PubFile 1.0 · updated
Support
PubFile is made by one independent developer. Questions get a human answer, usually within a day. Everything runs on your Mac, so when something goes wrong the fidelity report is the fastest way to show us what happened.
Contact
Email mrr.rajat.contact@gmail.com. If a file converts badly, attach the <name>.report.json written next to an IDML export (it contains text and font names, no images), or a screenshot of the inspector and, if you are comfortable doing so, the .pub file itself. Files you send are used only to reproduce the problem and are deleted afterwards. Say which Mac and macOS version you use.
Status
Version 1.0 was submitted to App Review on 19 September 2026 and is in review. The Mac App Store link appears on this site the moment it is approved. Until then, this guide covers every current way to open .pub files on a Mac.
Where things are in the app
⌘ is the Command key, ⌥ Option, ⇧ Shift. "Inspector" is the panel that slides in from the right.
| Task | Menu | Shortcut |
|---|---|---|
| Open a .pub file | File ▸ Open…, or drag it onto the window or Dock icon, or double-click it in Finder | ⌘O |
| See all pages in a sidebar | View ▸ Show Page Thumbnails (click a thumbnail to jump) | ⌥⌘T |
| File facts and the fidelity report | View ▸ Show Inspector, or the ⓘ button in the toolbar | ⌥⌘I |
| Zoom | View ▸ Zoom In / Zoom Out, Actual Size, Zoom to Fit; the magnifier buttons in the toolbar; or pinch on a trackpad | ⌘+ / ⌘− / ⌘0 / ⌘9 |
| Export the current file as PDF | File ▸ Export as PDF… | ⌘E |
| Export the current file as IDML | File ▸ Export as IDML… | ⇧⌘E |
| Convert every open file at once (Pro) | File ▸ Convert All Open Documents… writes an .idml, a .pdf and a report for each into a folder you choose | ⌘B |
| Buy PubFile Pro | The "Unlock Pro $29.99" button at the right end of the toolbar; the Pro sheet also appears at the fourth export or when you choose Convert All on the free tier | |
| Restore a purchase on another Mac | PubFile ▸ Restore Purchases… (also on the Pro sheet) | |
| Preview without opening the app | Select the .pub file in Finder and press Space (Quick Look) | Space |
| Privacy policy, licences | PubFile ▸ Privacy Policy (opens this site); PubFile ▸ About PubFile for the libmspub and librevenge notices |
Free and Pro
Opening files, every page, Quick Look and the report are free with no watermark. The free version also makes three exports at full quality, any mix of PDF and IDML (each export counts once, so one file exported as both PDF and IDML uses two). The fourth export shows the PubFile Pro sheet. The count is kept in your keychain and survives reinstalling the app. PubFile Pro ($29.99 USD, one in-app purchase, no subscription) removes the limit and adds File ▸ Convert All Open Documents…, which writes IDML, PDF and a report for every open file into one folder. Every IDML export, free or Pro, saves its .report.txt and .json next to the file. Pro restores on any Mac signed in with the same Apple Account: PubFile ▸ Restore Purchases….
Frequently asked
- Multi-page documents come out wrong in other apps: text from other pages piled on every page, or only one page exports. Does PubFile do that?
- No. That is a bug in the open-source parser the other Mac .pub tools use: it never understood Publisher's linked text boxes, so a story that flows across pages is pasted in full into each box. PubFile reads the links and flows the story through the boxes the way Publisher did, so page 2 starts where page 1 ended. The inspector shows, per page, how many characters were placed and whether any text did not fit. If you ever see a stacked page in PubFile, that is a real bug on our side: send the file or the report and we fix it.
- The layout looks different: pictures over text, line breaks moved.
- PubFile typesets with the Mac's own text engine using the fonts the file names. If a font is not installed, PubFile substitutes the closest installed face (Bradley Hand ITC becomes Bradley Hand, for example) and the report names each substitution under "Fonts not installed on this Mac". A substitute can change line breaks and make text overflow a box. Install the font (or a metric-compatible one) and reopen the file; the layout follows. Things that do not convert fully are listed in the report when present: tables in the IDML export (they do render in the preview and the PDF), embedded OLE objects, and some WordArt warps and 3-D or shadow effects. Look at the preview before you convert: the preview is the conversion.
- Can I edit my .pub files in PubFile?
- No. Nothing on a Mac edits .pub files in place, PubFile included. Export IDML and open it in Affinity Publisher 2 (or the free Affinity app) or Adobe InDesign: every text box, story, font, colour and picture is editable there, and linked text boxes stay linked. The PDF is for sharing and printing.
- What do I open the IDML file with?
- Affinity (free, Mac and Windows), Affinity Publisher 2 or 1.8+, or Adobe InDesign CS4 and later. File ▸ Open, choose the .idml. Pictures are in the Links folder next to it; keep them together.
- Which Publisher versions are supported?
- Files saved by Microsoft Publisher 98, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021 and Microsoft 365. Not supported: Publisher 97 and earlier, password-protected files, and files that are not actually .pub (a .pub extension on a PDF or Word file is more common than you would think; Quick Look in Finder shows what it really is). If a supported file fails to open, PubFile says so instead of showing a blank page; please send it to us.
- Does anything get uploaded?
- No. There is no account, no analytics and no server. The only network activity is the App Store purchase itself. See Privacy.
- Refunds
- The free version is the trial: open any file, look at every page, read the report, export three files. Pay only if what you saw is what you need. If you did pay and it does not do what the preview showed, write to us with the report and we will sort it out. Mac App Store purchases are refunded by Apple at reportaproblem.apple.com; we cannot issue those ourselves. Refund policy.
- Is there a Windows or iPhone version?
- No. PubFile is Mac-only (macOS 13 Ventura or later, Apple silicon and Intel).
- Site licences for a school or diocese?
- There is no volume licence for the in-app purchase: each Apple Account buys Pro once and can use it on all of its Macs. A parish or school office with one shared Apple Account needs one purchase. If that does not fit your setup, email us and we will work something out.