How to open pages in word

The Pages app is the Mac word processor similar to Microsoft Word on the Windows side of things, and by default any Pages document is saved as a Pages format file with with a “.pages” file extension. Typically that’s invisible to Mac users, but if you send a Pages file to someone on a Windows computer, the .pages extension is visible and the file format is unreadable by default by most Windows apps and by Microsoft Office. At first glance that may seem like Windows can’t use the file, but that’s not the case.

Fortunately there’s a super simple trick to open the .Pages format from Microsoft apps in Windows, including Word, and it involves convincing the PC that the pages file is not pages format, but rather a zip (yes, like a zip archive). This is done with a simple file extension modification from the Windows file system, and though it’s not an ideal solution (a better method would be to simply re-save the pages file to be compatible with word from the get-go), it does work:

Opening a Pages Format File from Mac in Microsoft Windows

Be sure to save the Pages file somewhere easily accessible to Windows Explorer, then do the following:

1. Make a copy of the .pages file just in case you mess something up
2. Right-click on the .pages file and choose “Rename”
3. Delete the “.pages” extension and replace it with “.zip” extension*, then hit the Enter key to save the extension change
4. Open the newly renamed .zip file to be able to open and access the Pages format content within Microsoft Word, Office, or WordPad

* Note that you may need to have file extensions visible in Windows to be able to properly change the extension of the pages document. They may need to be made visible first through the Folder Options > View > Uncheck ‘Hide extensions for known file types’ – You can safely ignore any file extension warning change warning.

That’s pretty easy and it works when you don’t have another option to either convert the file from pages to .doc, or to re-save it as a compatible file format ahead of time.

Note: There can be some formatting issues with this approach if the pages doc is particularly complex, so it’s best used as a last resort when there’s no other choice but to work with the file from Windows. This will not work to force open a pages file that has been password protected, however, in that situation, the file would need to be unlocked first.

This great solution for modifying the file extensions for Pages documents was found on the Microsoft Community, so try it out the next time you or someone you know is struggling in Windows to work with a Pages formatted file created from a Mac. It’s usually easier than returning to a Mac to change the saved file output, though you can certainly do that too and directly save a Pages file as a Word DOCX file if needed.

Alternative Solutions for Opening Pages Docs in Windows

Finally, another option worth considering is using iCloud to open Pages files on Windows, because icloud.com has a web based version of the Pages app available which can be loaded on any web browser on just about any computer or PC, whether it’s a Windows PC, Linux, Mac, or whatever else. The primary downside to the iCloud.com approach is that it requires an Apple ID login (however, anyone can create an Apple ID for free at any time), but the plus side to using iCloud.com is it’s widely versatile and you can export directly from the Pages iCloud.com app to a Windows compatible format like Microsoft Office and Word DOC / DOCX file formats.

And it may be worth mentioning there are online converter tools as well, but if you’re going to use an online tool anyway then using iCloud is probably better as it’s at least a trustworthy service, whereas some third party conversion tools may have uncertain privacy practices with whatever documents are being converted.

If you know of another method or a better way of opening Pages files on a Windows PC, let us know in the comments below!

Have you tried to open a Pages file on Windows unsuccessfully? You’re not alone; many people have had the same issue. 

Pages is the Apple version of Microsoft Word, and unfortunately trying to directly open a Pages file on a Windows 10 computer won’t work. In order to open a Pages file and actually be able to edit it on your Windows 10 computer, you’ll need to use a third-party app like CloudConvert to convert it.

In this guide, we’ll show you how to open the .Pages file in Windows and Microsoft Word.

Jump To:

1. How to Open a Pages File on Your Windows 10 Computer TL;DR
2. What is a .pages file?
3. How to open pages file on Windows
4. Solution #1: Open Pages through a zip compression
5. Solution #2: Upload the Pages Document on Google Drive
6. How to open a Pages file on your Windows 10 computer

How to Open a Pages File on Your Windows 10 Computer TL;DR

• You can open a Pages file on your Windows 11 or Windows 10 device using a third-party app.
• Pages is the Apple version of Microsoft Word, and unfortunately, trying to open a Pages file on a Windows 10 computer directly won’t work.
• To open a Pages file and actually be able to edit it on your Windows 10 computer, you’ll need to use a third-party app like GoogleDrive or CloudConvert to convert it.
• Visit SoftwareKeep’s Blog page or Help center site for more stories.
  
  

What is a .pages file?

Windows has Microsoft Word to help you write, edit, and create documents called Word documents. On the other hand, Mac has Apple Pages do the same work. This means the Pages file is the Apple version of Microsoft Word. 

So, Pages is the Apple version of Microsoft Word — however, unlike Word or any of the other software that comes with a Microsoft 365 subscription, it’s free on Mac devices. This means that you’re more likely to come across a Pages document now than you may have been in the past.

Unfortunately, you cannot open Pages directly on Windows. Pages file is made to work on macOS computers, so Windows PCs (or Microsoft Word) do not recognize the .pages file extension. Like with most Apple software, Pages and the Windows ecosystem do not really get along well. 

If you attempt to directly open a Pages document on your Windows PC using Word, you won’t succeed. The only thing you can see is s preview by opening the document though a zip file.

But there are tricks that you can use to help you open pages file format on your Windows PC.

How to open pages file on Windows

There are a number of methods you can use to open the .pages files in Windows. Here are some:

1. Open Pages through a zip compression
2. Upload the Pages Document on Google Drive

Solution #1: Open Pages through a zip compression 

To open Pages on Windows, you have to change the file format, by changing the file extension .pages.

You’ll change the file into a zip file format through a simple file extension modification from the Windows file system. 

Before you start, ensure you’ve saved a copy of the Pages file somewhere you can easily access in Windows Explorer. After that, do the following:

1. Make a copy of the .pages file (this is a precaution just in case you mess something up).
2. Right-click on the .pages file and choose “Rename”
3. Delete the “.pages” extension and replace it with the «.zip» extension* then Press the Enter key to save the extension change. For example, if your file name is «today.pages» change it to «today.zip».
   
   
4. Unzip the file: double click the newly renamed .zip file to open it (unzip) to open and access the Pages format content within Microsoft Word, Office, or WordPad.
   
   
5. In the zipped folder, you’ll find three files, double click on the “QuickLook” folder to open it:
   
   
6. In the QuickLook folder, you’ll find PDF and JPG files. Double click on the PDF file, it is the Pages file you want to open.
   
   
7. If you want to read or edit the Pages document (the PDF document you have created) on Word, you will convert the PDF document to a Word document. 

*Here is an important NOTE:

To use this solution, you’ll need to have file extensions visible in Windows to change the .pages extension. 

To make the file extensions visible:

1. Go to Folder Options.
2. Click View.
3. Uncheck «Hide extensions for known file types» (You can safely ignore any file extension warning change warning). 
4. The file extensions should be visible now. 
   
   

Solution #2: Upload the Pages Document on Google Drive 

This is a quick way to view PAGES files in Windows or another operating system. To open the Pages file on your Windows: 

1. Upload and save the Page document to Google Drive (to access Google Drive, you must have a Gmail Account. If you don’t have one already, create one).
2. In the drive, right-click on the document, then choose «Open With.» 
3. Under «Suggested Apps,» choose CloudConvert, then sign in with your Gmail account.
   
   
4. If need be, review the terms of service, then click «Allow.»
   
5. If you don’t already have a CloudConvert account, create one.
6. Your document will be prepared to convert. 
7. Once the document reads «Ready,» click on the drop-down menu and choose «Document,» then «doc» or «docx» file to enable you to open it in Word.
   
   
8. When it’s finished, click the red «Start Conversion» button at the bottom-left of the screen.
9. When the download is complete, click the green «Show File» button next to the document.
   
   
10. You will see a preview opened in Drive. Click «Download» at the top-right of the screen. (The arrow pointing down).
    
    
11. Wait for the download complete, then click the arrow next to the download bar at the bottom-left of the screen, then click «Open.»
    
    
12. The doc should now open in Microsoft Word.

How to open a Pages file on your Windows 10 computer

Wrapping Up 

We believe these solutions have been helpful. 

If you run into this unusual issue with your Mac, or if you want to open the .pages file format on Windows, this article should help you. You may need this article in the future again, so you can bookmark it. 

Do you need any Mac products? You can get all Mac products that you may need here, including Office for Mac and Windows for Mac!

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Pages is the default app in macOS for document processing. You can also use this app in iPhone and iPad and synchronize all your documents in iCloud. This is a free app comes as an alternative to the paid Microsoft 365 subscription for using Microsoft Word. However, Pages document is not compatible with popular Word app. This makes it tricky for the users to open Pages files in Windows using Microsoft Word or with any other word processing app.

Word and Pages Document Files

You can open .docx and .doc Word documents with Pages app. Though you may face font and formatting issues, it is possible to edit the content and save the file as Word document. However, the problem comes when you want to edit Pages file with Microsoft Word. Pages app by default saves the file with .pages file extension. Unfortunately, Microsoft Word does not support this extension in any platform like macOS, iOS and Windows 11.

This will create problems in the following situations:

• You are using Mac and want to share Pages document to your team, colleagues or friends using Windows PC.
• You are part of a team collaborating for creating documentation using different devices.
• Someone sent a .pages file that you want to open in Windows PC using Microsoft Word.

First problem is that you cannot open .pages file even with Word for Mac. You also cannot download Pages file from iCloud website in Windows. What you will get from iCloud is a ZIP file in useless format as shown below.

• When you try to open .pages file with Word in Windows, you will first get the following error mentioning Word found unreadable content.

• Continue to open the file will show permission error like below.

How to Open Pages File in Windows?

Unfortunately, there are no direct options to open Pages files with Word in Windows. Use one of the conversion methods depending upon whether you are sharing the file or want to read the file received from someone.

• You are the file owner – convert .pages to .docx with Pages app
• You are the receiver – use online converter to get .docx from .pages file

1. As a Pages File Owner

If you are the owner of .pages file, then make sure to convert it before sharing with others. This will help them to read the document without trouble. You can do the file conversion in Mac, iPhone or using iCloud account.

1.1. Export Pages File to Word Document in Mac

• Open your file with Pages app and go to “File > Export To” menu.

• You can convert the file into PDF, Word, plain text, rich text and EPUB formats. Select “Word…” option to proceed further.
• On the next screen, click on the “Format” dropdown and select .docx file extension. You can also select .doc extension if required and set a password for your document.

• Click “Next” button and select the location to save your file in .docx format.
• Now, you can share this Word document file to anyone.

1.2. Convert .pages to .docx in iPhone

iPhone also comes with free Pages app which you can use for file conversion.

• Tap on Pages app and then open your .pages file.
• You will see lot of icons on the top bar and tap on the three dots share icon.

• On the next screen, tap on “Export” from the list of available options for sharing.

• Select “Word” option and tap on “Done” showing on top right corner.

• Now, you can save the file to your Phone or directly share with someone.

1.3. Use iCloud to Get .docx File

Apple iCloud account comes with free Pages app. Therefore, anyone having an account can open files using Pages app and convert similar to Mac or iPhone. It is also possible to edit Pages files online within iCloud website.

2. As a Receiver of Pages File – Use Online Conversion

You can use one of the following options after receiving a .pages file in Windows PC or laptop.

2.1. Online File Converter

Using free online converter tool is the most feasible option for Windows users to convert .pages file to .docx file. Here we will explain with CloudConvert tool, you can follow the similar process with any other online tool.

• Click here to go to the Pages to Word conversion page of CloudConvert website.
• First, select the conversion format as PAGES to DOCX.
• Click on “Select File” button and choose “From my computer” option.

• Upload your .pages file and click “Convert” button.

• You file will be uploaded to the server and you will see a result like below after completing the conversion.

• Click on “Download” button to get the Word document file to your computer.

Though this an easy option, you have to upload the file to CloudConvert server for the conversion. It may cause privacy and information security problems. Hence, use this service with caution and do not upload confidential and organization related files. The best option is to ask the sender to resend the file in .docx format.

2.2. Using iCloud in Windows

This is an alternate option for Windows users having iCloud account.

• Access iCloud.com website and open Pages app.
• Upload .pages file and start editing the content if required.
• Finally, export the file as Word document to your Windows computer.

To use iCloud in Windows, you need to use two factor authentication or iCloud for Windows setup. Though it works, having iCloud account in Windows is unlikely situation as Windows users generally use OneDrive or Google Drive and not iCloud.

Final Words

There are no options available to open .pages file in Windows with Microsoft Word. What you can do is to convert .pages document to .docx format. Hence, before sharing .pages file, make sure to convert it into a Word document. You can do this with Pages app running in Mac, iPhone or iCloud account. However, you must rely on third-party converter tools or iCloud account to convert .pages file in Windows.