View .pub file without Microsoft Publisher, for FREE

This will work with other types of files too if you don't own the software typically needed to read it, but the free version is pretty limited. There are websites out there that will let you upload a file, and then it will be converted to a .pdf and emailed to you. One that I just tested with a .pub Publisher file was https://www.pdfonline.com/convert_pdf.asp. That link brings you directly to the conversion page. It worked like a charm and it kept me from having to download and install the Publisher demo from Microsoft, but the file size is limited to 2MB so if your file is larger you may need another alternative. They also offer a pay version for converting more file types, but the free version is pretty basic. It definitely works with Publisher files though, which is probably the only type a person would want to use something like this with. For most other Office documents without MS Office, I recommend the free OpenOffice.org that is a free alternative to the standard Office suite.

If you're hesitant to give an email address to something like this, you should be. Go ahead and read through the terms and conditions if you want. I didn't bother because I was hurried, but so far so good. My spam level hasn't changed.