How do I make pages 4.3 default instead of pages 5.0

The Mac App Store kept Pages 4.3 in the Applications folder when you upgraded to Pages 5.

First, if you opened documents with Pages 5, open them with Pages 5 again and go to File menu (on the menu bar) > Export > Pages '09. By doing this, you will be able to open them with Pages 4.3.

Then, open a Finder window, choose Applications in the sidebar and open Pages 4.3 from there. To access to it quickly, you can drag its icon to the Dock.

Apple has announced that iWork for Mac will recover some features in the upcoming months. Read > http://support.apple.com/kb/HT6049?viewlocale=en_US&locale=en_US

You are welcome

Hi mende1 - I am able to use Pages 4.3 again however it seems I can no longer open Pages documents from finder. Here is what happens:

1. I created and saved a file using Pages 4.3.

2. When I go to open that file again using finder and double clicking on the file, it tells me "this document can't be opened because it is too old" (but then I wait a few seconds and Pages 5.0 opens it).

3. When I open Pages 4.3 and use "Open existing File" it opens it up fine and I can work in it again.

My question is, how to make Pages version 4.3 the default version so I can open my files using Finder?

I hope you can help!

Thanks

Having a similar problem here. When I open my Pages 4.3 files, they are automatically being opened in Pages 5.0. In the Finder, I'll Get Info on my file, go to Open With:, and select Pages 4.3 instead of Pages 5.0 (default). There's a button that says, "Use this application to open all documents like this one." I hit that, an alert box comes up to make sure I want to do this, I hit the button saying "Yes, I'm sure" … and then all my Pages documents get set for 5.0, not 4.3! Aaaah!

The only way I'm able to set documents to open in 4.3 anymore is by manually going into every single one. Pain in the rear. Any chance our fine friends at Apple will make it possible to set Pages 4.3 as the default instead of 5.0?

If it's pertinent, I've got a MacBook Pro (13-inch, Mid-2012), and I'm running OSX 10.9. Thanks in advance!

I believe the only thing you can do right now is right-click on the file and "Open with..." and select Pages 4.3.

The only way I've been able to get documents to open with Pages 4.3 by default is to uninstall Pages 5.0.

However, then I have to deal with seeing the update notification for Pages 5.0 in the App Store app every time I open it. I choose that as the lesser of evils.

This is what works for me. After I installed the new iWork updates I created a folder on an external drive & named it "other applications." I then moved the new iWork apps to this folder & renamed the applications Keynote 6, Pages 5 & Numbers 3. I have icons for two versions of Pages & Numbers (I rarely use Keynote) in my Dock. Even with two versions of Pages & Numbers running, double-clicking an existing file opens in Pages 4.3 or Numbers 2.3. This should also keep the Mac App Store from nagging you to update.

Thanks, Peggy!

Does the "other applications" folder need to be on an external volume (not the boot drive) for this trick to work?

As far as I know, yes, it does need to be on another drive.

Thanks to s_w_i_t_t_e_r_s and Peggy for their responses! Looks like this is our current situation:

Option 1 – Change every Pages document manually back to defaulting to 4.3. (AllergyDoc)

Option 2 – Uninstall Pages 5.0 – and deal with the recurring update notification. (switters) (This didn't work so well for me – I kept getting messages saying that my old documents wouldn't open in 4.3 anymore and I had to download the 5.0 version again. The message wasn't the pain; not getting back into my old docs was the issue.)

Option 3 – Peggy's external volume solution, which works if you want to get an external volume, but not if you're cheap.

Would still love to see Option 4 from Apple sometime – make it possible to make 4.3 the default just by hitting that magic button! But in the meantime, at least we've got a few options …

Easy solution. Delete pages 5 and forget that Apple made that mitake.

4.3 is really great, it only need tweeking, not a redesign.

Option 4:

1) When you have your new iWork apps in another folder, open system preferences, click SPOTLIGHT>>PRIVACY and drag that folder into that list.

2) now place that folder into the trash (for the time being)

3) open the info pane of any pages file (cmd+i) and select the old pages app from the drop down menu, and click change all. (in my experience, after trashing the new pages, only the old pages appears in the list)

4) once the old pages is the default, you can restore the folder with the newer iWork apps from the trash (right-click and select 'Put back')

Now the new pages will not appear as an app default, and you dont have to keep a copy in a separate drive or dmg

Thank you Prekrish

Excellent suggestion, I have added your tip to the iWorksTipsnTricks forum.

Peter

Agreed, thank you Prekrish! This workaround is fantastic!! Hooray!