How Do You Convert iWork Files to PDF?
You convert iWork files to PDF by adding your Pages, Numbers or Keynote files to QuickCatPDF's iWork to PDF converter and clicking Convert to PDF. You don't need a Mac or iWork: the converter works in any browser on Windows, Android, Linux or a Chromebook.
It's free, with no sign-up and no watermark, for up to 10 files at a time.
How to Convert Pages, Numbers and Keynote With QuickCatPDF
Converting iWork files takes four steps.
- Click Select iWork files or drop your .pages, .numbers or .key files on the page.
- Keep Use Apple's preview when the file has one ticked for an exact copy of older files.
- For several files, choose Separate PDFs or One combined PDF.
- Click Convert to PDF, then download each PDF, the ZIP or the combined PDF.
Why Use QuickCatPDF for iWork Files?
QuickCatPDF uses two ways to read iWork files, and picks the more faithful one for each file. Many files saved by older versions of Pages, Numbers and Keynote contain a complete PDF of the document, made by Apple's own app when the file was saved. When that preview is there, the page takes it out in your browser: the layout is exactly Apple's, and the file isn't uploaded at all. In our test, this took 0.1 seconds.
Files without a preview are converted on our server by LibreOffice's iWork importer, which reads the text, tables, images and slides. A Pages, a Numbers and a Keynote test file converted together in under 4 seconds. Uploaded files are deleted when conversion ends, and the PDFs right after your browser downloads them.
What Do Pages, Numbers and Keynote Files Become?
Each iWork app has its own file type, and each becomes the kind of PDF you'd expect.
| iWork app | File | Office equivalent | In the PDF |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pages | .pages | Word document | Pages of text with images and tables |
| Numbers | .numbers | Excel workbook | Each table and sheet as pages |
| Keynote | .key | PowerPoint deck | One slide per page |
For Numbers files you can also set the Page fit and Orientation, and Keynote files can use Slides per page for handouts, the same options as the Excel to PDF and PowerPoint to PDF tools.
How Accurate Is the Conversion?
Files that carry Apple's preview come out exactly as they looked on the Mac. For the others, text, tables and pictures come through reliably, but complex designs can shift. Apple fonts such as Helvetica Neue and San Francisco aren't on our server, so similar fonts are used, and Keynote animations and transitions don't carry over to a PDF.
When an important document needs to be exact, the most reliable route is still exporting from the app itself on an iPhone, iPad or Mac (File, Export To, PDF), or opening it in iWork for iCloud in a browser and downloading a PDF.
Why Won't My iWork File Open on Windows?
iWork files use Apple's own format, which Microsoft Office and most Windows and Android apps can't read. Some iWork documents are also saved as a "package", a folder that looks like a single file on a Mac; when such a file is sent by email or copied to Windows, it can arrive as a folder or a ZIP.
If you get a folder, ask the sender to save it as a single file (Pages, Numbers and Keynote do this by default in recent versions), or to export a PDF directly. Password-protected iWork files can't be converted here.
Frequently asked questions
Can I convert Pages to PDF on Windows?
Yes, add the .pages file here in any browser and download the PDF. The Pages to PDF page has more about Pages documents.
Is it free?
Yes, free with no sign-up and no watermark, for files up to 50 MB each.
Are my iWork files uploaded?
Only when needed. Files with Apple's preview inside are converted in your browser and never uploaded; the rest go to our server over HTTPS and are deleted automatically, at the latest within 1 hour.
Can I convert Keynote to PDF?
Yes, Keynote files convert here and on the PowerPoint to PDF page. Each slide becomes a page, or choose 2, 4 or 6 slides per page.
Can I convert Numbers to Excel instead?
The converter makes PDFs only. To get an editable spreadsheet, export from Numbers as Excel, or open the file in iWork for iCloud and download an Excel copy.
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