Publisher → PDF Rescue Kit free · local · no install
Microsoft Publisher retires October 1, 2026

Save your .pub files
before they go unreadable.

A free batch tool that finds every Microsoft Publisher file on a drive and converts it to PDF — Microsoft's own recommended format for keeping the files usable long-term. Runs entirely on your own computer. Nothing is uploaded anywhere.

Retires
Oct 1
2026
.PUB
→
.PDF
Get the files ↓ Read before you run it
Why this exists

An avid Publisher user's problem

If you were an avid Publisher user like me, you might have a lot of .PUB files which will all of a sudden be unusable once Microsoft retires Publisher. I needed a solution to convert them into PDFs — the official Microsoft advice for keeping the files usable long-term. From PDF, they can then be converted into Word documents for editing later, if needed.

I wanted something that could search a whole drive for .PUB files and convert them automatically, with each PDF sitting right next to its original file in the same folder — so if I ever needed one, it would already be there.

I used Claude to build it, and after a number of hurdles, we landed on a solution: a batch file I can point at any drive I choose. It also skips any .PUB file that already has a PDF version sitting next to it, so it's safe to re-run.

Point it at a drive, walk away, come back to a folder full of PDFs.
What's inside

Two files. Double-click and go.

Download both files into the same folder. You only ever need to run the .bat file — it launches the script for you.

START HERE
Run-PubConversion.bat
Double-click this. Asks which drive or folder to scan, then runs the conversion for you.
Download
ENGINE
Convert-PubFiles.ps1
The PowerShell script that does the actual conversion. Needs to sit in the same folder as the .bat file.
Download
FOR AI USERS
Publisher-to-PDF-AI-Prompt.md
Prefer to build your own version, or adapt it? This is the prompt that gets an AI assistant to the same solution.
Download
How it works

Three steps, no configuration

  1. Put both files in one folder

    Run-PubConversion.bat and Convert-PubFiles.ps1 need to sit side by side — the batch file looks for the script right next to itself.

  2. Double-click the .bat file

    It'll ask which drive or folder to scan (just press Enter to scan your whole C: drive), and whether to skip files that already have a PDF.

  3. Let it run, then check the log

    Every .pub file found gets converted, with the PDF saved right next to it. A log file lands on your Desktop when it's done, listing anything that failed or timed out.

Before you run it

The fine print

  • Requires Microsoft Publisher already installed on the computer running it — the script uses Publisher itself to do the conversion and won't work without it.
  • Close Publisher before running. The script clears any stray Publisher processes before and after each batch, so make sure nothing important is open in it first.
  • Back up first. Test it on a small folder before pointing it at an entire drive, especially the first time.
  • Runs entirely on your own machine. Nothing is uploaded, transmitted, or shared anywhere — it's a local file conversion, start to finish.
  • Provided as-is, free to use, no warranty. This is a personal project shared to help others facing the same retirement deadline — it isn't an official Microsoft tool and isn't affiliated with or endorsed by Microsoft.
  • Use at your own risk. Always keep your original .pub files until you've confirmed the converted PDFs look right.