

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