Microsoft Publisher isn’t available for Mac but it’s easy to open and edit Publisher files on Mac.
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Here are 5 free and simple ways to open and edit an MS Publisher .PUB file on a Mac.
1. Export From Publisher PUB Format Into Another Format
Although it’s not an option for everyone, if you can contact the sender of the Publisher file (or know someone who has access to a PC with Microsoft Publisher installed), by far the easiest thing to do is export the file from Publisher in another format.
To do this, you simply ask the sender or someone with Windows to open the file in Publisher and then export it to a different format that can be opened on Mac.
They must then go to File – Export – Change File Type in Publisher and select any of the Export options such as “Create PDF/XPS Document”, “Publish HTML” (to view it as a web page) or “Change File Type”.
Best Answer: MS Publisher for Mac doesn't exist unless you are running Parallels or some other virtualization program. Swift Publisher is a powerful Mac alternative to Microsoft Publisher providing the features that are usually found only in expensive DTP packages — Master pages, guide lines, grid, layers, tables and many more.
You can also choose to export the file to a format that a Commercial Printer can read.
2. Convert Publisher Files Online Into Another Format
If you can’t contact the sender or simply don’t have access to Microsoft Publisher at all, an alternative option is to convert the PUB file for free online to another format such as Word or PDF.
You can then edit this file using another application such as Microsoft Word or one of the many excellent alternatives to Word on Mac.
To convert a Publisher file, there are many online file conversion services that will convert files for you instantly without having to download anything.
Here’s how to use online file converter Zamzar to convert a Publisher file to another format:
- Go to Zamzar. Click “Choose Files…” and upload the file you want to convert.
- Choose a format to convert it to (such as DOCX, PDF, PNG etc).
- Enter an email address to receive the converted file.
- Click “Convert”.
Within a few seconds, you should receive the converted file. If Zamzar doesn’t work for any reason, or you just want to convert to PDF, there are many other free conversion services such as online2pdf.com which converts documents to PDF online.
Or you can also use PDFConvertOnline which converts directly from .PUB to PDF:Note that a disadvantage of converting Publisher files this way is that it doesn’t always preserve the original formatting of the document.
You may find that images, tables and other elements do not appear properly in which case, you should try to use one of the other methods instead.
3. Open Publisher Files In LibreOffice
LibreOffice is a free, open-source alternative to Microsoft Office for Mac and is based on the popular free Office suite OpenOffice.
As of version 4.0, LibreOffice is the only program to both open and edit Microsoft Publisher files for free although you can’t export to Publisher format.
Like Microsoft Office, LibreOffice consists of different apps but you can edit MS Publisher files on Mac using LibreOffice Draw which is LibreOffice’s graphical design and desktop publishing app.
As you can see from the example Publisher file imported into LibreOffice below, the interface isn’t as user-friendly or as slick as Publisher but it does work.
The formatting may also not be perfectly preserved but can usually be fixed with some manual adjustments.
Note that you can’t export files from LibreOffice in .PUB format – you can only save them in LibreDraw’s ODF format. You can watch how easy it is to open a Publisher file on Mac with LibreOffice below.
4. Open Publisher Files In Office 2011 For Mac
Although many Mac users are now using Microsoft Office 2016, if you’re still using Office 2011 you’re in luck.
One little known feature of Microsoft Word 2011 is that it can emulate the layout of a Microsoft Publisher document.
You will need to convert the Publisher file first to RTF format using one of the online file converters covered in Option 2, but this workaround turns Word 2011 for Mac into a basic DTP software and is probably the closest thing you’ll get to Publisher on Mac.
Just go to View and then Publishing Layout View to see a Microsoft Publisher style layout of the document.
Unfortunately, this method does not work in Office 2016 for Mac as Microsoft has removed the Publishing Layout View in Word 2016 For Mac.
5. Install Windows To Run Publisher On Mac
If all else fails, or if you regularly need to open Microsoft Publisher files on your Mac, you should consider installing Windows on your Mac which will allow you to install Microsoft Publisher on Mac.
You can now install Windows 10 on Mac for free and although it’s the most time-consuming (and hard drive consuming) solution, it does allow you to run any Windows application on your Mac.
If you have any problems opening Publisher files on your Mac or with any of the solutions suggested here, let us know in the comments below.
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Although the Mac platform is growing in popularity, Windows systems and programs are still among the most commonly used in many businesses today. While Microsoft makes versions of some programs for the Mac platform, other programs, such as Microsoft Publisher, are not supported on the Mac platform. One solution to this problem is to install a Windows-emulator or virtual machine, a program that runs within your Mac operating system and mimics the behavior of the Windows environment. The Microsoft Publisher installation and program files must be saved to your Mac's hard drive when running an emulator or virtual machine.
CrossOver
1.Download and install CrossOver on your Mac. You may download and install the free trial prior to making a commitment to purchase CrossOver.
3.Open the 'Configure' menu and select 'Manage Bottles.' Click the '+' button to add a new bottle. You may name the bottle, then select the Windows operating you would like to use to open Publisher and click 'Create.'
4.Click 'File,' then 'Open' and search for the Microsoft Publisher installation file. Follow the on-screen prompts to install Microsoft Publisher.
Wine
1.Download and install the Wine Bottler application. The Wine platform is an open-source compatibility layer with several user-created variations, one of which is the aforementioned CrossOver program. The Wine Bottler application self-installs, as opposed to other versions of the Wine platform that require complex terminal commands to install.
2.Drag the 'Wine' and 'Wine Bottler' files to your 'Applications' folder.
3.Launch the 'Wine' file and open the 'Home' folder. Locate the Microsoft Publisher installation file on your computer and double-click it to install and run Microsoft Publisher.
VMware Fusion
1.Download and install VMware Fusion. Unlike the other options available, VMware Fusion is a virtual machine that actually runs Windows simultaneously with OS X as opposed to emulating Windows functions.
2.Launch VMware Fusion and click 'New.' Follow the on-screen prompts to set up VMware Fusion, including which Windows operating system you would like to install. A valid Windows product key is required to install the Windows Operating system using VMware Fusion.
3.Locate and install the Microsoft Publisher installation files, using the Windows interface in VMware Fusion. After installation is complete, you may launch Microsoft Publisher from the copy of Windows running in VMware Fusion.
Tip
- The version of Microsoft Publisher that you can run is limited by the version of Windows that you are emulating, in addition to the capabilities of your specific emulator or virtual machine. Check each product's list of supported programs for more information.
Warning
- Emulating or running Windows software in a Mac environment may consume a significant amount of your computer's resources.
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About the Author
Anthony Oster is a licensed professional counselor who earned his Master of Science in counseling psychology at the University of Southern Mississippi. He has served as a writer and lead video editor for a small, South Louisiana-based video production company since 2007. Oster is the co-owner of a professional photography business and advises the owner on hardware and software acquisitions for the company.
Photo Credits
- Justin Sullivan/Getty Images News/Getty Images
Choose Citation Style
Oster, Anthony. 'How to Open Microsoft Publisher on a Mac.' Small Business - Chron.com, http://smallbusiness.chron.com/open-microsoft-publisher-mac-56433.html. Accessed 26 November 2019.
Oster, Anthony. (n.d.). How to Open Microsoft Publisher on a Mac. Small Business - Chron.com. Retrieved from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/open-microsoft-publisher-mac-56433.html
Oster, Anthony. 'How to Open Microsoft Publisher on a Mac' accessed November 26, 2019. http://smallbusiness.chron.com/open-microsoft-publisher-mac-56433.html
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