Publisher to Canva: the route that works, and what you lose

Step 1: turn the .pub file into a PDF

Canva’s upload formats page lists what it imports, including PowerPoint, Word, PDF and Affinity files. A .pub file is not on that list, so a PDF is the simplest documented route. (Canva accepts Affinity files, and Affinity says it can open .pub files, but this page follows the PDF route.)

1. With Publisher: open the file, then choose File > Save as and pick PDF as the file type. This is the route Microsoft gives, and it needs Publisher to open the file.
2. Without Publisher, in your browser: open the file in our free viewer and download the PDF. It never uploads the file. Check every page before you go on, because fonts your device lacks are replaced and the layout may shift.
3. Without Publisher, on a computer: open the file in LibreOffice Draw (see how to open a .pub file without Publisher), then choose File > Export As > Export as PDF. LibreOffice’s help describes the export. Check every page of the PDF before you go on: LibreOffice rebuilds the layout from the .pub file, and it may not match.

Step 2: import the PDF into Canva

Canva’s help page on PDFs says you can import a PDF to update text, replace images and adjust layouts, and that Canva keeps the document as close as possible to the original while making supported content editable. On the Canva homepage, drag the PDF in, or choose Upload, then Upload files. Canva says that once it is done you open the imported PDF to open it in the Canva Editor.

Canva’s limits for an imported PDF are up to 500 pages, up to 300 MB, and up to 1,400 elements and images; larger files may import incompletely. A newsletter or flyer is usually far below that, though a graphics-heavy one can hold many elements.

What you lose

Canva’s help is not fully consistent here, so check your own file. Its PDF help page says “Text and images may be separated into editable elements.” Its upload formats page says “When importing a PDF document to Canva, the pages become individual images in an A4 document. It doesn’t become a page of editable text like in Docs.” Both are Canva’s own pages, so treat editing as “maybe” until you open your file.

• Canva says unsupported fonts may be replaced with similar fonts.
• Canva says some layouts may shift slightly and need minor adjustments.
• Canva says a scanned PDF is imported as a single flattened image, so its text cannot be edited. A PDF saved from Publisher is not a scan, but if you photographed or scanned a printout, this applies.

Your original .pub file is untouched. Keep it next to the PDF, in case you need to start again or a better converter comes along.

When Canva is a good fit, and when it is not

Canva may suit new designs started from its templates, with your text and photos moved across; we have not tested that. According to its pricing page, Canva has a Free plan at US$0 for one person, with 5GB of cloud storage.

• If you have a folder of old files, converting each by hand is slow: see how to convert many .pub files at once.
• If you want to keep editing the same layout in a program built for it, compare the options on Publisher alternatives.