Publisher to MKV Converter

Publisher to MKV — or Should You Save a PDF Instead?

If you are converting a Microsoft Publisher (.pub) file to MKV, it helps to know what actually comes out: each page is rendered to a still image and held on screen as a motionless frame, producing a silent, slideshow-style video — not an animated "movie" of your publication. That is genuinely useful when a screen or signage player only accepts video. But if your real goal is to keep your publications openable after Microsoft retires Publisher on October 1, 2026, a PDF is almost always the better target. The short version: convert to MKV only when the destination needs a video file; convert to PDF when you need to read, archive, or share the document.

MKV Video vs PDF — Which Output Fits Your Goal?

When to Pick MKV

• A digital-signage display, kiosk, or media player at your venue accepts .mkv clips but will not open documents.
• You are dropping the publication into a video timeline or playlist alongside other clips, and need a video container that holds H.264 cleanly.
• You want a self-looping page-flip of a flyer or menu, where each page lingers for a few seconds before the next.
• You specifically need MKV rather than MP4 — for example a player or library that prefers Matroska's multi-track container.

When to Pick PDF Instead

• You need the publication to stay readable and shareable after Publisher's October 1, 2026 retirement — this is what most people searching for a .pub converter actually want.
• You want selectable, searchable text and a print-exact layout rather than a picture of each page.
• You are emailing or archiving the file; a PDF is far smaller than a full-frame video and opens on any device.
• Microsoft itself recommends PDF for viewing (and Word for editing) when moving off Publisher, not a video format. Use Publisher to PDF for that, or Publisher to PNG if you only need a flat image of each page.

How to Convert Publisher to MKV

1. Upload Your Publisher File: Drag and drop your .pub file onto the page or click "+ Add Files" to browse. You can queue several Publisher files at once.
2. Choose Merge images or Video per image: In Advanced Options, "Merge images" combines every rendered page into one continuous MKV; "Video per image" outputs a separate MKV for each file.
3. Set the Duration and Quality Preset (Optional): "Duration" controls how many seconds each page holds on screen (5 seconds per frame by default); "Quality Preset" (Very High is the default) trades sharpness against file size, and "Preset Resolutions" sets the frame size.
4. Convert and Download: Click "Convert" and download your MKV file. No sign-up, no watermark, no Publisher license required.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the MKV actually play my Publisher pages as a moving video?

No. A .pub file has no animation, so the conversion renders each page to a still image and holds it as a motionless frame for the duration you set. The result is a silent, slideshow-style video inside an MKV container, not a movie. If you only want a flat picture of each page, Publisher to PNG is more direct, and for a readable document Publisher to PDF is better.

Why does the MKV have no sound?

Because there is nothing to play. A Publisher document carries no audio track, so the MKV is created as video-only. The default video codec for MKV here is H.264, which plays in VLC, modern browsers, and most desktop players. If you need narration or music, add it afterward in a video editor.

Should I convert my .pub files to MKV before Microsoft retires Publisher?

Only if your destination genuinely needs a video file. Microsoft has confirmed that the perpetual version of Publisher will no longer be supported after October 1, 2026, and recommends converting .pub files beforehand — but it suggests PDF for viewing and Word for editing, not video. For keeping your publications openable and shareable, Publisher to PDF is the right rescue path; MKV is a niche choice for screens that only accept video.

Is MKV or MP4 the better target for a Publisher slideshow?

For most screens and players, MP4 is the more widely compatible choice, so consider Publisher to MP4 if you are unsure. Pick MKV when a specific player, signage system, or library prefers the Matroska container — first published in 2002 and standardized as RFC 9559 in 2024 — or when you may later add multiple subtitle or audio tracks, which Matroska handles natively.

How faithful is the rendered page in the MKV?

.pub is Microsoft's proprietary desktop-publishing format, so non-Microsoft renderers cannot reproduce it perfectly. In our testing, simple single-page flyers and certificates render cleanly, while documents with unusual fonts, heavy layering, or externally linked images are more likely to shift or substitute elements — fonts that are not embedded in the file get the closest available match. Spot-check complex publications, and for a print-exact result export from Publisher itself while you still can.

How long does each page stay on screen, and what if a page looks blurry?

You control timing with the "Duration" setting (5 seconds per frame by default) — raise it for pages people need to read, or lower it for a quicker page-flip. If frames look soft when scaled up, re-render at a higher "Preset Resolutions" setting rather than enlarging the finished MKV, because each frame is a fixed-pixel raster image and stretching it only blurs existing pixels.

Is my Publisher file kept private?

Yes. Files are uploaded over an encrypted connection, processed on our servers, and deleted automatically a few hours after conversion — no sign-up, no watermark, never shared or made public. For very large publications, the practical limit is upload time rather than the page count itself.