PAGES files are actually just ZIP files that include not only the document information necessary for Pages but also a JPG file and an optional PDF file that can be used for previewing the document. The JPG file can preview the first page only while the PDF can be used to see the entire document.
How to Open a PAGES File
Apple’s word processor, Pages, is normally used to open PAGES files, and it works only on macOS computers. The same application is available for iOS devices. However, one quick way to view PAGES files in Windows or another operating system is to upload it to Google Drive. See how to convert the PAGES file below if you need to open the document in a different program or if you don’t have Pages installed. Another method is to extract the preview documents from the PAGES files, which can be done with any file extraction tool that supports the ZIP format (which is most of them). Our favorites are 7-Zip and PeaZip. Once you’ve extracted the files from the archive, go into the QuickLook folder and open Thumbnail.jpg to see a preview of the first page of the document. If there’s a Preview.pdf file there too, you can preview the whole PAGES document.
How to Convert a PAGES File
You can convert your PAGES file online using Zamzar. Upload the file there and you’ll be given the option to convert the PAGES file to PDF, DOC, DOCX, EPUB, PAGES09, or TXT. Pages can convert the PAGES file, too, to Word formats, PDF, plain text, RTF, EPUB, PAGES09, and ZIP.
More Information on PAGES Files
When a PAGES file is saved to iCloud through the Pages program, the file extension changes to .PAGES-TEF. They’re officially called Pages iCloud Document files. Another similar file extension is PAGES.ZIP, but they belong to versions of Pages released between 2005 and 2007, which are versions 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0. PAGES09 files are produced by versions of Pages 4.0, 4.1, 4.2, and 4.3, which were released between 2009 and 2012.
Still Can’t Open Your File?
The first thing you should do if you can’t open your PAGES file is to take note of the operating system you’re using. If you’re on Windows, you probably don’t have a program installed that can open the PAGES file, so double-clicking it likely won’t get you far. Also remember that even if you do intend to open the file as a ZIP file, you have to either rename the .PAGES section of the filename to .ZIP or open the PAGES file directly with a tool like 7-Zip. Something else to consider is that some file extensions look awfully similar but that doesn’t necessarily mean that the formats are the same or that they can open with the same software programs. For example, although their file extensions are nearly identical, PAGES files are not at all related to PAGE files (without an “S”), which are HybridJava Web Page files. Windows uses a file called pagefile.sys to assist with RAM, but it, too, has nothing to do with PAGES files.
