How to Convert a Microsoft Publisher Document to Microsoft Word Yourself

Microsoft Publisher is designed to work as a desktop publishing solution. DTP programs work well to create newsletters, brochures and other publications with strict typesetting requirements and lots of graphics. The functions of the program differ significantly from a word processing program such as Microsoft Word, OpenOffice Writer or iWork's Pages. A direct convert function to Microsoft Word would not work because of these differences. However, it is possible to export the text and manually create a similar version in Word.

Instructions

1. Open the "File" menu and click the "Save As" option. Enter a name in the field provided and select a location.

2. Click the "Save as type" drop-down menu and select the "Word 97-2003 & 6.0/95 - RTF" option. This saves the text of your document in a format Microsoft Word reads. Click the "Save" button.

3. Double-click the RTF file in Windows Explorer to open it in Word. Fix any formatting and spacing issues as needed. Return to the publisher document.

4. Scroll through the document to find any images you want to add to the word document. Right-click the image you want to add to the Word document and click "Copy." Return to Word, place the cursor where you want to image and click the "Paste" icon at the top of the window.

5. Repeat for each image you want to add from the Publisher document. Click the "Save As" option from the Office menu and save the document as a Microsoft Word document.

Tips & Warnings

• This can be a bit time consuming but is worth it when using graphics from Publisher

• If possible it may be better to use Publisher to edit the graphics but complete your original creation in Word and copy the graphics into the Word file from Publisher.

• It is better to paste your text freely in the Word document rather than using text boxes so that text easily flows to the next page and Word automatically creates a new page as needed. It is sometimes more difficult to create a new page when there are graphics and text on the first page.

• There are a couple of file converter tools available on-line but they may require you sign-up or pay for their services/products.

• Don't be afraid to try, remember there is always an undo button or you can close your document and not save it with updates to start fresh.

References

• Microsoft: Save a Publication as a Word Document