A PAGES file is a document created by Apple Pages, a word processor and page layout program for macOS and iOS. It is used to save a document, such as a report, poster, resume, newsletter, book, certificate, or brochure that was created from a blank page or built from a template. PAGES documents typically contain text and page formatting information, but may also include images, tables, graphs, and charts.

PAGES file open in Apple Pages 6 You most likely will only encounter a PAGES file if you use an Apple device, such as a MacBook or iPad, and save documents with the Pages application, which comes bundled with Apple devices. However, you may still encounter a PAGES file if you do not use an Apple device when you receive a document from a co-worker, friend, or family member who uses an Apple device and creates documents with Pages. How do I open a PAGES file? You can open PAGES documents using the Pages application on a Mac or iOS device. This is the best option since Pages provides native viewing and editing capabilities. You can also export them to other more widely used formats with Pages, such as .DOCX, .DOC, .PDF, and .EPUB. If you do not have access to Pages, you can upload PAGES files to your iCloud online account and view and edit the document in the iCloud version of Pages. Here, you can view and edit the document, and download a copy of the document as a PAGES, PDF, DOCX, or EPUB file. How do I manually view the contents of a PAGES file? Since PAGES files are stored in .ZIP format, you may also manually view the contents in a PAGES file by extracting them with a Zip-decompression utility. This is especially helpful for Windows users who cannot install Pages and need to view the contents of a PAGES document. Contents that can be extracted from a PAGES file include a .JPG file and an optional PDF file that provide a preview for the document. To manually view the contents of a PAGES file, follow these instructions: Rename the .pages file extension to .zip. Extract the resulting ZIP file with a Zip decompression utility, such as Microsoft File Explorer, Corel WinZip, or Apple Archive Utility. The extracted files should contain a folder named QuickLook. Navigate to this folder. In the QuickLook folder, open the file Thumbnail.jpg. This file only gives a preview of the first page of the document, but can still be helpful in some situations. In the QuickLook folder, there may also be a PDF file named Preview.pdf. Open this file to view a preview of the entire PAGES document. Note that the PDF file is only created if the user chose to save the original document with additional preview information in Pages. What is Apple Pages? Apple Pages is a word processor similar to Microsoft Word. It can be used to compose a variety of documents and save them as PAGES files or convert them to another format. Pages saves documents as PAGES files by default, much like Word saves documents as DOCX files by default. The word processor is included in the iWork office suite, which is the Apple equivalent of Microsoft Office. It is offered for free to Apple users and typically bundled with new Apple devices. The iWork suite consists of the following programs: Pages - Used to compose documents similarly to Microsoft Word. Keynote - Used to create and display presentations similarly to Microsoft PowerPoint. Numbers - Used to organize data in spreadsheets similarly to Microsoft Excel.