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How to Open a .PAGES File

Vijith Menon
The .pages file format is the default word processing software of the Apple Productivity Apps. Though compatible on Mac, it isn't compatible with the iPad2. Irrespective of the issue, we shall tell you how to open a .pages file.
Did You Know? 
The desktop publishing application 'Pages', which has an extension of .pages, is available for free for all the systems that have the OS X version.
The Pages application is part of the Apple Productivity Apps suite, formerly known as iWork. It is part of the trio of the word processing software for Apple, including Keynote, a presentation program, and Numbers, a spreadsheet application. It has many advanced features, including the most coveted textbox linking and support for Applescript.
In addition, it has 140 designed templates for easy use. It has a full screen mode which allows users to edit the document without any additional windows for distraction. We can even export our documents in PDF, EPUB, and Microsoft Word documents (DOC).
Despite these features, users comfortable with Microsoft Office will still be clueless while trying to open this file. For those of you who have received this file and are unable to open it, we give you some easy steps to open a .pages file.
How to Open a File with a .PAGES Extension 

Windows
  • Copy the Pages file into a separate folder on the desktop.
  • Now press 'F2' to rename the file. Only change the extension from .pages to .zip. To view the extensions of files, go to 'Folder Options', then click on 'View' and then uncheck 'Hide extensions for known file types'.
  • After this is done, the file will represent a zip file. Double-click to either extract the contents or to view the files inside.
  • You'll find a QuickLook folder, an XML document, and a Preferences file.
  • Double-click the QuickLook folder to see the Pages file in a PDF format. It will be named Preview.PDF. Now, copy the file and save it in a format compatible with your OS, and you're golden.
The same process can be used for Windows 7 and above operating systems.
Mac
  • Click on 'File' and then Export to....
  • Open the Pages application to open the file with a .pages extension.
  • You are given 4 options - PDF, Word, RTF, or Plain Text (.txt).
  • Choose one to save the file most compatible with your operating system, and click 'Next' to proceed. The tip used to view a .page file can be used in Keynote and Numbers as well, provided that the 'Include preview in document' option is checked. 
Linux
1. Just type : -j document.pages QuickLook/Preview.pdf

ZamZar
1. Upload the Pages file to ZamZar, and click the 'Choose Files' button.
2. Choose the output format to whatever you desire.
3. Enter an email address on which you want to receive the document.
4. Click the 'Convert' button to start the process, and then download the document from your email.
Android
  1. You need to upload your documents to iCloud.
  2. Log into iCloud and tap 'Pages' to open your Pages documents.
  3. Then, double tap the document to open it.
  4. Now you can download the document in PDF or Word (.doc,.docx) format. 
Google Docs
Google Docs is the newest contender that recognize all file formats. All you have to do is upload the Pages file to Google Drive. Then sign in using your username, and click on 'Google Drive' to view the files using Google Docs Viewer.
The .pages file format is still extremely popular with Mac users, and treasured with extreme gusto. Although designed similarly to Microsoft Office, its clean interface makes users want it even more. So, the next time a Pages file won't open, you know what needs to be done to view the document.