Will old Pages files open on an MBA with an M1 chip?

I'm only about 99% certain a new M1 Mac with its latest Pages version will be able to open those Pages documents. Documents are not programs so Rosetta is not a factor in its ability to open them.

It will take me a couple of days to resurrect an old Mac with its old version of Pages to be 100% certain. I believe its icon resembled a bottle of ink; is that the one you're using?

In the meantime I have a couple suggestions. However old it may be, if your extremely aged MacBook can use iCloud Drive, upload a representative Pages document to it and determine if you can use iCloud.com to open it. Sign in to iCloud and click the Pages icon: https://www.icloud.com

If you can open that document, you have your answer.

Next suggestion: post a brand new question in the Pages - Apple Community. You will almost certainly get a 100% definitive answer faster than I will be able to provide one.

Aside: Don't consider an Intel Mac for new purchases. They might as well be obsolete already.

All files should still open in the new version of Pages. You can also transfer content from the old Mac to a new one using Migration Assistant, however this process is optional and you can still simply move the files manually and it will still open.

I assume that opening a document with Pages through iCloud would be pretty much the same as opening it with the newest version of Pages, right? So I guess that means I should be fine with the M1 chip....

Yes. I think you're fine. The only thing that stops me from providing absolute 100% iron-clad assurance is that I want to prove it to myself, and I need that old Mac to do it.

(I'm a dinosaur, I still like to back up all my files on hard drives)

That makes two of us.

avilee g wrote:

... After thinking on it I'm still a bit nervous, given that you used the word "should" instead of "will"... Anyone have experience transferring such old files to an M1 chip, who could give me a really confident answer?

Thanks!

If you are within a reasonable distance from it, you could try making an appointment at your nearest Apple Store and see if they'd be willing to prove to you that the Apple Silicon Macs can open those old Pages documents.