1
Read the container
The importer opens the compound file and locates Publisher content, legacy Quill text and Escher drawing streams.
HomeNative PUB import evidence
Direct .pub migration, examined
Keep editing with direct Publisher file import
Plain-English answer: Megal's own importer reads the original Microsoft Publisher file, links its text and drawing records, and creates separate page objects you can select and edit.
Give your publication its next edition. Open your .pub file, change the text, replace pictures and arrange your layout. Direct import brings the original document into Megal's editing workspace so you can keep creating. Try your own file free.
Retirement guidance updated .
Engineering notes: Explore how direct import works and read our dated internal test results below. Each snapshot identifies its own files, checks and measurement period.
Output access: Free accounts can use a watermarked Print Preview. Actual printing and PDF creation, export or download require an active Professional subscription. Subscribe now for full unrestricted access.
After the October 2026 deadlines
If Publisher is no longer available in Microsoft 365
Microsoft scheduled Publisher removal from Microsoft 365 for on or shortly after 1 October 2026 as its update rolls out. Support for perpetual Publisher 2021 ended on 13 October 2026. Perpetual versions can still be installed and used without support.
Megal’s direct PUB import works without a running Microsoft Publisher installation. Open your file, make your changes and save an editable .mpub project for future updates. The engineering snapshots below retain their original test dates and coverage; this retirement information is a separate update.
Source: Microsoft’s official Publisher retirement guidance, checked on 24 October 2026. See our Publisher end-of-life guide and migration checklist for the licence-specific dates and next steps.
How the importer works
From Publisher streams to an editable page model
A .pub file is a compound binary document containing several related data streams. Megal works through those records instead of treating the complete page as one picture.
2
Parse records
Dedicated parsers read pages, text stories, formatting, pictures, shapes and drawing properties.
3
Link relationships
The linker uses Publisher identifiers to connect text stories, frames, pictures and drawing records.
4
Build page objects
The converter creates Megal pages with separate text-box, image, shape and table objects, ready for layout and formatting changes.
Keep working with individual objects.
Select text, pictures and shapes separately to update content and refine your design. Save an editable .mpub project to pick up the work again later.
Three different migration routes
Direct PUB parsing compared with PDF and OCR
Choose a route that fits your next task: continue editing the publication, share a finished page or extract text from a scan.
| Question | Direct, object-aware PUB import | PDF-based workflow | OCR from a page image |
|---|---|---|---|
| What is read? | The original .pub file and its Publisher records. | A rendered or exported PDF, whose content depends on how that PDF was made. | Pixels in a scan, screenshot or rendered page image. |
| Where does the text come from? | From text stories, runs, paragraphs and frame relationships in the source file. | From text and font data retained in the PDF, or by later reconstruction. | Characters and blocks are recognised statistically from their appearance. |
| What happens to objects? | Resolved text boxes, images, shapes and tables become separate output objects. | Object boundaries and reading order may need to be inferred from the rendered output. | Original Publisher object identities and relationships are not present in the pixels. |
| Main strength | Continued editing with more of the source document's structure available. | Preserving a stable finished-page appearance can be useful when editing is secondary. | Recovering visible text when only a scan or image survives. |
| Typical next step | Edit your publication and save an .mpub master for the next edition. | Share or print the finished pages, or reconstruct content for further editing. | Use the recognised words as a starting point for a new document. |
Latest engineering checkpoint: 2 October 2026
Our internal structural audit imported 17,141 files without a failed conversion: 12,392 modern files and 4,749 Publisher 98/2000 files. This checks processing and document structure, not whether every page looks correct. There were still diagnostic warnings and unresolved resource references.
A separate visual run covered 30 format files and 33 pages; every comparison still reported differences. Its Publisher/XPS reference captures were made on 28–29 September, with controlled fixtures from 27 September, and compared with 2 October Megal renders of the matching originals. This is not a whole-library visual pass.
The 2 October audit also recorded areas for continued engineering work: text and table layout, legacy artwork, advanced effects, shape and gradient behaviour, font metrics and Publisher 97. These are findings from that dated checkpoint; the compatibility FAQ below explains how to work with your own files.
Start with your own publication. Open it free and make your next text, picture or layout update in Megal Publisher.
Recorded engineering evidence
Historical engineering snapshot: 29 July 2026
Megal uses two separate test layers: a large structural-import audit and a smaller rendered-page comparison. Their results answer different questions and should not be combined into one “accuracy” percentage.
9,866 .pub files
Every file in the recorded template corpus was passed through the native importer.
11,974 pages
The audit received non-empty documents with positive, finite page dimensions.
589,999 objects
The resulting page models contained separate shapes, text boxes, images and tables.
0 structural failures
No audited file threw an import exception or failed the audit's structural checks.
Numbers with their definitions attached
Corpus and visual-comparison results
Snapshot generated 29 July 2026. The structural audit covers 9,866 template files; the separate visual comparison covers 369 engineering comparison files. Both populations are held by Megal Software Limited, and the results have not been independently audited.
| Test layer | Scope | Recorded result | How to read the result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Structural import audit | 9,866 .pub files; 11,974 output pages; 589,999 output objects; 95,795 text stories. | 0 failures. The object mix was 464,192 shapes, 95,802 text boxes, 29,995 images and 10 tables. There were 230 importer warnings across 221 files. | Measures import completion and document structure; visual appearance and text flow require the separate rendered-page checks. |
| Publisher-render comparison | 369 .pub files and 442 pages with Microsoft Publisher PNG baselines and Megal-rendered counterparts. | 0 missing or failed comparison fixtures; 4.35% average pixel-mismatch ratio; 2.19% mean absolute colour difference; 88.24% average foreground intersection-over-union. | The comparison set is not claimed to be a random sample, and an average can hide a poor result on an individual page. |
How to read the structural pass
A structural pass means the importer completed, returned at least one page, produced positive finite page dimensions and gave each output object numeric, finite, non-reversed bounds. These checks confirm completed parsing and finite page and object geometry; the separate visual comparison measures rendered appearance.
The 230 warnings were retained rather than hidden. Warnings can record parser decisions such as unresolved styled text or ignored Publisher scratch and pasteboard pages. A warning does not necessarily make the visible publication unusable, but it is a reason to review the affected file.
How to read the visual figures
Microsoft Publisher exported the reference pages as PNG images. Megal rendered the imported counterparts, the images were normalised to the same size and the comparison measured changed pixels, average channel difference and overlap of non-white foreground content.
The 4.35% mismatch figure uses a pixel-comparison threshold and excludes anti-aliasing differences. It should not be inverted and advertised as a “95.65% accuracy” score. The 88.24% foreground intersection-over-union is a different measure of overlapping visible content, not an editability score.
Measurements guide development.
Comparing matched pages with Publisher-rendered baselines helps identify layout and rendering differences. The figures describe this dated test set, with its stated scope and sampling limits.
An editable publication workspace
Work with the parts of your publication
The import model handles text, layout and artwork as distinct parts of the publication so you can work with them individually.
Text and stories
Text boxes, styled runs, paragraphs, columns, linked-frame references, alignment, spacing and selected fitting information where resolved.
Geometry and drawing objects
Page-relative bounds, stacking order, rotation, flips, shapes, lines, fills, gradients and selected clipping or wrapping paths.
Pictures and tables
Embedded pictures and their crop and mask data, plus table rows, columns, cells and basic cell styling.
From import to your next edition
Make the publication your own
- Open your .pub file in Megal Publisher.
- Select text boxes, pictures and shapes to update the content.
- Use familiar font, paragraph and layout controls to refine the pages.
- Save an editable .mpub project for future changes.
- Use Print Preview to prepare your finished publication.
Common questions
Direct PUB import, PDF and OCR
Does Megal convert a PUB file to PDF before importing it?
No. Megal reads the original .pub file directly and creates its own editable page objects. PDF export is not an intermediate import step.
Does Megal use OCR to read PUB files?
No. OCR recognises characters from pixels. Megal's PUB importer reads file records, text stories, object data and relationships from the original document.
Is a PDF workflow always worse?
No. PDF is often a good choice for preserving and sharing a finished page. It is a different objective from recovering Publisher structure for continued editing. Choose the route that matches the work you need to do next.
What should I know about PUB compatibility?
Font availability, older effects and complex Publisher relationships can affect imported layouts. Some records or effects may be simplified, omitted or identified in the Import Report; ambiguous records can require layout heuristics. Check page size, text flow, artwork and borders against an original PDF or printout for important publications. Keep the original .pub file and save ongoing work as .mpub: full editable .pub export is not currently available, and later changes to the original are not automatically merged into the Megal project.
How can I verify another product's importer?
Look for a technical statement from its developer, ask whether PDF or OCR is used, and inspect the output. Being able to select and edit separate objects is stronger evidence than a page preview alone.
Create the next edition of your publication
Open your .pub file, update the text, replace a picture and make the layout your own. Get started free in your browser.