Google Slides cannot open PUB files. The conversion always takes two steps. Path 1: export the PUB to PDF in Publisher or with Univik PUB Converter, then open the PDF in Slides each PDF page becomes a slide with the layout preserved as an image. Path 2: convert PUB to PPTX first, then upload the PPTX to Google Drive and open in Slides produces editable text but lower layout fidelity. Path 1 is better for preserving visual layout. Path 2 is better when you need the slide content to remain editable.
No Direct PUB to Google Slides Path
Google Slides has no PUB import. You cannot upload a PUB file to Google Drive and open it in Slides. The format is not recognised Google Drive displays PUB files as a download-only generic file with no preview and no open option.
Every path from PUB to Google Slides goes through an intermediate format. The choice of intermediate format determines what you get at the end: a visually accurate but non-editable result or a more editable result with less layout fidelity.
When Google Slides Is the Right Destination
Google Slides is a good Publisher replacement for specific use cases and a poor fit for others. The question to ask first: was the Publisher document slide-based or document-based?
Good fit for Slides
- Single-page or two-page visual layouts (posters, flyers, one-pagers)
- Presentations built in Publisher that need to move to a collaborative platform
- Content that will be presented on screen or projected
- Teams using Google Workspace who want to avoid a separate design tool
- Designs that need real-time collaboration across a team
Poor fit for Slides
- Multi-page newsletters with flowing text across pages
- Brochures with complex column layouts
- Print-ready documents requiring bleed and CMYK
- Long-form catalogues or publications
- Documents where typography precision matters
If the Publisher document is a multi-page newsletter or brochure with flowing text, Google Docs is likely the better destination. See our PUB document to Google Docs guide for that workflow.
Path 1: PUB to PDF, Then PDF to Slides
This path produces the best visual result. The layout is preserved as it appears in Publisher. The trade-off is that text in the resulting slides is not directly editable it is part of the image layer from the PDF rendering.
Export the PUB to PDF. Open the file in Publisher and go to File then Export then Create PDF/XPS. Click Create PDF/XPS, choose a location and click Publish. If Publisher is no longer available, use Univik PUB Converter to convert PUB to PDF in bulk on Windows without Publisher installed.
Upload the PDF to Google Drive. Go to drive.google.com and click New then File upload. Select the PDF. Google Drive processes and stores the file.
Open the PDF in Google Slides. Right-click the PDF in Google Drive and select Open with then Google Slides. Slides converts each page of the PDF into a slide. The conversion preserves the visual appearance but renders content as images individual text elements within the PDF are not selectable as text in Slides.
Add editable elements on top if needed. Insert new text boxes in Slides for any text that needs to be updated going forward. The PDF image layer serves as the visual background while new Slides text boxes hold the editable content. Delete the PDF image layer from any slides where the editable rebuild is complete.
Path 2: PUB to PPTX, Then PPTX to Slides
This path produces editable text in Google Slides but with lower layout fidelity. It works best for Publisher documents where the content matters more than the visual layout.
Convert the PUB to PPTX. Use the two-step PUB to PowerPoint path described in our PUB to PowerPoint guide export to PDF from Publisher then open the PDF in PowerPoint and save as PPTX. Or convert PUB to PPTX using Univik PUB Converter.
Upload the PPTX to Google Drive. Go to drive.google.com and click New then File upload. Select the PPTX file. Google Drive uploads and processes it.
Open the PPTX in Google Slides. Right-click the file in Google Drive and select Open with then Google Slides. Slides converts the PPTX to its native format. Text is editable. Images and layout are partially preserved depending on how faithfully the PUB-to-PPTX step performed.
Review and adjust. Check text positioning, font rendering and image placement. Google Slides may substitute fonts not available in its library. Complex layout elements from the original PUB may need manual repositioning.
What Survives Each Path
| Element | Path 1: PDF to Slides | Path 2: PPTX to Slides |
|---|---|---|
| Visual layout | ✅ Preserved as image | ⚠️ Partial varies by complexity |
| Images | ✅ Preserved in image layer | ⚠️ Usually preserved |
| Editable text in Slides | ❌ Text is part of image | ✅ Editable text boxes |
| Custom fonts | ✅ Embedded in image | ⚠️ Slides substitutes unavailable fonts |
| Slide-per-page | ✅ Automatic | ✅ Automatic from PPTX structure |
| Collaboration in Google Workspace | ✅ Full Google Slides sharing | ✅ Full Google Slides sharing |
| Publisher required | For PDF step (or use batch converter) | For PPTX step (or use batch converter) |
Google Slides vs Google Docs: Which One?
If you are migrating Publisher content to Google Workspace and unsure whether Slides or Docs is the right destination, the deciding factor is whether the Publisher document is layout-driven or text-driven.
| Publisher Document Type | Better Destination |
|---|---|
| Flyers, posters, one-page visual layouts | Google Slides |
| Presentations originally built in Publisher | Google Slides |
| Newsletters with continuous text | Google Docs |
| Brochures with multi-column text flow | Google Docs |
| Documents intended for editing and updating | Google Docs |
| Documents intended for screen presentation | Google Slides |
For text-heavy Publisher documents heading to Google Docs, see our PUB to Google Docs guide.
Using Slides as an Ongoing Publisher Replacement
For organisations moving to Google Workspace, Slides works as a Publisher replacement for visual and presentation-style content. For new content created directly in Slides:
Set slide dimensions to match your print format. In Slides, go to File then Page setup then Custom. Enter the dimensions of your document in centimetres or inches A4, US Letter, DL flyer or custom. This ensures the design exports correctly to PDF for printing.
Use Slides themes for brand consistency. Create a custom Slides theme with your brand fonts and colours. Apply it to all new documents so the visual style stays consistent without manually setting colours each time.
Export to PDF for printing. File then Download then PDF Document produces a print-ready PDF from the Slides layout. For basic print materials, quality is adequate. For professional commercial print with CMYK requirements, Slides does not meet professional print standards.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Google Slides open a PUB file directly?
No. Google Slides and Google Drive do not recognise the PUB format. PUB files uploaded to Google Drive appear as generic download-only files with no preview and no open option. The conversion to Slides always requires an intermediate step either a PDF or PPTX produced from the original PUB file.
Which is better for converting Publisher to Google Slides via PDF or via PPTX?
Via PDF if you want to preserve the visual layout the slide looks like the Publisher document but text is not editable in Slides. Via PPTX if you need editable text in the resulting slides text is selectable and editable but layout fidelity is lower. For most presentation and display use cases, the PDF path produces a more polished result. For content that a team needs to update regularly, the PPTX path gives them editable access.
Can I batch-convert PUB files to Google Slides?
Not directly in Google Slides. The practical batch approach is to convert all PUB files to PDF in bulk using Univik PUB Converter on Windows, then upload the PDFs to Google Drive and open them individually in Slides. For large archives, prioritise the most actively used documents for the Slides conversion and store the remainder as PDF in Drive for reference.
Does Google Slides support the fonts used in Publisher?
Google Slides uses Google Fonts. If the Publisher document used fonts not available in the Google Fonts library, Slides substitutes the closest available font in the PPTX-to-Slides path. In the PDF-to-Slides path, the original fonts are preserved as they are baked into the PDF image layer. For brand documents requiring specific fonts, the PDF path is safer for font fidelity.
Is Google Slides a good replacement for Microsoft Publisher?
For single-page visual content and presentation-style layouts yes, with a reasonable trade-off. For complex multi-page publications with flowing text, columns and print-ready specifications no. Google Slides is a collaborative presentation tool, not a desktop publishing application. For the closest feature replacement to Publisher within Google Workspace, Google Docs handles document-style Publisher output better than Slides does for most use cases.
Conclusion
Converting Publisher files to Google Slides takes two steps regardless of which path you use. PDF to Slides gives you the visual layout preserved but text is not editable. PPTX to Slides gives you editable text with lower fidelity. The right path depends on whether the slides need to be updated or just displayed.
For Publisher documents that are more document than presentation newsletters, brochures, multi-column layouts Google Docs is a better destination than Slides. Slides is the right choice for visual and presentation-style content that belongs on a slide canvas rather than a scrolling page.
Is the Publisher content you are migrating primarily visual and presentation-based or primarily text-based with layout complexity? That distinction determines whether Slides or Docs is the right Google Workspace destination.