You can convert and open documents in Pages on iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or Mac. If you don't have an Apple device, you can use Pages online at iCloud.com.
Convert and open documents in Pages on iPhone or iPad
Forums Macs Mac Apps and Mac App Store. Apple vs Microsoft - Pages vs Word. I do hope that when Pages gets updated later this year that compatibility with Word will be a lot better, but then by that time Microsoft will probably update Office for Mac and make everything just as incompatible as.
You can work with a variety of file formats in Pages on your iPhone or iPad. Check which formats are compatible with Pages on iPhone and iPad.
Convert a Pages document in Pages on iPhone or iPad
If you want to open a Pages document in another app like Microsoft Word, use Pages to convert the document to an appropriate format.
- Open the document that you want to convert, then tap the More button .
- Tap Export.
- Choose a format for your document.
- If you chose EPUB, set any additional options.
- Choose how you want to send your document, like with Mail or Messages.
Open a file in Pages on iPhone or iPad
To open a file like a Microsoft Word document in Pages on iPhone or iPad, tap the file in the document manager. If you don’t see the document manager, tap Documents (on iPad) or the back button (on iPhone), then tap the file that you want to open. If a file is dimmed, it’s not in a compatible format.
You can also open a file in Pages from a different app like the Files app, or from an email:
- Open the other app, then select the document or attachment.
- Tap the Share button .
- Tap Copy to Pages. The original file remains intact.
When the file opens, you might get a message that the document will look different. For example, Pages notifies you when fonts are missing. Tap Done to open the document in Pages.
Convert and open documents in Pages for Mac
You can work with a variety of file formats in Pages for Mac. Check which formats are compatible.
Convert a Pages document in Pages for Mac
If you want to open a Pages document in another app like Microsoft Word, use Pages to convert the document to an appropriate format.
- Open the Pages document that you want to convert.
- Choose File > Export To, then select the format.
- In the window that appears, you can choose a different format or set up any additional options. For example, you can require a password to open an exported PDF, choose to use the table of contents in an exported EPUB book, or choose the format for the exported Word document.
- Click Next.
- Enter a name for your file, then choose a location for the file.
- Click Export.
To send a file in a specific format through Mail, Messages, AirDrop, or Notes, choose Share > Send a Copy, choose how you want to send the document, then choose a format.
Open a file in Pages for Mac
You can open a file from the Finder or from the Pages app:
- From the Finder, Control-click the file, then choose Open With > Pages. If Pages is the only word processor on your Mac, you can just double-click the file.
- From the Pages for Mac app, choose File > Open, select the file, then click Open. If a file is dimmed, it’s not a compatible format.
When the file opens, you might get a message that the document will look different. For example, Pages notifies you when fonts are missing. You might see also see warnings when you open documents created in older versions of Pages.
Open and convert documents in Pages for iCloud
Pages for iCloud lets you open, edit, and share your files from a supported browser on a Mac or PC. Check which file formats are compatible with Pages for iCloud. If you don't have an Apple device, learn how to create an Apple ID.
Convert a Pages document in Pages for iCloud
- Sign in to iCloud.com with your Apple ID.
- Click Pages.
- In the document manager, click the More button on the file you want to convert, then choose Download a Copy. If you have the document open, click the Tools button in the toolbar, then choose Download a Copy.*
- Choose a format for the document. The file starts begins to download to your browser’s download location.
* To convert your document to an EPUB book, open the document, click the Tools button in the toolbar, then choose Download a Copy.
Open a file in Pages for iCloud
- Sign in to iCloud.com with your Apple ID.
- Click Pages.
- Drag the file you want to upload into the Pages document manager in your browser. Or click the Upload button , select the file, then click Choose.
- Double-click the file in the document manager.
Check file format compatibility
Formats you can open in Pages
You can open these file formats in Pages on iPhone, iPad, Mac, and online at iCloud.com:
- All Pages versions
- Microsoft Word: Office Open XML (.docx) and Office 97 or later (.doc)
- Rich Text Format (.rtf/.rtfd)
- Plain Text files (.txt)
Formats you can convert Pages documents into
Pages on iPhone or iPad:
- Microsoft Word: Office Open XML (.docx)
- Rich Text Format (.rtf/.rtfd)
- EPUB
Pages for Mac:
- Microsoft Word: Office Open XML (.docx) and Office 97 or later (.doc)
- Rich Text Format (.rtf/.rtfd)
- Plain Text files (.txt)
- EPUB
- Pages ‘09
Pages for iCloud:
- Microsoft Word: Office Open XML (.docx)
- EPUB
Learn more
- Pages on iPhone, iPad, Mac, and online at iCloud.com use the same file format. If you create or edit a document in Pages on one platform, you can open it in Pages on any of the other platforms.
- You can update to current versions of Pages on your iPhone or iPad from the App Store. To update Pages on your Mac, use the App Store app on your Mac.
- If you convert a Pages document into Pages ’09-compatible document, learn more about changes that happen when you export to iWork ’09.
Pages is Apple’s answer to Microsoft Word, but it’s only for Mac. If someone has sent you a Pages document or Word document, you can convert them using either the Pages app, or Pages on iCloud. However, Microsoft Word does not open Pages files or convert Word files to Pages files. Today we will show how to convert Apple Pages to Word, and vice-versa.
NOTE: Pages is part of Apple’s iWork office suite and there are two other apps in that suite – Numbers and Keynote. We’re using Pages in this example, but the same procedures work for Numbers and Keynote.
Convert a Pages Document To Microsoft Word Using The Pages App
To convert Apple Pages to Microsoft Word using the Pages app, double-click on the .pages file to open it. Then, go to File > Export To > Word.
On the “Export Your Document” dialog box, the Word tab is automatically selected. There are several other formats you can export your document to as well.
Clicking “Advanced Options” allows you to specify whether to export the document as a .docx file (Word 2007 and over) or a .doc file (Word 2003 and earlier).
If you want to password-protect the file, check the “Require password to open” box, enter the password, verify the password, and enter a password hint. Click “Next” to continue.
If you see the compact version of the “Save As” dialog box, and you want to use the full dialog box, click the down arrow to the right of the box. Is the folder in the “Where” box where you want to save the file? If so, click the “Export” button.
If you opened the full “Save As” dialog box, select a location in the left-most pane and navigate to a folder in the next pane.
The file name in the “Save As” box defaults to the file name of the Pages document with a .docx (or .doc) extension. You can change that file name if you want, but however don’t change the extension.
Click the “Export” button to export the file. You will then have a Word document you can open in Microsoft Word.
Convert a Microsoft Word Document To Pages Using The Pages App
If you have a Microsoft Word document you want to open in the Pages app, that is easily accomplished. Open the Pages app first and then go to File > Open.
On the “Open” dialog box, select a location in the left pane, then navigate to the Word file you want to open and select it. Click the “Open” button.
You may see the message, “This document has missing fonts.” Fonts used in the Word document which are not available in Pages, will be substituted for other fonts.
You can accept the default substitution or you can select different ones. If you want to select different fonts, click “Show“.
On the “Choose which fonts to replace” dialog box, use the drop-down lists next to the listed fonts to select the fonts you want to use instead.
Once you’ve selected your fonts, click the “Replace Fonts” button.
To convert the Word document to a Pages document, go to File > Save.
If the folder in the “Where” box is where you want to save the Pages file, click the “Export” button here.
If you opened the full Save As dialog box, select a location in the left-most pane and navigate to a folder in the next pane. The file name in the “Save As” box defaults to the file name of the Word document with a .pages extension.
Click the “Export” button to export the file. You will now have a Pages document you can open in the Pages app or in Windows.
Convert a Pages Document To Microsoft Office Using Pages On iCloud
To convert Apple Pages to Microsoft Word using Pages on iCloud, you’ll need an iCloud account. But fortunately you don’t need a Mac or an iOS device to sign up for iCloud. All you need is a valid email address and a browser to access your iCloud account.
On the “Sign in to iCloud page” in your browser, enter your “Apple ID” and “Password” and press “Enter“.
If you’ve set up two-factor authentication on your Apple ID account, you’ll get a verification code on your iOS devices. Enter that code on the “Two-Factor Authentication” screen. You do not need to press “Enter” to continue.
Once you’ve entered your code, you may be asked if you want to trust this browser. If you’re using this browser on your own computer, you can click “Trust“. You will therefore not be asked for a verification code every time you sign in on this browser.
If you’re using someone else’s computer, a public computer, or you’d rather be asked each time no matter what, you should click “Don’t Trust“.
In your iCloud account, click the “Pages” icon.
When Pages opens, you might see the “What’s New in Pages” dialog box. Click the “Continue” button to close it.
To open a Pages document, open a Finder window (Mac) or File Explorer (Windows). Drag the .pages file onto the iCloud Pages app in the browser. It might take a bit of time to upload, depending on how big the document is.
Once you see the Pages file on the Documents page, right-click on it and select “Download a Copy” from the pop-up menu.
On the “Choose a download format” dialog box, click “Word“.
The file is prepared for download.
If the folder in the “Where” box is where you want to save the Word file, click the “Export” button here.
If you opened the full Save As dialog box, select a location in the left-most pane. Navigate to a folder in the next pane. The file name in the “Save As” box defaults to the file name of the Pages document with a .docx (or .doc) extension.
Click the “Export” button to export the file. You will now have a Word document you can open in Microsoft Word on a Mac or in Windows.
Convert a Microsoft Office Document To Pages Using Pages In iCloud
On the iCloud page in your browser, enter your “Apple ID” and “Password” and press “Enter“.
If you’ve set up two-factor authentication on your Apple ID account, you’ll get a verification code on your iOS devices. Enter that code here. You do not need to press “Enter” to continue.
In your iCloud account, you can access Apple’s apps available also on Mac and iOS devices. Click the “Pages” icon.
To open a Word document in iCloud Pages, open a Finder window (Mac) or File Explorer (Windows). Drag the .docx (or .doc) file onto the iCloud Pages app in the browser.
It might take a bit of time to upload to your iCloud account, depending on how big the document is.
Once you see the Word file on the Documents page, double-click on it to open it. Word files must be opened in Pages to completely convert them to the Pages format.
Once the document is open, click the “iCloud Pages” link in the upper-left corner of the app in the browser window to return to the Documents screen.
Then, right-click on the converted Word document and select “Download a Copy” from the pop-up menu.
On the “Choose a download format” dialog box, click “Pages“.
The file is prepared for download.
If the folder in the “Where” box is where you want to save the Pages file, click the “Export” button here.
If you opened the full “Save As” dialog box, select a location in the left-most pane. Then navigate to a folder in the next pane. The file name in the “Save As” box defaults to the file name of the Word document with a .pages extension.
Click the “Export” button to export the file. You will now have a Pages document you can open in the Pages app on a Mac or in Pages on iCloud.
Which office suite do you use, iWork or Microsoft Office, or both? What do you like about either one or both? Let us know in the comments.