OpenAnyFile
A PUB file is a Microsoft Publisher Document, introduced by Microsoft in 1991. Below: what is actually inside one, and how to open it without installing special software.
Microsoft Publisher Document is an archive format developed by Microsoft, first appearing in 1991. It is normally produced by Microsoft Publisher.
OLE2 binary with no published specification. Microsoft discontinued Publisher, making PDF export the only durable path out.
| Full name | Microsoft Publisher Document |
|---|---|
| File category | Archives |
| MIME type | application/x-mspublisher |
| Magic bytes (file signature) | D0 CF 11 E0 A1 B1 1A E1 |
| Developer | Microsoft |
| Introduced | 1991 |
| Usually created by | Microsoft Publisher |
| OpenAnyFile engine | ZIP archive browser |
| Opens without upload | Yes — parsed locally in your browser |
OpenAnyFile routes .pub to its ZIP archive browser, which opens a clickable folder tree — walk into directories and open any file inside without extracting, including archives nested in archives.
Viewing, inspecting and verifying. You get a clickable folder tree — walk into directories and open any file inside without extracting, including archives nested in archives. File details, exact byte size and the detected signature are always shown.
Editing and re-saving. OpenAnyFile is a reader, not an editor — for changes you still need special software or an equivalent.
Handing a .pub file to a random conversion site means handing over a copy you cannot get back. OpenAnyFile parses the file locally instead — the same way special software reads it off your disk, except the reader happens to be a web page. Nothing is transmitted, so there is nothing to leak, log or subpoena. It also means it keeps working with your Wi-Fi switched off.
Yes. OpenAnyFile's ZIP archive browser runs in your browser, so you can read a PUB file with nothing installed. You get a clickable folder tree — walk into directories and open any file inside without extracting, including archives nested in archives. For full editing you still need the original application — this is a viewer, not an editor.
Look at the first bytes rather than the extension. A genuine PUB begins with D0 CF 11 E0 A1 B1 1A E1. Opening the file in OpenAnyFile shows that signature in the file-details panel, so a file renamed to .pub by mistake is easy to spot.
With OpenAnyFile, yes, because nothing is uploaded. The file is read locally through your browser's File API and never leaves your device, so there is no server copy to leak, log or retain. That matters most for the kind of file people are least willing to hand to a random converter site.
Microsoft Publisher Document — an application/x-mspublisher format created by Microsoft since 1991. OLE2 binary with no published specification. Microsoft discontinued Publisher, making PDF export the only durable path out.
Yes — the same engine also opens .epub, .zip, .apk, so you can compare related files without switching tools.
These open with the same engine, so if you have one of these sitting next to your .pub file, it will open too: