Can't open a pages document

A simple approach is to realize that you are attempting to open a Pages v5/v6 document in Pages '08/'09, and that you must right-click on the document, and from the Open With sub-menu, choose the default Pages v5/v6 that is offered, and compatible with that document. That simple. What we have been recommending here for years.

There may be a problem with your iCloud connection.

If you have iOS 11 installed on your iPad you may be able to see and handle the file in your iCloud Drive but again it really depends on you being able to get on iCloud.

Peter

You have 2 versions of Pages on your Mac and are alternately opening the wrong one.

Pages 5 is in your Applications folder.

Pages '09 is in your Applications/iWork folder.

Pages '09 can not open Pages 5, iOS 7 Pages, Pages for iCloud beta or iCloud files.

Pages 5 only runs on Mavericks and can not open Pages '08 or earlier files at all and alters/damages Pages '09 files, which once saved can not be opened by anything other than Pages 5.

Pages 5 files are in an odd compressed bundle, impossible to parse, which won't transfer via non-Apple servers. DropBox may have patched theirs, I haven't checked lately.

All Pages files, no matter what version or compatibility, have the same file extension: .pages.

Apple has removed over 90+ features from Pages and many of the rest are buggy. They have confused their users and apparently themselves with the installations, upgrades and cross-transfers of files. Effectively Pages 5 files are only compatible with themselves in a very narrow range of hardware and software.

http://www.freeforum101.com/iworktipsntrick/viewforum.php?f=22&mforum=iworktipsn trick

We are recommending users "upgrade" back to Pages '09 and trash/archive Pages 5 after Exporting their Pages 5 files back to Pages '09 or Word .docx files.

You should give Apple and other users feedback by rating/reviewing Pages 5 in the App Store.

In Australia approximately 70% of users say they hate it and it has hit 1.5 stars in the ratings and is sliding.

We are all waiting for an apology from Apple and some written direction of where it is going with this. So far nothing has eventuated.

Peter

Yes you can open it in Pages 5.

Peter

If you are having trouble following the above post, I can translate it to Simplified Chinese, if that helps.

Peter

To solve the problem, quit Pages '09 and remove it from our dock. Go to Finder and open your applications file - open the applications as a list. In this list locate the latest "Pages" document and check its date to ensure you have it installed (should be December 2013), then locate iWorks and double-click on it, locate the '09 version of Pages in that drop down list, highlight it and select to move it to the trash. Now, go to your Pages document that would not open previously, double-click on the document's icon and it will open in the latest version of Pages.

Meng Jiang

Do not follow the last suggestion.

As I said in my first post, Pages 5.2 is a very much crippled version. To get most things done you will require Pages '09. Last count, even after Apple reinstated some features, there are still over 110 features missing in Pages 5.2.

You can run both Pages '09 and Pages 5.2 on your Mac if you want, but you will need to right click on files to choose which version you open them with.

Peter

Mr. Breis is very much mistaken in his directive not to follow my instructions to fix the problem with the 09 and 13 versions of Pages installed on a Mac. I have personal experience in this correction, have solved the problem in this manner and have no idea why Mr PeterBreis0807 would contradict what definitely is a fix for this problem. Follow his advice for confusion and issues.

Maybe because I actually know what I am talking about.

Trash Pages '09 and you will not be able to do any of the 110 things that Apple has removed from Pages 5.2 and will face the ultimate problem of not being able to open your files or even parse their contents.

You are fixated on one thing and one thing only, being able to double click on a Pages 5.2 document and have that open in Pages 5.2. That is not the reason to use any software. You use software to get work done and be able to share that with others. Pages 5.2 runs on such a tiny fraction of computers (only a fraction of Macs for example), and fails to do even basics and exports/imports badly from the wider community, that it has become a lowest denominator "solution" to users work.

Unfortunately Apple has gathered around itself so many users who have virtually no idea of what is going on, that they either just put up with it or guess at "fixes" (which create more problems) to the endless broken software.

Peter

Mr. Breis0807's comments speak for themselves. He's a know it all. Good luck with that script.

I never claimed to know it all because I know how just how much there is to know, which is a lot.

However here is some advice, pay a little bit of attention, then you might know a bit more than you seem to, which apparently is not much.

This is what worked for me today:

This is a work-around fix response to an attempt to open a file that gives the error message:

“name of your file.pages” couldn’t be opened.

The required index.xml file is missing.