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To use Pages on Mac, choose a template, add and format your content, and let Pages save your work as you go. For a document that is mostly text, start with a word-processing template; for a flyer or other design with carefully placed objects, choose a page-layout template. Export a copy when someone needs a PDF, Word file, or ebook.
Choose a document type and template
Apple’s Pages User Guide says, “All documents begin with a template — a model you can use as a starting point.” Templates provide a starting layout and sample text or objects that you can replace.
Word processing: letters, reports, and other flowing text
Choose a word-processing template when the document is mainly text. Text flows from page to page as you write, and Pages adds another page automatically when you reach the end of the current one.
- Open Pages and choose a template from the template chooser.
- For a simple document, choose Blank or Blank Landscape in the Basic category.
- Click in the document and start typing.
Page layout: flyers, posters, and designed pages
Choose a page-layout template when you need more control over where text and other objects sit on the page. A page-layout document is suited to designs such as posters, flyers, and some books. You may need to add text boxes before typing. Apple notes that text wrapping and linked text boxes are among the available layout features.
#1 Best Overall
- AN AMAZING MAC AT A SURPRISING PRICE — With an incredibly portable and durable aluminum design, up to 16 hours of battery life,* and the A18 Pro chip, MacBook Neo is ready to go wherever school takes you.
- FOUR STUNNING COLORS. ONE DURABLE DESIGN — Choose from four beautiful colors — Silver, Blush, Citrus, or Indigo — each with a color-coordinated keyboard. And MacBook Neo is made with a durable recycled aluminum enclosure that helps it reach 60 percent recycled content by weight — the most ever in any Apple product.*
- FLY THROUGH EVERYDAY ASSIGNMENTS — Whether you’re cramming for finals, using Apple Intelligence* to summarize class notes, creating presentations, or even playing the latest Apple Arcade game,* MacBook Neo delivers the performance and AI capabilities you need to get things done.
- UP TO 16 HOURS OF BATTERY LIFE — MacBook Neo delivers all day battery life, so you can power through from early morning classes to late night study sessions without worrying about plugging in.
- A VIBRANT 13-INCH DISPLAY* — The gorgeous Liquid Retina display on MacBook Neo supports 1 billion colors, so photos and videos pop and text is crisp for easy reading.
If you are unsure which kind of document is open, look for the Bookmarks tab in the sidebar: Apple identifies it as a sign that the document is a word-processing document. Pages’ version and availability can vary; check Pages > About Pages on your Mac for the installed version.
Add and format text and objects
Replace template content
Click placeholder text in the template and replace it with your own. In a word-processing document, you can also click in the text area and begin typing. In a page-layout document, add a text box first, then type into it.
Rank #2
- AN AMAZING MAC AT A SURPRISING PRICE — With an incredibly portable and durable aluminum design, up to 16 hours of battery life,* and the A18 Pro chip, MacBook Neo is ready to go wherever school takes you.
- FOUR STUNNING COLORS. ONE DURABLE DESIGN — Choose from four beautiful colors — Silver, Blush, Citrus, or Indigo — each with a color-coordinated keyboard. And MacBook Neo is made with a durable recycled aluminum enclosure that helps it reach 60 percent recycled content by weight — the most ever in any Apple product.*
- FLY THROUGH EVERYDAY ASSIGNMENTS — Whether you’re cramming for finals, using Apple Intelligence* to summarize class notes, creating presentations, or even playing the latest Apple Arcade game,* MacBook Neo delivers the performance and AI capabilities you need to get things done.
- UP TO 16 HOURS OF BATTERY LIFE — MacBook Neo delivers all day battery life, so you can power through from early morning classes to late night study sessions without worrying about plugging in.
- A VIBRANT 13-INCH DISPLAY* — The gorgeous Liquid Retina display on MacBook Neo supports 1 billion colors, so photos and videos pop and text is crisp for easy reading.
Style text and add visual elements
Select text, then use the Format sidebar to change its appearance. Pages also has toolbar controls for adding text boxes, tables, charts, shapes, and media such as images, audio, and video. For a simple letter, for example, replace the sample heading and body text, then add an image only if it helps the reader.
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Save and find your document
Pages automatically saves changes as you work. Give the document a clear name so you can find it later. If iCloud Drive is configured on your Mac, new documents save there by default; storage location can differ depending on your setup.
Rank #3
- BUILT FOR COLLEGE. AND BEYOND — MacBook Air with the M5 chip packs blazing speed and powerful AI capabilities into an incredibly portable design. And with up to 18 hours of battery life,* this thin and light powerhouse is ready to take on almost any major, just about anywhere.
- TEAR THROUGH TOUGH ASSIGNMENTS — With its faster CPU and unified memory, the M5 chip delivers even more performance and fluidity across apps, making multitasking and creative workflows smooth and responsive. A powerful Neural Engine and next-generation GPU with Neural Accelerators give you a powerful platform for AI.
- MAKE QUICK WORK OF YOUR TO-DO LIST — Apple Intelligence helps you write, express yourself, and get things done effortlessly — whether it’s for school or everyday life. With groundbreaking privacy protections, it gives you peace of mind that no one else can access your data — not even Apple.*
- UP TO 18 HOURS OF BATTERY LIFE — MacBook Air delivers incredible battery life with amazing performance, so you can power through a full day of classes without worrying about plugging in.
- A BRILLIANT 13.6-INCH DISPLAY* — The gorgeous Liquid Retina display on MacBook Air supports 1 billion colors, making photos and videos pop with rich contrast and sharp detail, and text appears supercrisp. So everything — from class presentations to movies to games — looks truly stunning.
Export a copy for sharing in another format
Choose File > Export To, then select a format. Exporting creates a copy, so changes you later make to that exported file do not change the original Pages document.
| Format | Choose it when | Important detail |
|---|---|---|
| The recipient should see a consistent page appearance. | PDF export includes image-quality settings. Apple also documents an accessibility-tag option for documents with large tables. | |
| Word | The recipient needs an editable document in Word. | Use the Word export option in the export menu. |
| EPUB | You are preparing a book for ebook readers. | Choose fixed layout to preserve a designed appearance or reflowable layout so readers can adapt text size and display. Pages recommends reflowable for text-heavy books and fixed layout for designs with multiple columns or many images. Page-layout documents export as fixed layout. |
| Plain text | You need text without the original formatting and objects. | Plain-text export omits objects such as images, tables, and charts. Page-layout documents cannot be exported as TXT, RTF, or RTFD. |
Pages also offers export choices including RTF, images, and Pages ’09. Choose based on what the recipient or destination needs rather than treating every export as equivalent.
Rank #4
- BUILT FOR COLLEGE. AND BEYOND — MacBook Air with the M5 chip packs blazing speed and powerful AI capabilities into an incredibly portable design. And with up to 18 hours of battery life,* this thin and light powerhouse is ready to take on almost any major, just about anywhere.
- TEAR THROUGH TOUGH ASSIGNMENTS — With its faster CPU and unified memory, the M5 chip delivers even more performance and fluidity across apps, making multitasking and creative workflows smooth and responsive. A powerful Neural Engine and next-generation GPU with Neural Accelerators give you a powerful platform for AI.
- MAKE QUICK WORK OF YOUR TO-DO LIST — Apple Intelligence helps you write, express yourself, and get things done effortlessly — whether it’s for school or everyday life. With groundbreaking privacy protections, it gives you peace of mind that no one else can access your data — not even Apple.*
- UP TO 18 HOURS OF BATTERY LIFE — MacBook Air delivers incredible battery life with amazing performance, so you can power through a full day of classes without worrying about plugging in.
- A BRILLIANT 13.6-INCH DISPLAY* — The gorgeous Liquid Retina display on MacBook Air supports 1 billion colors, making photos and videos pop with rich contrast and sharp detail, and text appears supercrisp. So everything — from class presentations to movies to games — looks truly stunning.
Send a copy or collaborate live
For a straightforward handoff, share a copy or export the document in the format the recipient needs. Live collaboration is different: Pages shares the document through iCloud, where collaborators can see changes as they are made. The owner controls who can access it and whether they can edit or only view.
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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsInviting collaborators requires an Apple Account and iCloud Drive, along with compatible system and app requirements. Some Pages features are unavailable in shared documents.
Best Value
- BUILT FOR COLLEGE. AND BEYOND — MacBook Air with the M5 chip packs blazing speed and powerful AI capabilities into an incredibly portable design. And with up to 18 hours of battery life,* this thin and light powerhouse is ready to take on almost any major, just about anywhere.
- TEAR THROUGH TOUGH ASSIGNMENTS — With its faster CPU and unified memory, the M5 chip delivers even more performance and fluidity across apps, making multitasking and creative workflows smooth and responsive. A powerful Neural Engine and next-generation GPU with Neural Accelerators give you a powerful platform for AI.
- MAKE QUICK WORK OF YOUR TO-DO LIST — Apple Intelligence helps you write, express yourself, and get things done effortlessly — whether it’s for school or everyday life. With groundbreaking privacy protections, it gives you peace of mind that no one else can access your data — not even Apple.*
- UP TO 18 HOURS OF BATTERY LIFE — MacBook Air delivers incredible battery life with amazing performance, so you can power through a full day of classes without worrying about plugging in.
- A BRILLIANT 15.3-INCH DISPLAY* — The gorgeous Liquid Retina display on MacBook Air supports 1 billion colors, making photos and videos pop with rich contrast and sharp detail, and text appears supercrisp. So everything — from class presentations to movies to games — looks truly stunning.
Use a custom template for repeated work
If you regularly create the same kind of document, save a finished version as a template using File > Save as Template. You can add it to the template chooser or save it as a file. A custom template created on Mac can be available across your devices when you use the same Apple Account and have iCloud Drive turned on; it is not available in Pages for iCloud.
Make a book with Pages
Pages includes book templates and supports EPUB export. For an EPUB, decide whether to use a fixed or reflowable layout based on whether preserving the page design or adapting text to different screens matters more. You can also add a table of contents. Apple describes a workflow for making a book available for purchase or download in Apple Books, but availability through that platform does not guarantee commercial results.
Quick Recap
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