How Do You Convert a Pages File to PDF?
You convert a Pages file to PDF by adding the .pages document to QuickCatPDF's Pages to PDF converter and clicking Convert to PDF. You don't need a Mac, an iPad or the Pages app: the converter runs in any browser, including on Windows and Android.
It's free, with no sign-up and no watermark.
How to Convert Pages to PDF With QuickCatPDF
Converting a Pages document takes four steps.
- Click Select Pages files or drop your .pages 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 to Convert Pages Documents?
QuickCatPDF checks each Pages file for Apple's own PDF preview first. Documents saved by older versions of Pages carry a full PDF of the document inside the file. When it's there, the page takes it out in your browser, so the result looks exactly as it did in Pages and the file is never uploaded. In our test, that took 0.1 seconds.
Newer files without a preview are converted on our server by LibreOffice's Pages importer, which brings across the text, headings, tables and images. Uploaded files are deleted when conversion ends, and the PDFs right after download.
Why Can't Word Open a Pages File?
A .pages file is saved in Apple's own format, which Microsoft Word, Google Docs and most Windows apps don't read. Renaming it to .docx doesn't help, because the content inside is still in Pages' format.
Converting to PDF is the quickest way to read or print the document on any device. If you need to edit it in Word, ask the sender to export it as a Word file from Pages (File, Export To, Word), or open it in iWork for iCloud and download a Word copy.
How Does the Preview Check Work?
The preview check happens in your browser before anything is sent. A .pages file is a ZIP package, and documents from older Pages versions include a file called Preview.pdf inside it. If the page finds one, it uses it as your PDF and shows "Used the preview saved in the file" next to the file.
Untick Use Apple's preview when the file has one to always convert on the server instead; that can help when an old document's preview is out of date. Files from recent Pages versions usually only contain a small picture preview, so they're always converted on the server.
How Close Is the Conversion to the Original?
Apple's preview is an exact copy. Server conversions keep the text, its order and basic formatting reliably, while complex layouts, Apple fonts and special effects can differ, so check the PDF before sending it. For a perfect copy of a new document, export a PDF from Pages itself on any Apple device or in iWork for iCloud.
Frequently asked questions
Can I convert Pages to PDF without a Mac?
Yes, it works in any browser on Windows, Android, Linux or a Chromebook. Just add the file and download the PDF.
Is Pages to PDF free?
Yes, free with no sign-up and no watermark, for files up to 50 MB each.
Is my document uploaded?
Not if it contains Apple's preview: then it's converted in your browser. Otherwise it's sent over HTTPS to our server and deleted automatically, at the latest within 1 hour.
Can I convert Numbers and Keynote files too?
Yes, use the iWork to PDF converter, which handles all three iWork apps. Word documents go to Word to PDF, and OpenDocument text to ODT to PDF.
What if my Pages file is a folder?
Some Pages documents are saved as packages that appear as folders outside a Mac. Ask the sender to save it as a single file or export a PDF from Pages.
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