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Can I convert a PDF to Pages?

Is there a way to convert a PDF into Pages? It's a document I need to reformat and edit.

Posted on Aug 8, 2022 1:15 PM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Aug 8, 2022 2:57 PM

Apple does not provide a tool to convert PDFs into Pages, or Word document formats. If you can copy/paste between the PDF and Pages, and presuming that the PDF has no user permissions or copyrights preventing this action, it is the only free solution that allows you to retain control over the Pages content, and not incur lost hours of PITA reformatting from so-called web conversion solutions.


If you already have access to MS Word 16.31 or later, you can open a PDF and convert to Word. Then either edit and reformat in Word, or open that resulting Word document in Pages so it can be translated into Pages internal (.pages) document format. In either application, you can then subsequently save/export back to PDF.


Adobe offers a PDF conversion service (subscription) that allows you to open a PDF in Adobe Acrobat Reader DC, and upload it to an Adobe account where their server-side software will convert the PDF to Word, and then provide you a download link.


And then, some paid PDF editors can open a PDF and convert it to a Word document, or even allow you to reformat/edit the original PDF content.



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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Aug 8, 2022 2:57 PM in response to Old Timer 008

Apple does not provide a tool to convert PDFs into Pages, or Word document formats. If you can copy/paste between the PDF and Pages, and presuming that the PDF has no user permissions or copyrights preventing this action, it is the only free solution that allows you to retain control over the Pages content, and not incur lost hours of PITA reformatting from so-called web conversion solutions.


If you already have access to MS Word 16.31 or later, you can open a PDF and convert to Word. Then either edit and reformat in Word, or open that resulting Word document in Pages so it can be translated into Pages internal (.pages) document format. In either application, you can then subsequently save/export back to PDF.


Adobe offers a PDF conversion service (subscription) that allows you to open a PDF in Adobe Acrobat Reader DC, and upload it to an Adobe account where their server-side software will convert the PDF to Word, and then provide you a download link.


And then, some paid PDF editors can open a PDF and convert it to a Word document, or even allow you to reformat/edit the original PDF content.



Sep 2, 2022 6:48 AM in response to SteelCityAnne

Apple offers the Preview PDF reader with the operating system. It is purposely designed for opening most PDF documents. It is not however, a PDF Editor for revising original PDF content. Those cost money.


Pages is a word processing application. Like all other word processing applications on the market, it is designed for that purpose alone, and none incorporate a PDF reader/editor as part of the word processing application. That would be really expensive and a nightmare to support.


You can drag/drop a single page PDF onto a Pages document and it becomes a document object whose content you cannot alter beyond resizing and positioning. Otherwise, you convert a PDF document as I outlined in my previous solved post and then incorporate that content into Pages by opening the Word document.

Can I convert a PDF to Pages?

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