Quick answer: iPhones, iPads and Android phones have no built-in way to open a .pub file, and Microsoft has no Publisher app for them. The quickest free fix is Altto’s .pub converter in your phone’s browser, which saves the text and pictures as Word or PDF without uploading the file. If you have a computer, converting or exporting there is easier.
A .pub file turns up in an email or WhatsApp message and your phone shows a blank preview or “can’t open this file”. That is normal: Publisher was only ever made for Windows, it has no iPhone, iPad or Android version, and Microsoft is retiring it in October 2026. The Files app, Gmail and Google Drive can’t preview the format either. Here are the ways that work.
Option 1: convert it in your phone’s browser (free, nothing installed)
Altto’s Publisher converter is a web page, so it runs in Safari on iPhone and iPad and in Chrome or Samsung Internet on Android. The file is read inside the browser tab and is never uploaded.
- Save the
.pubattachment to your phone first. On iPhone or iPad, use Save to Files from the share menu. On Android, download it from the email. - Open altto.co.uk/pub-to-word in your browser and tap the box to choose a file. Pick the
.pubfile from Files (iPhone, iPad) or Downloads (Android). - Check the recovered text, then choose Download as Word or Download as PDF.
- Open the PDF in your browser or Files app. For Word, use the free Word, Google Docs or Pages app.
What you get: the words in reading order and the pictures. What you don’t: the exact layout, fonts and columns. Very large files can be slow on a phone.
Option 2: ask for a PDF
The simplest fix is often to message whoever sent it. Anyone with Publisher can choose File → Export → Create PDF/XPS, and a PDF keeps the design exactly and opens on every phone. Do it soon: Microsoft 365 subscribers lose Publisher in October 2026.
Option 3: convert it on a computer, then send it to your phone
If you have a Windows PC or a Mac, follow our guides for Windows 11 or Mac, then send the PDF to yourself.
Option 4: a paid viewer app
A few paid iPhone and iPad apps claim to read Publisher files. We haven’t tested them, and complex layouts may not display correctly, so try a free option first. We don’t know of a trustworthy equivalent for Android.
What doesn’t work
- Renaming the file to
.pdfor.docx. It only changes the label. - The Word, Excel or PowerPoint mobile apps. None opens Publisher files.
- Tapping the attachment repeatedly. The phone doesn’t know the format; save it and use Option 1.
Not sure what a file is? See which app opens which file.
Frequently asked questions
Can an iPhone or iPad open a .pub file?
Can an Android phone open a .pub file?
Is there a Microsoft Publisher app for phones?
Is it safe to convert a .pub file on my phone?
Will the layout be the same?
Got a .pub file on your phone?
Turn it into Word or PDF in your browser. Free, no sign-up, nothing uploaded.
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