The scanner is in the local stillPUB download. Get the standalone folder for your computer from the downloads page. You do not need the scanner to open one file in the browser app, and you do not need to connect an AI agent to scan a folder.
What the scanner does
Choose a folder or drive. stillPUB searches for .pub files, opens each one with the same local import engine, and writes one result per file. The report distinguishes files that imported, files with detected warnings, unreadable files, skipped symbolic links and unreadable folders.
The scan is read only. It does not change the Publisher files, and it does not upload them. It is an inventory and structural import check, not automatic migration: it does not edit files or save .stillpub copies for you.
Windows
- Download the Windows ZIP from the downloads page.
- Right-click the ZIP, choose Extract All, and open PowerShell in the extracted folder.
- Scan your documents folder and write an HTML report:
.\stillpub.exe scan "$env:USERPROFILE\Documents" --report "$env:USERPROFILE\Desktop\publisher-scan.html" - Open publisher-scan.html on the Desktop. A report with no detected warnings still needs a visual check against Publisher or a reference PDF.
macOS or Linux
Download the folder for your computer from the downloads page. In Terminal, make the program executable if your system asks, then scan a folder:
chmod +x ./stillpub
./stillpub scan "$HOME/Documents" --report "$HOME/Desktop/publisher-scan.html"The macOS binaries are Developer ID signed with the hardened runtime, but they are not yet notarized by Apple. Gatekeeper can refuse a downloaded build until that separate release step is complete. The browser app remains available without a download.
The report path must end in .html or .json. Use --non-recursive to inspect only the selected folder. An existing report is protected; choose another name or add --force when you intend to replace it.
Read the result before migrating
The scanner records warnings it detects, but it cannot compare a page with the original Publisher appearance or verify print fidelity. The scanner does not render legacy images. A WMF warning may clear in the stillPUB editor or when the local PDF exporter can use its bounded polygon fallback. Open important files, inspect every page, fix what the report names, and save a working copy as .stillpub.
There is no automatic migration step. Keep each original .pub file alongside its checked .stillpub working copy and exports; a .stillpub file does not contain the original Publisher file, and future importer improvements need the original source.
See the Publisher compatibility guide for the feature-by-feature limits behind the report.