Google Drive stores PUB files: they upload and sit in Drive like any other file. But Drive cannot preview them and no Google application can open them. PUB files in Drive display as a generic icon with a download-only option and no preview. Convert PUB files to PDF or DOCX before uploading so they are accessible to anyone with Drive access. The same limits apply if you keep PUB files in SharePoint. Publisher left Microsoft 365 on 1 October 2026, so fewer people can open a downloaded PUB file now. Use Univik PUB Converter for bulk conversion on Windows without Publisher. Before uploading anything, the free Univik PUB File Viewer lets you open and read each PUB file offline on Windows. Once converted, the PDF and DOCX versions are fully accessible in Drive without any Microsoft software.
Update, 1 October 2026: Publisher has left Microsoft 365
Your PUB files in Google Drive are still there, but Drive still cannot preview them. Since 1 October 2026, Microsoft 365 users who download them can no longer open them in Publisher either. Convert them once to PDF or DOCX with Univik PUB File Converter (no Publisher needed) and upload the converted copies next to the originals.
What Google Drive Does With PUB Files
Google Drive accepts any file type for storage. PUB files upload successfully. They sit in Drive. Anyone with access to the folder can see them listed.
That is where the usefulness ends.
Google Drive cannot preview PUB files. There is no thumbnail, no document preview, no in-browser view. When you need to see the contents, you can Open Publisher files in browser using a free web viewer instead of downloading them. PUB files appear as a generic grey icon labelled “PUB File” with a single option: Download. No Open with. No Convert. No preview pane. Only a file that sits in Drive waiting to be downloaded by someone who has a Windows machine that can open it.
Since 1 October 2026, that person is much harder to find. Microsoft 365 subscribers can no longer open .pub files in Publisher. Owners of a one-time Publisher 2021, 2019 or 2016 licence can still open files. Publisher 2021 support runs out on 13 October 2026. Publisher 2019 and 2016 already left support in October 2025 and get no more security fixes.
“Drive will store a PUB file, but it will not preview one, so convert before you upload if anyone else needs to read it. Our batch tests cover PUZ as well as PUB across every Publisher version. The check is always graphics and text formatting against the original.”
Nick Rogers
|Founder, Univik, building file conversion tools since 2013
Why This Matters Now That Publisher Has Left Microsoft 365
If your organisation stores PUB files in Google Drive (in personal My Drive, Shared Drives or Google Workspace shared folders), those files are already inaccessible to anyone without Publisher installed on Windows. Mac users, Chromebook users, mobile users and anyone without a Publisher licence cannot open them.
Since 1 October 2026, most Windows users have lost the ability to open them too, because Microsoft 365 no longer gives them Publisher. Unless they are converted, PUB files in Google Drive are now out of reach for most people in your organisation.
The fix is the same regardless of timeline: convert PUB files to PDF or DOCX and upload the converted versions alongside or instead of the originals. A PDF version of a PUB file in Drive opens in the browser, previews inline, is viewable on any device and requires no software installation.
For the full context on Publisher’s October 2026 retirement and what it means for different Publisher licence types, see our Microsoft Publisher end of life guide.
Step 1: Find All PUB Files in Your Drive
Before converting, you need to know what you have. PUB files accumulate over years in personal folders, Shared Drives, archived project folders and inboxes where they were attached and saved.
Search Google Drive by file type. In the Drive search bar, type type:pub to filter results to PUB files only. This searches your personal My Drive and any Shared Drives you have access to. Review the results. Note the folders they are in and the approximate count.
For Google Workspace admins: use Drive audit reports. Google Workspace admins can run a Drive audit report from the Admin Console to find all PUB files across the entire organisation, not only their personal Drive. Go to Reports then Audit then Drive and filter by file type. This is the most complete inventory for organisations with many users.
Download PUB files in batches for conversion. Once you have identified the PUB files in Drive, download them to a Windows machine for conversion. Right-click a folder in Drive and select Download. Drive packages the folder as a ZIP. Extract the ZIP and the PUB files are ready for batch conversion.
Step 2: Choose the Right Output Format
Convert to PDF when
- The document only needs to be viewed or printed
- Layout preservation is critical
- The file will be shared or downloaded frequently
- Multiple recipients need to view it on different devices
- The original design must be preserved as-is
Convert to DOCX when
- The content needs to be edited going forward
- Team members will open it in Google Docs or Word
- The file is a template that will be updated regularly
- Text searchability within Drive matters
For most archiving purposes, PDF is the better choice, because it is universally viewable, previews inline in Drive and requires no editing capability. Convert actively-used templates to DOCX so they can be opened and updated in Google Docs. When in doubt, convert to both and keep both versions.
Step 3: Run the Bulk Conversion
Manual conversion of each PUB file individually is practical only for small numbers (up to 15 to 20 files). For larger collections, batch conversion is the only feasible approach.
If you still have a working copy of Publisher on a Windows machine: That means a perpetual Publisher 2021, 2019 or 2016 licence. A Microsoft 365 copy that still opens for now also counts, but treat it as borrowed time. Use Publisher’s File then Export to save PUB files as PDF. Microsoft also provides a PowerShell script (Convert-PubFileToPDF) for bulk PUB-to-PDF conversion through Publisher’s COM interface. It suits IT administrators comfortable with scripting. The script needs a licensed, working copy of Publisher.
If you no longer have Publisher or want faster bulk conversion: Use Univik PUB Converter on Windows. Add the downloaded PUB files, pick PDF or DOCX and convert the whole batch at once. The converter does not need Publisher, which makes it a practical option for Microsoft 365 users who lost Publisher on 1 October 2026.
Step 4: Upload Converted Files and Manage the Originals
Upload the converted files to Drive. Navigate to the same folder where the original PUB files live. Drag the converted PDF or DOCX files into the folder. Both versions now coexist: the original PUB and the accessible converted version.
Decide what to do with the originals. Three options: keep both versions in the same folder (most discoverable), move PUB originals to an archive subfolder called “Original PUB Archive” (cleaner browsing for active users) or delete the originals if you are certain the converted versions are accurate and complete (not recommended, so verify first).
Verify converted files before removing originals. Open a sample of the converted PDF and DOCX files in Drive to confirm they display correctly. Compare against the original PUB files in a working copy of Publisher or in the free Univik PUB File Viewer on Windows. Once verified, the originals can be moved to archive or kept as a safety copy.
Enable PDF preview in Google Drive
PDF files uploaded to Google Drive automatically preview in the browser, with no download required. Any team member with Drive access can click the PDF and see the full document in their browser on any device. This is the immediate access improvement that makes converting PUB to PDF before uploading worth doing even for files that were already in Drive as PUB originals.
Shared Drives and Team Drive Considerations
For organisations using Google Workspace Shared Drives (previously called Team Drives), PUB file accessibility is a team-wide problem rather than an individual one. A PUB file in a Shared Drive is inaccessible to every member of that Shared Drive who does not have a working copy of Publisher on Windows.
Prioritise Shared Drives over personal My Drive. PUB files in Shared Drives affect multiple team members. Start the conversion project with Shared Drive content, because this has the broadest impact for the least effort.
Communicate to the team before replacing files. Before removing PUB files from Shared Drives or replacing them with converted versions, notify team members. Anyone who has bookmarked a specific PUB file link in Drive will need to update their bookmark if the file is replaced rather than added alongside.
Use Google Drive file version history for the transition period. If you replace a PUB file by uploading a PDF with the same name in the same location, Google Drive stores the previous version. Go to the file in Drive then right-click then Manage versions to see and restore previous versions. This provides a safety net during the transition.
How to Convert PUB Files From Google Drive
| Approach | Bulk? | Needs Publisher? | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open in Drive or Docs | No | No | Not possible. Drive cannot open PUB files |
| Download then Publisher Save As | One file at a time | Yes, a working copy | PDF or DOCX |
| Download then Univik PUB Converter | Yes, whole folder | No | PDF, DOCX and more |
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Google Drive open PUB files?
No. Google Drive stores PUB files but cannot open or preview them. PUB files appear as a generic file icon with a download option only: no preview pane, no Open with option and no conversion within Drive. To open one, download it to a Windows machine that has a PUB viewer or a working copy of Publisher. Convert PUB files to PDF or DOCX before uploading to make them accessible to all Drive users.
Are PUB files in Google Drive affected by the October 2026 Publisher retirement?
The files themselves are not. They stay in Drive and nothing is deleted. What changed on 1 October 2026 is that Microsoft 365 users who download them can no longer open them in Publisher. Anyone who owns Publisher 2021, 2019 or 2016 outright can still open them. Even so, Publisher 2021 loses support on 13 October 2026, and Microsoft stopped supporting 2019 and 2016 on 14 October 2025. Converting the files to PDF or DOCX is the practical response.
How do I find all PUB files in my Google Drive?
Type type:pub in the Google Drive search bar. This filters results to PUB files across your personal My Drive and any Shared Drives you have access to. For a full organisational audit, Google Workspace admins can use the Drive audit report in the Admin Console to find PUB files across all users.
Can I open a PUB file stored in Google Drive on a Chromebook?
No. Chromebooks run ChromeOS, which cannot run Windows applications, including Publisher. No ChromeOS app opens PUB files, and Drive cannot preview them. You can download one and read it in the free Univik Online PUB Viewer, which works in the browser for files from Publisher 2003 and newer. For files a whole team needs, convert them to PDF or DOCX first. This affects any organisation where Chromebooks are part of the device fleet.
What is the fastest way to convert many PUB files from Google Drive to PDF?
Download the PUB files from Drive to a Windows machine (Drive packages folders as ZIP on download), run Univik PUB Converter to batch-convert to PDF, then re-upload the PDFs to Drive. This is faster than converting files individually and does not require Publisher to be installed on the Windows machine used for conversion.
The Short Version
PUB files in Google Drive are stored but not accessible, and there is a meaningful difference between the two. A file sitting in Drive that nobody can open without downloading it to a Windows machine with Publisher installed is not a practical working document. Now that Publisher has left Microsoft 365, it is an archive entry that most people cannot open at all.
Convert them now. PDF for anything being preserved or distributed. DOCX for anything that needs to remain editable in Google Docs. Upload the converted versions to Drive and they become fully accessible to every team member on every device, with no Microsoft software required.
How many PUB files are in your Shared Drives versus personal My Drive? Shared Drive content affects your whole team, so that is the right place to start the conversion project.