# LibreOffice and Scribus can open abandoned Microsoft Publisher PUB files

> **Key takeaway:** The Document Liberation Project's reverse-engineered libmspub library enables LibreOffice and Scribus to import Microsoft Publisher files after Microsoft ended Publisher support.

**Published:** 2026-10-14T18:18:22+00:00 
**Source:** FOSS Force 
**Category:** distro-news 
**Canonical URL:** https://fosswire.org/news/libreoffice-and-scribus-can-open-abandoned-microsoft-publish.html 

## Summary
Microsoft has ended support for MS Publisher, leaving users unable to open PUB files even with Microsoft 365 subscriptions. The Document Liberation Project's libmspub library, which was created by reverse-engineering the proprietary PUB format, allows LibreOffice Draw and Scribus to import these files. Users can then save documents in the open ODF standard.

## How the rescue works
- The **libmspub** library was developed by the Document Liberation Project through reverse-engineering of the proprietary PUB format
- LibreOffice Draw can open, view, edit and manage Publisher documents; it is suitable for small multi-page documents and single-page documents of any format
- **Scribus**, an open-source desktop publishing application, can also import PUB files via libmspub
- Converted documents can be saved in **OpenDocument Format (ODF)**, an ISO-standard open format not tied to any single vendor
- Microsoft suggests converting PUB files to PDF (view/print only, not editable) or DOCX (editable but loses page-layout formatting)

## Why it matters
The situation highlights ongoing risks of proprietary formats for long-term document accessibility, particularly for public sector organizations, schools, and small businesses with decades of Publisher files.